May 2, 2002

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The 50th men's and 23rd women's Ohio Valley Conference track and field championships will be held on Friday and Saturday at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.

Friday's events begin at 1 p.m. with Saturday's schedule beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Eastern Illinois is a five-time defending champion in the men's competition while Tennessee State is defending the women's title. EIU and TSU will be favored again this weekend with Southeast Missouri State expected to challenge for both titles. Southeast has won three of the last five women's titles and was the last team other than Eastern Illinois to win the men's championship, winning titles in 1995 and 1996.

There will be nine men's competitors defending titles including two events that have two former champions in the field. In the javelin, Jon Bourque of EIU was last year's winner but teammate Ron White was the 2000 champion and has the best throw in the league this year at 226-feet 10-inches.

Jaret Willi of Southeast won the pole vault last season and in 1999 while teammate Colin Sheridan won the title in 2000. Willi has the best vault recorded this season at 17-feet.

Glenn Haley of Southeast won both hurdle races last season.

Other defending champions include Quincy Jackson of Eastern Illinois is the long jump, Shelton Scott of Southeast in the triple jump, Jay Heddell of Southeast in the discus, Tyson Brown of Southeast in the 800-meters, Eric Grubeman of EIU in the steeplechase and Roosevelt Turner of Eastern Kentucky in the 100-meters.

In the women's competition, seven individuals will defend titles including Sheena Gooding of Austin Peay who is a three-time defending champion in the 800-meters where she has timed a league best 2:06.05 this season.. Karen Lutes of Morehead State is a two-time defending champion in the 10,000-meters and also won the 5,000 last season. Other defending champions include Monique Demmons of Tennessee State is the in the 1,500, Beth Martin of EIU in the steeplechase, Kathy Dodsworth of Eastern Kentucky in the discus, Kenitra Woods of Tennessee State in the shot put and Courtney Haman of Southeast in the javelin.