Oct. 26, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State men's and women's cross country teams will take part in the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference Championships, hosted by Samford in Hoover, Ala. The event will take place at the Spain Park Trail. The men's 8K race will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the women's 5K race at 10:00.

In the OVC preseason poll, the women were predicted to finish fourth, but are looking to improve upon their selection. They will be led by Juli Koenegstein, a junior from Chester, Ill., who has been the top individual finisher in every race this season. Koenegstein will be helped by freshman Brandi Gervais who has been the consistent number two runner and freshmen Monica Noble rounding out the top three.

Junior Esther Mathias has stepped up and posted consistent times in previous meets. She should add depth to help improve the team score. In addition, freshmen Laura Gosen and Kasey Owens have been running well and will make their first conference appearance.

On the men's side, the Redhawks were predicted to finish second in the preseason poll. They will have a strong battle for their selection as several teams in the conference have improved throughout the season.

Brandon Funderburk, a freshman from St. Peters, Mo., has been the men's team leader. Funderburk will team up with junior Brandon Karcher, a veteran who earned first team all-OVC honors in last year championships. The men should pick up valuable points as they return sophomore Dustin Davis and junior Danny Stults.

"We are very anxious to see how we match up with the other teams," says Coach Miles Krieger. "Our athletes have trained all season for this event and are aware of the stiff competition. It will be a strong battle but it can be done."