Women's Track and Field Team Crowned OVC Champions

Thursday, May 14

Little Rock, Ark.

TBA

Southeast Missouri State University

Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships

Photo by: SEMO Creative Media

5/16/2026 5:22:00 PM | Track and Field

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Southeast Missouri Track and Field teams wrapped up the 2026 OVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with three school record and 7 event titles.

The women's team claimed the team championship collecting 164 points over the three days to top Little Rock by 36. points. It is the women's fourth consecutive season winning the outdoor championship and 15^th time in program history.

The men's team finished second behind Eastern Illinois after scoring 186.5 points.

Opening the field events was the women's shot put and Andreese Ortiz claimed her second championship of the weekend with a distance of 46-11. Alyssa Repke wrapped up her strong weekend with a fifth-place finish reaching 40-0.25. Bailie Hux (13^th, 37-1.75) also competed.

The men's shot put saw Quinton Maxwell in his final throw of his college career with a second-place finish reaching a distance of 52-2. Mark Goldman finished fifth with a mark of 51-1, Zavier Winton finished eighth with a throw of 45-1.25 and Kannon Harlow also competed and finished ninth reaching 43-1.25.

In the women's triple jump Alaina Lester won the event and set a new school record when she reached 41-9.5 on her first attempt.

In the men's triple jump Cole Bruenderman qualified for finals and placed second overall with a new personal best mark of 48-9. Aarion Jackson finished 12^th in 44-2.

Jackson Witvoet led SEMO in the men's javelin reaching a distance of 168-2 and finishing sixth just ahead of Luis Schadlich who finished seventh in 164-1. Kannon Harlow also finished ninth with a mark of 147-9.

The women's javelin was the final field event of the day as Kennedy Zgaynor finished third with a best mark of 148-11. The Redhawks also claimed fifth through seventh place with Avery Graham (5^th, 135-7), Ava Dumke (6^th, 131-9), and Anna Thomason (7^th, 116-8).

Moving to the track for the big day full of finals, the men's 4x100m relay of Connor Moore, Jackson Witvoet, Kani Smith and Jonas Davis finished fourth in 40.82 to set a new season best.

The women's relay which consisted of Alaina Lester, Sydney Burdine, Makayla Jones and Jasmine McClelland made the podium finishing third in a season best time of 45.96.

Moving onto the men's 1500m final Cole Reinders led the Redhawks and placed fifth in a time of 3:51.20. Teammates Evan Fuller and Trey Mygatt also competed and Fuller finished 11^th in 4:02.17 and Mygatt came in 12^th in 4:18.37.

The women's 1500m saw Madelyn Gray take the tape with a time of 4:33.50. Ceyda Bayur and Mattea Pearsall also ran, and Pearsall finished in eighth to score a point in 4:43.38 and Bayur finished 12^th in 4:53.08.

Jon'David White was the lone Redhawk in the final of the 110m hurdles and he finished second in a season best time of 13.96.

Anna Thomason wrapped up her big weekend with another championship and school record winning the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.42.

The 400m was important for the men's team when Jonas Davis won the event in a time of 46.23 along with support of Connor Moore and Kani Smith who also helped earn more team points. Moore finished sixth in 48.13 ahead of Smith in eighth in 48.50.

Sydney Burdine ran away with the women's 400m and took the tape in 54.774. It is the fourth straight outdoor championships in which SEMO won the event and Burdine's second consecutive season winning the event.

Cole Reinders topped the podium for the first time of the meet winning the 800m with a time of 1:50.47. Tyler Anderson (5^th, 1:51.80) and Evan Fuller (7^th, 1:53.46) also added more team points.

In the women's 800m Erika Mellor won the event for the second time in her career with a time of 2:06.69. Her time not only set a new school record but broke a 40-year-old OVC record as well. Madelyn Gray finished fourth in 2:14.21 ahead of teammates Kale Clements (7^th, 2:16.82) and Ceyda Bayur (8^th, 2:29.93).

White hit the track again for the 400m hurdles when he finished in eighth with a time of 57.37.

The men's 200m race saw Jonas Davis finish in fourth in 21.04. Second through fourth place were separated by 0.04.

In the final individual event of the meet, the men's 5k saw Jacob Blassingame take fourth place in his final race with a time of 15:07.73. Myles Thornburg (12^th, 15:44.14) and Nick Cimmarusti (18^th, 16:10.89) also competed.

Kayla Vogelsang led the SEMO women in the 5k when she finished 10^th and her time of 18:32.22 to wrap up her career. Daphne Bishop (15^th, 19:13.36), Layla Fliege (16^th, 19:15.85) and Mattea Pearsall (18^th, 19:23.02)

The meet wrapped up with the men's 4x400m relay which the team of Smith, Moore, Witvoet, and Davis came in second by 0.007 with a time of 3:11.61. The women's team of Alaina Lester, Jasmine McClelland, Erika Mellor and Sydney Burdine won the race with a time of 3:44.66.

Specialty Awards

Head coach Eric Crumpecker won Female Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year and fifth time overall.

Zavier Winton was tabbed as OVC Field Athlete of the Year for his performance over the outdoor season. It is the fifth consecutive season SEMO has won that award. Winton also won Male Freshman of the Year and Male Athlete of the Championships.

Alyssa Repke was voted as Female Freshman of the Year. She becomes the fifth award winner in program history.

SEMO had both winners of the Female Athlete of the Championships with Anna Thomason and Andreese Ortiz sharing the award. It is the second straight year Thomason has won the award and first for Ortiz.

For the athletes that qualify the NCAA West Preliminary will take place May 27-30 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.