SEMO begin cross country season with Redhawk Invite

The Southeast Missouri State cross-country season kicks off with the Redhawks Invite, on August 30th.

The race is free and open to the public at the Osage Centre Fields. The men will run the 5k at 6:15 p.m., followed by the women's 5k at 6:45 p.m.

There's plenty to look forward to from the Redhawks this season. Redshirt senior Noah Little and redshirt sophomore Nova Ojutkangas from France have been tabbed selected to the 2024 OVC Cross Country Runners to Watch list, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.

Ryan Lane is entering his 16th year running the cross country program and has expressed a lot of optimism in the men's team entering this season.

"The best men's team that we've had in Division I was 2010, and they were 72nd out of 350-whatever teams in the country in Division I ahead of about 15 Power Fives," Lane said. "This team is significantly more talented on the men's side."

Little leads the men by being the first to finish in every race and placed in the top ten three times. He reached the NCAA Midwest Regional meet and finished 134th out of 200 racers with a time of 33:06.8.

Little, who also earned All-OVC honors the previous two years, leads a senior group of Nick Cimmarusti, Garrett Dumke, Byron Sowerby, and Justin Splitt. Little and Dumke ran at the NCAA's last season.

"I expect this to be better than the 2010 team," Lane said. "I won't accept anything less."

Hannah Eastman was Lane's second OVC Female Runner of the Year last year, joining Carli Knott in 2020. We'll have an entire fall to figure out who may emerge to be No. 3. The Redhawks sent seven women to the NCAA meet last year, including Madelyn Gray, who leads a senior class of Erika Mellor, Sarah Russom, and Haley Smith.

The SEMO track & field team has been a haven for local talent looking to expand into the college ranks. Cross-country is no different. Returning local runners range from graduate student Clayton Eftink (Notre Dame), senior Haley Smith (Notre Dame), junior Layla Fliege (Jackson), sophomores Ryan Seabaugh (Cape Central) and Cade McCadams (Jackson), who was selected to compete at the NCAA meet in 2023.

"We absolutely live and die with local kids," Lane said. "Every one of these has either scored at a conference meet — meaning you got top 8 at the track conference meet or top 5 for our team —or they haven't had a chance to yet because they haven't started."