March 31, 2008

Cape Girardeau, Mo. - The original name is back and so are some of the top athletes to ever compete at the 27th annual SEmotion Relays on Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex on the Southeast Missouri State University campus.

Originated in 1982, the SEmotion Relays soon became one of the premier sporting events in the Midwest. In 1997 the name was changed to All Sport Relays and in 2003 to the Gatorade Classic. Over the years, the meet has included many NCAA champions and world class performers and that tradition continues this year.

Southeast Missouri State track coach Joey Haines, who has announced his retirement at the end of this season, has been meet director for the past 26 years. Haines attended the first SEmotion Relays in 1982 with his team from Austin Peay and became Southeast head coach and meet director the following year.

This year, the SEmotion Relays will feature a talented field that will include a World Championship gold medalist, a world record holder and two-time NCAA champion.

There will be only one event on Friday, the hammer throw for women and men. The women's hammer throw, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. will feature world record holder Brittany Riley of Southern Illinois. Riley holds the unofficial world record in the indoor weight throw and has won the last two NCAA weight throw championships. She won last year's SEmotion Relays hammer throw title with a record throw of 209-feet, 10-inches. Riley, ranked number one nationally by Track & Field News, has the second longest throw in the nation this year with a heave of 225-8. She will also throw the shot put and discus on Saturday.

World championship gold medalist Miles Smith of Southeast Missouri will run the open 400 for the first time this outdoor season on Saturday, 1 p.m. He is a three-time defending champion in the SEmotion Relays 400 and won last year's event in a time of 47.61. The SEmotion Relays record in the 400-meters is 45.59 by Olympian Michael Franks of Southern Illinois in 1988.

Smith, ranked fourth nationally by Track & Field News, hopes to reach the NCAA Regional qualifying standard of 47.20 and will shoot at the top time in the nation this season which was turned in by Cornelius Duncan of Southern Mississippi at 46.39.

Redhawks thrower Brandon Colbert has already qualified for the NCAA Regional in both the shot put and discus. He has thrown 55-2 3/4 in the shot put and will be challenged by SIU's Brenton Siemons who has thrown 56-1 ¾.

Team entries include men's and women's teams from Arkansas State, Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois-Carbondale, Memphis, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Southern Indiana. The University of Illinois men's team will compete while the Murray State and Belmont women's teams are entered.

The hammer throw events get under way at 3:30 p.m. on Friday with Saturday's events beginning at 11 a.m.