Southeast Missouri State University Men's Cross Country

Eric Crumpecker is in his 18th season as head coach of the Southeast Missouri men’s and women’s track and field teams. Crumpecker is in his 35th year at Southeast, having served 17 years as an assistant under legendary head coach Joey Haines.  The 2025 season saw SEMO sweep both outdoor championships. The women have won the last three team outdoor championships, while the men have won three out of the past four outdoor championships. The women's team also took the team indoor championship in 2025 which was also their third consecutive indoor championship. Last season he also coached Anna Thomason and Breanna Miles to OVC Indoor Athletes of the year. Thomason also won the OVC Field Athlete of the Year along with both the indoor and outdoor athlete of the championships. On the men's side Paden Lewis swept the championship awards winning OVC indoor and outdoor field Athlete of the Year, along with the Athlete of the Championship for both meets as well.  Crumpecker also coached three athletes to reach the national championship meet. Lewis earned second team All-American honors with a 12th place finish at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships. He also coached Luke Hatfield-Jackson who earned second team All-American honors at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Most Recently Crumpecker led the women’s team to a sweep of the OVC indoor and outdoor titles in back-to-back years; 2023-24 while leading the men to an outdoor title in 2023. He picked up his fifth OVC Indoor Coach of the Year and sixth Outdoor coach of the Year honor He coached Parker Feuerborn to All-American Honors in the hammer throw (8th) and the weight throw (6th) as well as Indoor Male Field Athlete of the Year honors. Under his direction Paden Lewis claimed outdoor Male Field Athlete of the Year and Male Field Athlete of the Championship after only being a Redhawk for one year. He also coached nine athletes to the NCAA west preliminary.         In addition Clara Billing was named OVC Female Freshman of the Year, Brianna Miles claimed OVC Female Track Athlete of the Year, Dylan Clark was tabbed OVC Male Field Athlete of the Year. In the Indoor season Taylor Fox won the Female Athlete of the Championship and Female Track Athlete of the Year, while Luke Hatfield-Jackson won Field Athlete of the Year and Tanner Koontz won Male Freshman of the year In 2022, Crumpecker led the Redhawk men’s team to a sweep of the Ohio Valley Conference indoor and outdoor titles. Along the way, he picked up his third OVC Indoor Coach of the Year honor and was tabbed OVC Outdoor Coach of the Year for the fourth time. Crumpecker coached Logan Blomquist (hammer throw), the first NCAA Division I Outdoor National Champion in program history.       Academically, Crumpecker guided the SEMO men to their highest fall term grade point average (3.47) in program history in 2022, while the women posted a 3.52 mark.   Crumpecker guided the SEMO women to the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship with 148 total points. The outdoor Championship was the 10th in program history for the SEMO women and the first title since 2014. The SEMO men finished as the team runners-up at the 2021 OVC Track & Field Championship with 172 points.   Kaitlyn Shea was named the OVC Women's Track Athlete of the Year and Luke Hatfield-Jackson was awarded OVC Men's Athlete of the Championship at the conclusion of the meet. Shea is the 10th OVC Outdoor Athlete of Year at SEMO and Hatfield is the sixth men's Championship MVP in program history.   Crumpecker was tabbed the 2021 OVC Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the Championship. It marked SEMO's ninth OVC Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year honor and the first for Crumpecker. In his 12 seasons as head coach at SEMO, Eric Crumpecker has been awarded OVC Coach of the Year seven times including twice on the women's side (1 indoor and 1 outdoor) and five times for the men (3 outdoor and 2 indoor).   Six SEMO athletes qualified for the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships West Preliminary at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Dylan Clark, Terrico Garrett, Luke Hatfield-Jackson, Josiah Kilgore, Carli Knott and Kaitlyn Shea represented the Redhawks at the 2021 NCAA West Preliminary.   In the classroom, Carli Knott, Kaitlyn Shea and Terrico Garrett were also named Academic All-Americans.   SEMO’s men finished as the runners-up at the 2020 OVC Indoor Track & Field Championship before the outdoor season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Redhawk women placed third overall in the team standings. Nick Bryant was named the OVC Male Freshman of the Year while Kaitlyn Shea was awarded OVC Female Track Athlete of the Year. Anya Tonga was tabbed the OVC Female Field Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season at the conclusion of the meet. Crumpecker coached back-to-back (2019 & 2020) OVC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year Anya Tonga (three-time indoor weight throw champion in 2018, 2019 & 2020) and Logan Blomquist (indoor weight throw champion) in 2020. Nicole Humphreys also captured silver in the weight throw and Blomquist secured silver in the shot put.   In 2019, the Redhawks men and women finished fourth at the indoor championship and were the runners-up at the outdoor championship held in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Crumpecker coached 2019 OVC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year Anya Tonga (indoor weight throw champion), 2019 OVC Outdoor Championship MVP Logan Blomquist (outdoor discus and hammer champion) and Stephen Zagurski (indoor shot put champion). Blomquist captured the hammer throw title with a Southeast program record and OVC Championship record at the outdoor championship.   In 2018, SEMO’s men placed third in the conference at both the indoor and outdoor championships. The women finished fifth at the outdoor league championship and sixth at the OVC indoor meet. Crumpecker coached 2018 OVC Champions in Anya Tonga (indoor weight throw), Logan Blomquist (indoor shot put, outdoor discus) as well as OVC Field Athlete of the Year, OVC javelin champion and Second-Team All-American Jonno Engelking.   