Southeast Missouri State track and field team wins nine events in two meets

Southeast Missouri State track and field athletes continued their impressive season with more strong performances, including a school record, during meets over the weekend.

The Redhawks split up for the first time this outdoor campaign, sending distance runners to the Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville, Tenn., and the rest of the squad to the Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood Invitational in Louisville, Ky.

The meet in Louisville was scored as a quad dual, with each team accumulating head-to-head points against each other. Southeast's men went 1-1-1, defeating East Tennessee State 70-48, tying Central Michigan 67-67 and falling to host Louisville 94-51. Southeast's women dropped its duals to CMU 77.5-56.5, ETSU 73-63 and Louisville 103-48.

Southeast captured seven event titles in Louisville, led by Courtney Gapelu's record-setting performance.

Gapelu won the shot put, launching a school-record toss of 51 feet, 3 inches She broke the previous outdoor mark of 51-0 set by Heather Jenkins in 2004. Gapelu also owns the indoor school record of 51-9.

The other victory for Southeast's women was by Notre Dame Regional High School graduate Jill Schnurbusch in the pole vault (12-4 1/2).

Southeast's men brought home five titles, led by Kendrick Farr. He was a double individual winner, claiming the 100 meters with a career-best 10.71 seconds and the 200 meters (21.91).

Farr also combined with Jackson High School graduate Blake Smith, Alexander Anderson and Blake Carter to win the 400 relay (41.48).

Reggie Miller's season-best 6-11 won the high jump, while Brian Grote captured the javelin (185-5).

Other notable performances for the men included Central High School graduate Jared Siemers' career-best hammer throw of 182-5, which was good for fourth place; Kevin Farley notching third-place finishes in both the shot put (53-3) and discus (164-5); Joel Krause taking third in the javelin (158-2); and Kameron Long placing third in the 800 (1:56.21).

Also for the women, Nikki Buchheit finished in a third-place tie in the pole vault (11-0 3/4) while Jerika Lewis took third in the 400 (57.81).

Southeast distance runners had two event winners and nine top-five finishes at Venderbilt.

Alex Zisser set a career-best in the 1,500, winning in 3:53.90, while Charles Johnson took the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:39.91, with Ryan Anderson (9:48.09) and Shane Brown (9:49.11) second and third, respectively.

Craig Munie was third in the 5,000 with a career-best 14:42.63 and Nate Shipley was fifth with a career-best 14:50.90.

For the women, Rebekah Lawson shattered her career best in the 5,000 to take fifth in 16:54.85.

Maria Trowbridge (11:14.81), Gloria Westlake (11:20.86) and Central High School graduate Mary Dohogne (11:21.46) were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 3,000 steeplechase.

Southeast returns to action Saturday at the Arkansas State Invitational. That will be the Redhawks' final tuneup before the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships May 3 and 4 in Charleston, Ill.

Softball

Southeast was within one strike of a doubleheader sweep of OVC East Division leader Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.

But the Colonels exploded for three runs in the top of the seventh inning and posted a 6-4 victory. Southeast rallied in the opener to win 12-11.

EKU is 27-17 overall and 14-5 in OVC play. Southeast is 13-26 and 5-12.

With Southeast leading 4-3 in the nightcap, freshman pitcher Hannah Clemons retired the first two batters in the seventh inning before Haley Schenasi reached on an infield single.

Raquel Howes doubled and Sarah Fobbs, on a 1-2 count, drilled a three-run homer over the left-center field wall. Southeast got its leadoff batter on in the bottom of the seventh but the next three hitters were retired.

Clemons (4-5) was the tough-luck loser. She allowed nine hits in the complete game.

Southeast had six hits, led by junior Alexis Anderson with two. Senior Taylor Cowan had two RBIs.

The Redhawks, after leading 7-3 in the opener, saw EKU go ahead 11-7 before Southeast exploded for five runs in the sixth inning. Clemons' two-RBI single tied the score, and Anderson's RBI groundout proved to be the game-winner as senior Leah Becker broke from third base just after the throw went to first and beat the return throw home.

Senior Xia Wilson led Southeast's 13-hit attack by going 3 for 4 with her first home run of the season, a double and five RBIs.

Anderson again had two hits, as did Cowan and sophomore Lindsey Patterson. Cowan added two RBIs.

Clemons was the winner in relief, allowing three hits and one run over the final two innings. Cowan gave up seven hits and 10 runs, just two earned, in five innings.

Southeast returns to action today, hosting Morehead State in a noon doubleheader.

Tennis

Southeast has won the 2012-13 Ohio Valley Conference Team Sportsmanship Award for women's tennis, the league announced Friday.

Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans.

The 2012-13 school year marks the eighth year the OVC team sportsmanship honors have been awarded.

-- From staff reports