COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Three Redhawks earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors as Southeast Missouri cross country competed in the 2022 OVC Championship Saturday morning at the Putnum County Sports Complex.
 
Hannah Eastman and Katie Wegmann both earned All-OVC First Team honors as the Redhawk women finished fourth overall in the 6K. Noah Little took 10th in the 8K for All-OVC laurels as the men placed sixth as a team.
 
The SEMO women finished fourth with 91 points and the Redhawk men completed the 8K with 144 points for sixth. 
 
Eastman, a senior from Belleville, Illinois, paced the Redhawks women, crossing the finish in a personal-best 22:11.5 for fifth and her first career All-OVC Cross Country laurels.
 
Wegmann, a Mequon, Wisconsin, native, added a time of 22:26.5 for seventh and her second career All-OVC Cross Country honors. 
 
Taylor Fox was 24th (23:31.7) followed by Madelyn Gray (23:42.9, 27th) and Mackenzie Pugh (23:46.3, 28th) to wrap SEMO's top five. 
 
Layla Fliege (23:47.9, 30th), Lexie Dockstader (24:10.8, 45th, PR), Haley Smith (24:12.2, 46th), and Sarah Russom (24:38.3) also ran in the 6K for the Redhawk women Saturday. 
 
On the men's side, Little garnered his first career All-OVC Cross Country Second Team honor with a time of 25:37.3 to place 10th overall Saturday.
 
Little, a junior from Washington, Missouri, is the first Southeast Missouri man to receive All-OVC Cross Country honors since Craig Munie in 2013. 
 
Aaron Modrow was the second fastest Redhawk, completing the 8K in 26:15.5 (24th) followed by Nick Cimmarusti (34th, 26:36.2), Terrico Garrett (26:49.3, 39th) and Justin Splitt (26:53.7, 40th) to complete the SEMO top-five scorers. 
 
Garrett Dumke (26:54.9, 43rd), Clayton Eftink (27:38.3, 61st) and Jacob Blassingame (27:43.5, 63rd) also represented the Redhawks at the Championship.
 
Eastern Illinois claimed the 2022 OVC Women's Championship with 41 points. 
 
In the closest finish in OVC women's championship history, the 6K race was decided by one point with Eastern Illinois having the second and third place finishers and placing its first five in the Top 16 overall. The Panthers finished with 41 points, which was one point ahead of Southern Indiana in its OVC debut. Host Tennessee Tech was third (71) and followed by Southeast Missouri (91), Little Rock (138), UT Martin (150), Morehead State (186), SIUE (230), Lindenwood (250) and Tennessee State (328).
 
For EIU's women it was the third overall (and first since 2011) title. 
 
This year marked the first time the women's teams had run a 6K; the decision was made to match the NCAA Regionals distance.
 
In the men's race, Eastern Illinois had the second and third place finishers and a third runner in the Top 10 to finish with 65 points, which was two points ahead of UT Martin, which had its highest-ever team finish at the event. It was the closest men's finish at the OVC Championship since 2002. 
 
It marked the third-straight and 10th overall title for the EIU men. The Panthers last swept the OVC Cross Country Championships in 2001.
 
Southern Indiana was third (82 points) and followed by Tennessee Tech (101), newcomer Little Rock (112), Southeast Missouri (144), Morehead State (159), SIUE (179), Lindenwood (224) and Tennessee State (321).
 
In the women's individual competition, Southern Indiana junior Lauren Greiwe, the 2022 OVC Athlete of the Year, took first place, finishing in a 6K time of 21:36.7.
 
Southern Indiana senior Noah Hufnagel won the 8K race in his OVC debut, finishing in a time of 24:37.2, which was 10 seconds better than defending individual champion Dustin Hatfield of Eastern Illinois (24:47.6). Hufnagel used a kick in the final straight stretch to pass Hatfield and claim the title.
 
Eastern Illinois's Erin Howarth was voted the OVC Men's and Women's Coach of the Year following the race. It marked her third men's and third women's award of her career.
 
Following Saturday's 2022 OVC Cross Country Championship, the Redhawks will then head to Columbia, Missouri, for the 2022 NCAA Midwest Regionals Nov. 11.
 
Men's Awards
Athlete of the Year: Dustin Hatfield, Eastern Illinois
Athlete of the Championship: Noah Hufnagel, Southern Indiana
Coach of the Year: Erin Howarth, Eastern Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Luke Johnson, UT Martin

All-OVC First Team
Noah Hufnagel, Southern Indiana
Dustin Hatfield, Eastern Illinois
Adam Swanson, Eastern Illinois
Mitchell Hopf, Southern Indiana
Miceal McCaul, Tennessee Tech
Garrett Watts, Morehead State
Will Cahill, UT Martin

All-OVC Second Team
Zach McPhee, Little Rock
Andrew Pilat, Eastern Illinois
Noah Little, Southeast Missouri
George Payne, UT Martin
Luke McNair, UT Martin
Dominic Smith, Tennessee Tech
Andrew Payton, Little Rock

Women's Awards
Athlete of the Year: Lauren Greiwe, Southern Indiana
Athlete of the Championship: Lauren Greiwe, Southern Indiana
Coach of the Year: Erin Howarth, Eastern Illinois
Freshman of the Year: Holly Harding, Lindenwood

All-OVC First Team
Lauren Greiwe, Southern Indiana
Kate Bushue, Eastern Illinois
Mackenzie Aldridge, Eastern Illinois
McKenna Cavanaugh, Southern Indiana
Hannah Eastman, Southeast Missouri
Ruby Wyles, Tennessee Tech
Katie Wegmann, Southeast Missouri

All-OVC Second Team
Sarah Carr, Eastern Illinois
Matilda Horton, Little Rock
Aubrey Swart, Southern Indiana
Helen Pacurariu-Nagy, Tennessee Tech
Katie Springer, Eastern Illinois
Allison Morphew, Southern Indiana
Audrey Comastri, Southern Indiana