Cross Country Returns Home for OVC Championship Friday - Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Friday, October 30

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

9 a.m.

Southeast Missouri State University

OVC Championships

Photo by: SEMO Creative Media

10/29/2026 8:27:00 AM | Cross Country

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO.— The Southeast Missouri men's and women's cross-country teams compete in the OVC Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 30^th. The meet, hosted by Southeast Missouri, will take place at the Osage Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Meet Information
The meet will be an 8k race for the men and a 6k race for the women at the Osage Center. The women's 6k fires off at 9 a.m. CT followed by the men's 8k shortly after at 10 a.m. CT.
Live Results

Last Time Out
This is the fifth and final meet of the season for the squads after SEMO competed in the Bradley Pink Classic two weeks ago. In the women's race, the Redhawks finished in 12^th with a mark of 397 points in the 6k race. Bradley took first place with 49 points beating out Grand Valley State at 63 points. The men's team finished 16^th collecting 431 points. Bradley took first with 45 points, and Grand Valley State took second with 84.

Finishing Strong
In the Women's White Race, Mattea Pearsall finished first for the Redhawks in the white race, landing in 58^th place with a time of 23:24.2. Carly Christians finished in a time of 23:48.9. Finally, Julia Martinez Dura finished with a time of 23:59.8.
In the Women's Red Race, Jocelyn Haynes was the first scorer in a time of 21:27.3, securing her in 60^th place overall. Scorers for the women's race include Haynes, Ojutkangas (21:35.9), Daphne Bishop (21:42.6), Brooklyn Bender (21:52.9), and Lauren Eftink (22:03.6) Other finishers for the Redhawks include Claire Horstmann (22:37.4), Aleah Box (23:10.2), and Peyton Schieppe (23:14.9).
The Men's White Race included five Redhawks, placing them in 12^th place with a combined score of 375. Trey Mygatt was the first finisher for the Redhawks, earning 35^th with a time of 25:29.6. Connor Soendker finished in 95^th with a time of 26:36.8. Behind him was Alex Bequette in 108^th in a time of 26:46.4. Zach Thoman earned 117^th in a time of 26:52.0. Finishing up the Redhawk runners for the White Race is Zach Duffie in 151^stwith a time of 27:26.3
In the Red Race, the men placed 16^th out of 25 teams with a score of 431. The first finisher for the men was James House finishing in 59^th in 24:26.1, ahead of Myles Thornburg who finished in 84^th in 24:43.2. Drew Upperman 89^th in 24:44.6. Lincoln Crews finished 116^th in 25:07.3, and wrapping up the scoring was Evan Fuller 140^th with a mark of 25:29.3.

Other finishers for the team in the Red Race include Cade McCadams (25:29.8) and Carson Koerber (25:42.8).

2025 Championship
Last year's championship resulted in a first-time championship victory for both the UT Martin men's team and the Tennessee Tech women. While UT Martin did tie in points with the defending champions, Southern Indiana, they won the tiebreaker. Tennessee Tech women dominated the field with 19 points.
For the Redhawks, the men placed third overall with a combined score of 96 points. The women placed second out of ten schools, earning themselves 79 points. After the OVC Championships, the Redhawks sent nine runners to the NCAA Midwest Regional, five men and four women respectively.
Nova Ojutkangas is the reigning champion of the meet. She earned her second consecutive victory in last year's race with a time of 20:57.1

Food Truck Frenzy
SEMO Athletics will be hosting four food trucks for fans and attendees at Friday's meet. Vendors include Dirty Fizz, Crepe Girardeau, By Grace, and Waves Donuts.