Southeast's Farley a first-team All-American

Southeast Missouri State sophomore track & field athlete Kevin Farley continued his late-season surge in the best possible venue.

Farley turned in his third straight career-best performance Wednesday night, finishing seventh in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.

By virtue of that finish, Farley earned first-team All-American honors. The top eight in each event are designated first-team All-American.

Farley is Southeast's fifth outdoor track & field All-American since the program moved to Division I prior to the 1992 outdoor season. He is the Redhawks' first outdoor All-American since former world-class 400-meter runner Miles Smith was sixth at the 2008 NCAA meet.

"I'm really proud of how he came out and competed at his first national meet today," Southeast coach Eric Crumpecker said in a release. "It's huge for him to set the tone for us on the first day of the meet with the rest of our kids going later this week."

Farley's top distance of 61 feet, 11 3/4 inches on his second throw Wednesday allowed him to surpass the previous school record for the third straight meet.

"Kevin had a big time throw in the prelims," Crumpecker said. "He had been battling some soreness in his elbow, but really got into his second throw."

The native of Springfield, Ill., whose previous top mark had been 60-8 1/2 established at the NCAA West Region in Austin, Texas, earlier this spring broke Southeast's oldest school record that had stood since 1971.

Farley's finish earns Southeast two points in the team standings, the Redhawks' first points at nationals since 2008.

Ryan Crouser of Texas won the NCAA shot put title with a distance of 66-7 3/4.

Farley, the Ohio Valley Conference outdoor male field co-athlete of the year who was voted the top male athlete at the OVC outdoor meet, is one of three national qualifiers for the Redhawks, the program's most since 2006.

Sophomore Blake Carter (long jump) will compete tonight while sophomore Reggie Miller Jr. (high jump) will be in action Friday.

Carter was Southeast's lone national qualifier during the indoor season, when he earned second-team All-American honors by placing 13th. He owns the school's indoor long jump record.

Miller Jr. holds the school's indoor high jump record.