Oct. 27, 2007

HOOVER, Ala. - Southeast Missouri State cross country earned top-five finishes for the second year in a row here today at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, hosted by Samford at the Spain Park High School Course. The women's team finished third with 98 points and the men's team scored 99 points to place fourth. Eastern Kentucky captured both the men's and women's championships for the second consecutive year.

Junior Juli Koenegstein (Chester, Ill.) paced the Southeast women with a seventh-place finish at a time of 18:41.69, while freshman Brandi Gervais (Waynesville, Mo.) placed 12th at a time of 19:07.63 and freshman Monica Noble (St. Charles, Mo.) finished 20th with a time of 19:36.64. Sophomore Linnea Woldtvedt (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) claimed 25th place at a time of 19:45.74, freshman Kasey Owens (Eureka, Mo.) finished 34th at a time of 20:03.41 and junior Esther Mathias (Kansas City, Mo.) earned a 36th-place showing with a time of 20:18.32. Freshman Laura Gosen (Chesterfield, Mo.) placed 27th at a time of 20:20.37 and sophomore Amy Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished 53 rd with a time of 20:55.73.

The Redhawk men's team was led the duo of junior Brandon Karcher (Mt. Vernon, Ill.) and freshman Brandon Funderburk (St. Peters, Mo.). Karcher finished ninth with a time of 25:48.93 and Funderburk placed 10th at a time of 25:54.32. Sophomore Dustin Davis (Edwardsville, Ill.) posted an 18th-place finish with a time of 26:13.47 and freshman Jason Lumpkin (Ballwin, Mo.) placed 30th at a time of 26:47.62. Freshman Chris Loseman (St. Charles, Mo.) finished 32nd with a time of 26:51.32 and senior Brad DeMattei (Centralia, Ill.) claimed 44th place at a time of 27:26.13. Sophomore Paul Stemmerman (Eureka, Mo.) captured 45th with a time of 2728.74 and senior Danny Stults (Springfield, Ill.) placed 59th at a time of 28:35.16.

The Redhawks had four runners claim All-OVC honors at the end of the meet. Koenegstein claimed first team honors, while Gervais, Funderburk and Karcher earned second team accolades.

EKU's Jacob Korir and Samford's Lauren Blankenship were named the OVC Runners of the Year, while Marius Sava of Jacksonville State and Samford's Hillary Neal garnered OVC Freshmen of the Year honors. Rick Erdman of Eastern Kentucky was named OVC Men's and Women's Coach of the Year for the second straight year.