Southeast Missouri State roundup: Egbuka, Colbert earn OVC weekly track awards

The Southeast Missouri State track and field program swept the Ohio Valley Conference weekly awards for field athletes for the third time this outdoor season.

Senior Brandon Colbert secured his 11th career OVC male outdoor field athlete of the week honor and senior Brianna Egbuka picked up her first career female outdoor field athlete of the week award.

Egbuka, a Central High School graduate, recorded top-10 finishes in four events over the weekend at the Jace Lacoste Invitational hosted by Mississippi State.

Egbuka, who owns the OVC's top shot put this season, won her first career shot put title with a throw of 44 feet, 10 3/4 inches.

She added her second hammer throw title of the year and third of her career with a distance of 164-4.

Egbuka also was second in the discus and eighth in the javelin.

Colbert nabbed his second weekly honor of the outdoor season thanks to his record-breaking performance at the Jace Lacoste Invitational.

Colbert broke his own school record in the hammer throw with a toss of 206-1. It was his second hammer title of the season and third of his career.

He also was second in the discus.

The Redhawks return to the state of Mississippi on Saturday for the Mississippi Open in Oxford.

Volleyball

Recently hired Southeast volleyball coach Julie Yankus has added Kayani Turner as an assistant. Turner will serve as recruiting coordinator among other duties.

Turner, a native of Bel Air, Md., spent the last two years as a graduate assistant coach at Western Illinois. She is a former standout volleyball player at Illinois.

"I'm very excited for Kayani to join our coaching staff," Yankus said in a release. "She was a great player who experienced success on the court and she will bring that expertise and winning attitude to our program."

Soccer

Southeast soccer player Nikki Edwards has earned honorable mention on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar All-Region Team.

Edwards was among 14 OVC soccer players selected to one of four regional teams based on academic and athletic achievements during the 2010 season.

Edwards, a junior, had a cumulative grade-point average of 3.65 in business management after the fall semester. She is a three-time member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Southeast Scholar Athlete selection.

Edwards is among the OVC's top defenders. She has started every game since her freshman season, a streak of 40 straight contests. She was a 2010 OVC all-tournament selection.

Softball

The Southeast softball team wraps up a six-game homestand today with a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against Williams Baptist, an NAIA program from Walnut Ridge, Ark.

The starting time has been moved up from 4 p.m.

Southeast is 20-24 overall and a fifth-place 14-10 in the 11-team OVC.

Williams Baptist was 24-8 overall and a first-place 13-3 in the American Midwest Conference before a doubleheader Thursday. Junior Wendy Eftink from Oran plays for the Eagles.

-- From staff reports