Southeast Missouri State cross country team will debut at Early Bird meet

When the Southeast Missouri State cross country team begins its season Saturday morning at the Gabby Reuveni Early Bird in St. Louis it will take another step toward its ultimate goal of finishing in the top three on both the men's and women's sides of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship meet.

Although the OVC championships are more than two months away, a top-three finish is what the Redhawks will work toward all season.

"Top three is our goal, and it's a big goal, but definitely doable, so just every single day putting in the work for that and always know that the meets coming up are big, but not our end goal," senior Gloria Westlake said about the team's expectations.

The men's team was picked to finish third and the women's team fourth in the conference's preseason poll.

Last season the women finished fourth and the men finished fifth in the conference meet. Two first-team all-OVC perfomers led the way, as Rebekah Lawson finished second for the women and Craig Munie placed seventh for the men.

Lane has decided to redshirt Munie, who has a fifth year remaining for outdoor track after having mononucleosis last spring.

Sophomore Marc Maton and junior Shane Brown are expected to be Southeast's top runners on the men's side, but depth will be critical for the team's overall success.

There are six runners behind Maton and Brown that posted times within eight seconds of each other during the Redhawks' time trials. Lane expects freshmen Dan Plunkett and Nathan Cook as well as seniors Colten Strotheide, Jackson graduate Tyson Stoverink and Ryan Anderson to be in a close pack.

"We're not going to kill anybody at the top, but we're going to put six or seven people in front of their fourth and fifth scorers, and I think that's what we're looking for," Lane said. "Not necessarily any key players to do anything special for us, but for our group to work together and really make a big difference."

Lawson returns for her senior season on the women's side as well as Westlake and Central graduate Mary Dohogne, who Lane expects to be in his top five runners.

Sophomores Megan Parks and Angela Sumner also will be a couple of the Redhawks' top runners.

"This summer I think everyone's done more work than we've ever done -- more miles and better tempos," Westlake said. "There's just been a lot harder work all around."

The dedication has made for some competition for the final three spots for the conference meet.

"I've got about 11 girls trying to get eight spots, and after five I have no idea who it's going to be," Lane said, noting that there are a couple of freshmen and juniors that have shown promise.

"It's the most focused group we've had since my first year here," Lane said. "We've been young for a lot of years because when I first came in almost everybody was a senior, and so my first recruiting class basically rebuilt both teams," Lane said. "But now we're not young -- we've got a lot of seniors now -- and the focus and determination to finish on a really high note and meet some of their expectations and goals."

when they came in is really there and it's rubbing off on the younger kids. The younger kids are seeing the work and they're seeing the drive and the dedication, and they're really catching on, which is great for our future."