Southeast Missouri State track team participates in first outdoors meet

The Southeast Missouri State track and field program started its 2011 outdoor season with a host of strong performances at Saturday's Rhodes College Open in Memphis, Tenn.

Southeast, which sent only its throwers and female sprinters to the meet, claimed 22 top-10 finishes, including two titles.

Brianna Egbuka and Samantha Espiricueta won titles in the hammer and javelin, respectively.

Egbuka, a Central High School graduate, had a throw of 172 feet, while Espiricueta had a toss of 159-9.

Espiricueta also finished second in the discus (139-6), while Egbuka was fourth in the shot put (44-2 1/2).

The women's team had its best finish on the track in the 1,600-meter relay, placing second. Travon Beard, Magan Edwards, Unique Hooks and Triona Roberts timed 4 minutes, 2.96 seconds.

Also placing in the top five was Emilea Old, who was fifth in the shot put (41-11 1/2).

On the men's side, Josh Uchtman, coming back from hip surgery that held him out of the indoor season, was second in the discus (164-0).

Other top-five finishes were by Ed Draper in the javelin (third, 181-6), Craig Robinson in the hammer (fourth, 159-5) and Central graduate Jared Siemers in the hammer (fifth, 158-9).

Full Southeast squads will be in action Saturday at the Vanderbilt Black & Gold Invitational in Nashville, Tenn.

Tennis loses

The Southeast tennis team got wins from its top two singles players and its top doubles squad Saturday but suffered a 5-2 home loss to Western Kentucky to fall to 1-8.

Sophomore Nikole Novikova and freshman ElizabethNyenwe both earned their team-high fourth singles wins of the season. Novikova defeated Monta Reinfelde 7-6, 4-6 (10-5, super-tiebreaker) at No. 1 and Nyenwe defeated Katrina Vucina 6-3, 4-6 (10-4 super-tiebreaker) at No. 2.

Novikova and Nyenwe downed Reinfelde and McKinley Mason 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.

Southeast returns to Ohio Valley Conference action Saturday at Jacksonville State.

-- From staff reports