In 2017, Crumpecker won his third OVC Outdoor Coach of the Year honor as Southeast captured their eighth outdoor championship, marking back-to-back years Crumpecker has taken home both awards. It marked the eighth time the men have won conference in program history. Zach Gordon was named OVC Men’s Championship MVP and Logan Blomquist earned OVC Freshman of the Year Honors.    Earlier in 2016, Crumpecker won his second OVC Outdoor Coach of the Year laurel as the Redhawks earned their seventh outdoor championship. He helped coach Kevin Farley towards his second championship MVP performance as Farley took gold in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. Farley’s success continued at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning first-team All-America honors in discus in eighth place and second-team All-America in shot put in 10th.   In 2015, Crumpecker led the Southeast men’s program to its second consecutive OVC indoor title and earned his second OVC Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year award. During the conference meet, 10 Redhawk athletes brought home gold medals. Following the victory, Reggie Miller and Blake Smith qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the triple jump and 60-meter dash, respectively. Smith finished 10th in the nation at 6.66 seconds during the preliminary race at nationals, falling short of the NCAA’s final group of eight by just 0.05 seconds.   In 2014, Southeast Missouri won the men’s indoor title followed by sweeping the outdoor championships for the first time since 2006. It was the first men’s indoor championship since 1996. Crumpecker was awarded OVC Men’s Coach of the Year following both the indoor and outdoor seasons.    The 2014 indoor season featured Farley as Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, Indoor Freshman of the Year Chris Martin and Smith earning OVC Athlete of the Championship. The outdoor season featured Female Field Athlete of the Year Kayla Gutierrez. His student-athletes combined to win 10 individual OVC titles during the season. Gutierrez brought home gold in the indoor weight throw and outdoor discus events. Farley won the indoor shot put and outdoor hammer throw. In his first season with the Redhawks, Shon Kyle won the shot put and discus events at the outdoor championship. Courtney Gapelu took gold in both the indoor and outdoor shot put.   In 2013, the Redhawks won their first team OVC title under Crumpecker. The women snagged the team crown at the OVC Indoor Championships, using a balanced effort that featured only one individual conference champion, but three runner-up finishes and several strong supporting performances. Crumpecker was voted the OVC Women’s Coach of the Year following the team title, marking the first time he has been voted the league’s top coach. The Southeast men continued to knock on the door for a team title, finishing second at both the indoor and outdoor meets.   SEMO has also experienced tremendous postseason success individually under Crumpecker’s guidance. The Redhawks sent three competitors to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2013, the most individuals from the program since 2006. Farley took seventh in the shot put, breaking the school record with a throw of 61’ 11¾” to become the first Redhawk to earn first-team All-American honors since Miles Smith in 2008. Craig Robinson and Gapelu also qualified for the NCAA West Region prelims. Southeast also got second-team All-American performances from Blake Carter in both the indoor and outdoor long jump while Miller earned honorable mention All-American in the outdoor high jump for the second consecutive year.   The Redhawks totaled three second-place team finishes at the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships during the 2011-12 season. Both the men and women finished as runner-up during the outdoor meet while the men posted another second-place point total indoors. Crumpecker works closely with the throwers group that combined for three conference titles. Josh Uchtman, the 2012 Male Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season, claimed the shot put indoors. Brian Grote and Robinson won gold in the javelin and shot put, respectively, at the outdoor meet. In total, the Redhawks won nine individual OVC titles in 2011-12.   In addition to the three individual conference champion throwers, Farley was named the OVC Male Freshman of the Year during the outdoor season.   During Crumpecker’s tenure as head coach, the Redhawks have finished in the top three in all but eight OVC indoor or outdoor meets (32 of 40). The men have finished second 11 times while the women have been runner-up eight times.   Individually, he has mentored 112 individual OVC champions, 54 regional qualifiers and 10 NCAA National Championships qualifiers. Redhawks student-athletes have won OVC Field Athlete of the Year 15 times, Track Athlete of the Year three times, Athlete of the Year three times and Freshman of the Year nine times.   The Redhawks have also been stellar in the classroom under Crumpecker. Both the men’s and women’s track and field programs have earned All-Academic Team recognition from the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in each of the past seven seasons. Logan Blomquist has been recognized by the USTFCCCA each of the past three years and Stephen Zagurski was awarded the prestigious OVC Scholar-Athlete Award for the 2018-19 season. Jill Schnurbusch and Farley were both placed on the USTFCCCA’s All-Academic team in 2012-13. Additionally, Alex Zisser earned third-team Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) while Farley and Joel Krause joined Zisser on the Academic All-District team.   During his time as an assistant coach he worked primarily with the field events, Crumpecker was a part of 20 OVC team titles, coached 81 OVC individual champions, 131 All-OVC performers, six OVC Track Athletes of the Year, four NCAA national finalists, 12 NCAA provisional qualifiers, 26 NCAA regional qualifiers and five regional finalists. He guided Southeast student-athletes to 11 school records and three OVC marks.   A native of Union, Missouri, Crumpecker is a USATF Level 1 certified coach. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Missouri S&T and a master’s in Higher Education Administration from Southeast. As a collegiate athlete, Crumpecker was a starting lineman for the Miners football team and earned All-MIAA honors in the shot put and discus for the track & field team.   Crumpecker and his wife, Amy, reside in Jackson, Missouri. They are parents of a daughter, Ella, and son, Jake.  

