Southeast Missouri State University's women's track and field team will try to win consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championships this year. The team won the OVC indoor championship on Feb. 23, its first since 2006 and seventh indoor championship overall, and is now preparing to win the OVC outdoor championship.

"It took pretty much every point we scored to get it done," Southeast track and field coach Eric Crumpecker said. "Everybody did their part, did their job. It was a great weekend as a team."

Southeast scored 101 points to beat out Tennessee State, which scored 95. There were 16 events scored, and the scores from each event were added up. Teams were given points based on what place they finished in the event.

The Redhawk women's track team hopes its outdoor season ends the same way as their indoor season -- with a championship. According to Crumpecker, the team is better during the outdoor season.

"Hopefully we'll be able to get the same thing accomplished at the end of outdoor season that we did indoor and pull it all together and come out with another OVC title," Crumpecker said. "There's a lot of track to be run between now and then."

Senior Jerika Lewis had a strong showing in the dual meet against SIU-Edwardsville on Feb. 1, winning the 300-meter and 55-meter. Lewis normally runs the 400-meter, 200-meter and relays. Lewis won the 400 at the indoor championships clocking in at 56.02 seconds.

"I want to break my records that I hold in the 200 and 400. I want to break those records," Lewis said, referring to her personal records. "And I also want to go to the NCAA championships outdoor. There's a better chance for me to do it outdoor than indoor."

Crumpecker said that winning the OVC indoor championship title was a nice send off for Lewis' senior season.

"She's showed up year after year and competed her butt off and has done a lot of great things for us over the years," Crumpecker said. "It was a fitting way to end her indoor career."

Junior Courtney Gapelu added her name to Southeast's record books by breaking the school's shot put record of 50- 4 by Lutrcia Purham that stood since 2000. Gapelu set the new mark of 51- 9 inches during Southeast's dual meet against SIU Edwardsville. That record helped her become the OVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week.

"My goals for indoor season were to break the shot put record and for the team was to win conference," Gapelu said. "We actually did both of them, so I was really happy."

Gapelu also competes in discus, javelin and the hammer throw. Her goal for the outdoor season is to place in the top eight of the OVC overall in shot put, discus and the hammer throw.

Crumpecker believes that expectations surrounding the team will grow for the outdoor season since the team won it's first indoor championship in seven years.

"I'm sure the expectations out of everybody now is 'Let's go win outdoor now.' Until you get the first one out of the way, it's kind of like you want to get one in, and now it's like the expectation is to keep the ball rolling," Crumpecker said. "Everybody's excited about getting a chance to go for the outdoor title."

According to Crumpecker, the competition will remain tight between the OVC track and field teams.

"EIU outdoor will still be a tough team to beat. Tennessee State is right there, Murray State is right there, Evansville is right there too," Crumpecker said. "I don't foresee anybody running away with the outdoor OVC conference meet. It's going to be a battle again."

Crumpecker won OVC Women's Coach of the Year for the first time due to the performance of the women's track and field team all season. This is Crumpecker's fifth season as head coach after serving 17 years as an assistant coach.

"It's nice to get recognized," Crumpecker said. "I'm just happy the team won, my main focus."

Both Lewis and Gapelu said they were happy for him and his accomplishment and agreed that he deserved the award.

"I wouldn't trade him for any other coach in the OVC, so he's great," Gapelu said.

Members of both the men's and women's teams competed in the Rhodes Open on March 16 and the Cougar Classic on Saturday.

The teams will travel to Cincinnati for the Oliver Nickoloff Invitational on Friday.