The 2015 men's and women's cross country teams are looking to repeat and improve on last season's success.
Both the men's and women's teams competed in the NCAA Midwest Regional last year and are looking to send their teams again.
Ryan Lane is in his sixth season as coach of the cross country team. He has seen success through his first five years including coaching Rebekah Lawson, one of the most decorated and successful runners throughout her entire career at Southeast. Lawson is the only runner in Southeast history to earn first team All-OVC all four years at Southeast.
"Our goal is to finish in the top four, top five of the conference," Lane said. "Everything else is gravy."
The Redhawk women finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships last fall while the men finished sixth in the same meet. Both teams finished 28th at the Midwest Regional.
"We graduated five seniors on both sides [men and women] last year," Lane said. "We are very young and we brought in two junior transfers."
The women bring in five new freshmen, for which Coach Lane has high expectations.
"I'm expecting to have four freshmen in our top eight," Lane said.
The five freshmen are: Rachel Hutchcraft, Natalie Kopplin, Celine Rone, Kaitlyn Shea and Anna Thomas.
Craig Munie, a graduate student this year, didn't compete last year and redshirted due to having mono. He will be back in action this year after he led the Redhawks in all meets in 2013.
"[Munie] and Marc Maton are our two fittest athletes right now," Lane said. "They are going to lead the way on the men's side as well as Shane Brown and Daniel Plunkett. So our men's side, we know who the four of our five are."
Munie is also a Southeast Scholar Athlete as well as being named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2014 during the outdoor track season. Munie received all-OVC honors at the 2013 OVC Championships after finishing in seventh place, posting a time of 24 minutes, 59 seconds, and finished 60th at the Midwest Regional with a time of 31:38.
Megan Parks, who represented Southeast at the NCAA leadership Forum in Orlando, Florida, in April, is ready for the season as well.
"We had the one, two punch last year with Rebekah and Gloria Westlake and we have it this year with Megan Parks and Angela Sumner," Lane said. "Both had phenomenal summers and came in and in our time trial were a minute faster than a year ago."
Parks finished 17th in the OVC Championships with a time of 18:12 and finished 151st in the Midwest Regional posting a time of 22:21.
Maton, a junior, is hoping to continue to improve individually as well as make the team better.
"I'm looking to improve my finish from last year," Maton said. "As for the team, the same thing. Build upon the hard work and the new talent that we brought in."
Maton finished third in the Gabby Reuveni Early Bird at the beginning of last season, posting a time of 19:28.
The Southeast women were selected to finish fifth in the OVC Preseason Coaches Poll, and the men are predicted to finished seventh in the preseason poll in which the OVC coaches voted.
The Redhawks will have their first meet, the Gabby Reuveni Early Bird at Washington University in St. Louis on Sept. 5.
