Southeast Missouri State track and field team opens indoor season today

Winter is just around the corner, but Southeast Missouri State track & field is staying busy by heading inside, with the 2015-16 indoor season opening today with the Eastern Illinois Early Bird Invitational in Charleston, Illinois.

The Redhawks will be facing off against familiar Ohio Valley Conference foes SIU-Edwardsville and host Eastern Illinois, as well as Illinois State, Western Illinois and Butler. Illinois will send just its women's team.

The meet opens up a title-defense campaign for the SEMO indoor men, who took the OVC Indoor championship a year ago. Key returners from that group include defending pole vault champion Christian Locke, 2014 OVC Indoor Freshman of the Year Chris Martin (jumps), Marc Maton (distance) Jason Walker (throws).

The women are coming off a third-place finish at the 2015 OVC Indoor Championships, returning a core group for this go-round. Senior Kayla Guiterrez leads the charge after a big junior effort that saw her crowned the 205 OVC Female Field Athlete of the Year for the indoor season after she won gold in the weight throw competition.

Sprinters Ayonna Cartwright and Prenecia Ponds, distance runner Megan Parks, jumper Abi Sowash and versatile Taylor Coffelt fill the roster out with key experience. Cartwright earned gold in the 60-meter dash a year ago and set the school's 55-meter record at 6.83 seconds.

The Southeast men have 17 freshmen on the roster, with the Early Bird Invitational providing an opportunity for some newcomers to get their feet wet.

After today's meet, the Redhawks will not compete again until January 15 at the Missouri Invitational in Columbia, Missouri.

Today's competition begins at 2 p.m. with the field events -- weight throw, shot put, pole vault, long jump, triple jump and high jump. The track events begin at 4 p.m., with the 60-meter hurdles, 60 dash, mile, 200, 400, 600, 800, 3K, distance medley relay and 4x400 relay.