Nov. 4, 2008

By Dane Burroughs, Sports Information Assistant

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. (Tuesday, November 04, 2008): The Southeast Missouri State men’s cross country team remained at the No. 11 spot in the most current Division I men’s Midwest regional cross country rankings put out by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Redhawks have maintained their No. 11 ranking after competing in the OVC Cross Country Championships this past Saturday. Since being ranked in the pre-season poll, the Redhawks have been ranked every week in the USTFCCCA Midwest Poll.

The men’s team finished with three All-OVC First and Second Team honorees at the OVC Cross Country Championships. Senior Brandon Karcher received first team honors finishing fourth with a time of 25:40.6. Freshman Nate Shipley finished 12th with a time of 26:22.6, earning him the Freshman of the Year award. Finishing right behind Shipley, Dustin Davis had a time of 26:28.4. The men’s team finished with a score of 66, right behind Eastern Kentucky, to give them 2nd place in the OVC. The OVC Cross Country Championships were hosted at the Jaycee Municipal Golf Course in Cape Girardeau.

Nationally-ranked Oklahoma State continues to hold the number one ranking in the USTFCCCA Midwest Poll. Oklahoma State is followed by Minnesota, Tulsa, Iowa State, and Southern Illinois rounding out the top five in the USTFCCCA Midwest Poll. The Redhawks are one of only three Ohio Valley Conference teams ranked in the nine different USTFCCCA regional polls. Eastern Kentucky remains at the No. 4 spot in the southeast poll while Morehead State dropped one spot from No. 14 to No. 15.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams will both be competing in the NCAA Midwest Regionals in Stillwater, OK on Saturday, November 15. The women’s starting time is at 11:00 a.m. and men’s at 11:45 a.m.