CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State cross country is set to compete at the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championship Saturday at the Eagle Trace Golf Course, in Morehead, Kentucky.
The championship is free and open to the public and it marks the first time that Morehead State has hosted the event since 2013.
The men's race is slated for 8:00 a.m CT, with the women following soon after at 9:00 a.m CT.
The men will run four loops around the course to complete the 8000-meter while the women will make three laps around the course for the 6000-meter.
This will be the 63rd OVC men's championship, as the first one was held in 1962; The women's championship will be determined for the 45th time this year.
Last year the Eastern Illinois men's and women's teams swept the Championships; it marked the 10th overall title for the men's program (and third-straight) and the third crown for the women's team.
The OVC Athletes and Freshmen of the Year, which are determined by coaches vote, will be announced on Friday night. The Coach of the Year, Athletes of the Championship and All-OVC honors will be presented following Saturday's Championship.
During the 2023 season
Hannah Eastman finished first for the SEMO women in every race and earned OVC Female Runner of the Week three races in a row. Eastman also broke the SEMO 6k record twice in back to back races.
Taylor Fox (4), Freshman
Brooklyn Bender (4),
Madelyn Gray (3), and
Layla Fliege (3) have all scored multiple times for the SEMO women. Both
Lexie Dockstader and
Sarah Russom notched a finish in the SEMO top five.
Noah Little has yet to give up the top spot for the SEMO men this season. The Senior has finished first for the SEMO men in every race on the 2023 campaign.
Seth Gleason,
Garrett Dumke, and Freshman
Cade McCadams all scored in each race for the SEMO men while
Justin Splitt (2),
Terrico Garrett, and
Nick Cimmarusti also placed in the SEMO top five.
Last Time Out
Hannah Eastman broke her own 6000-meter school record when she crossed the line at 21:12.0 beating her previous time (21:12.5) by half a millisecond for third.
Taylor Fox and Madelyn Gray finished in the top 20 placing, 15th and 19th. Fox and Gray both achieved new personal record times of 22:17.3 and 22:26.1.
Layla Fliege also finished with a new PR, running the race in 22:53.0 for 32nd.
The freshman, Brooklyn Bender crossed the finish line at 23:09.2 for 44th and a new personal best.
Noah Little finished first for the SEMO men and eighth overall in the men's 8000-meter, finishing with a time of 25:10.1.
Nick Cimmarusti and
Garrett Dumke finished back to back in 22nd and 23rd. Cimmarusti crossed the finish line in 25:41.9 and Dumke finished in 25:47.0
The freshman
Cade McCadams finished with a time of 26:06.2 placing 30th.
Seth Gleason finished in 34th place with a time of 26:15.4.
2022 OVC Championship Recap
Last year the SEMO women finished fourth with 91 points and the Redhawk men completed the 8K with 144 points for sixth.
Eastman paced the Redhawks women, crossing the finish for a personal-best 22:11.5 for fifth and her first career All-OVC Cross Country laurels.
Katie Wegmann added a time of 22:26.5 for seventh and her second career All-OVC Cross Country honors.
Fox was 24th (23:31.7) followed by Gray (23:42.9, 27th) and Mackenzie Pugh (23:46.3, 28th) to wrap SEMO's top five.
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.
Aaron Modrow was the second fastest Redhawk, completing the 8K in 26:15.5 (24th) followed by Cimmarusti (34th, 26:36.2), Garrett (26:49.3, 39th) and Splitt (26:53.7, 40th) to complete the SEMO top-five scorers.
After wrapping up the OVC Championship the cross country team will head to Stillwater Okla. for the NCAA Midwest Regionals, November 10.