Lane is in his fifth season at Southeast Missouri as the head cross country coach and assistant track coach for distance. Over his first four seasons, the Redhawks cross country team has posted four top-three finishes at the OVC Championships. The men took second in 2010 while both programs placed third at the 2011 conference meet. The programs have combined for 14 All-OVC performers, including five first-team runners. The 2014 season saw the end of Rebekah Lawsons cross country career. Lane saw Lawson through her career for four seasons. Lawson is the only Redhawk in Division I history to earn First Team All-OVC honors all four years of their career. The womens team capped off a great 2014 season with a fourth-place finish at the OVC Championships. The men finished sixth at the event.  In 2011, both the men and women had one first-team and one second-team All-OVC finisher. Nate Shipleys third-place finish garnered him a spot on the all-conference first team while Brent Collins earned second team all-conference on the mens side. Rebekah Lawson took sixth as a freshman to earn the first team nod while fellow freshman Jenny Govero made second team All-OVC. The Redhawks have also excelled in the classroom under Lane. In 2013, both the mens and womens programs earned All-Academic honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Southeasts women posted a 3.72 team GPA, the fifth-highest mark in the nation, while the mens 3.48 GPA was good for 11th. The achievement marks the fourth-straight year at least one of the cross country programs earned academic recognition under Lane. Lanes success with the distance runners has carried over to the track as well. Lawson notched a runner-up finish in the 5000m indoors to earn second-team All-OVC honors in 2013. During the outdoor season, Charles Johnson garnered second-team All-OVC recognition for his runner-up finish in the steeplechase. The 2012 season saw Jessica Bollinger win an OVC title outdoors in the 10,000m while Lawson finished runner-up in both the 5000m and 10,000m. On the mens side, Mohammed Souleiman won an OVC title in the 800m while Chris Loseman earned second-team All-OVC honors after finishing runner-up in the 10,000m. Lanes athletes have combined for 10 All-OVC selections and three OVC titles in his first three seasons. Lane returned to the Southeast program in which he interned as coach in 2008-09. That season, the Redhawk cross country teams recorded top-three finishes at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships. During that time, he received his Masters in Higher Education, finishing with a 4.0 GPA. Prior to his coaching internship at Southeast, Lane worked as an assistant coach for the Cape Central High School cross country and track programs. He also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Francis Howell North High School (2006-07). In all, Lane coached 41 All-State performers at the prep level. Lane competed as a member Southeast cross country and track teams from 2002-2003, before an injury cut his career short. He received his undergraduate degree from Southeast in 2006, graduating with a magna cum laude distinction in Education. An accomplished marathon runner, Lane placed ninth at the St. Louis Marathon in 2008 and 147th at the Boston Marathon in 2009. Ryan Lane is in his fifth season at Southeast Missouri as the head cross country coach and assistant track coach for distance.

Smith returns as the Southeast Missouri sprints coach for a second season. Smith, who was a star for the Redhawks track team, returned to Southeast a season ago to take over the sprint coach duties.        Smith, who competed at Southeast from 2004-08, brings his expertise to the Redhawks sprints team. He spent the 2012-13 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Tennessee State.       In 2014, Smith mentored Blake Smith to school records in the 55m and 60m dash events during the indoor season. During the outdoor season, Smith coached newcomer Prenecia Ponds to Southeast top-ten performances in the 100m and 200m events. On the mens side, Blake Smith had a top-ten 100m performance while Chris Navarro and Mike Peters notched top-ten times in the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles, respectively.       Smith also mentored Chris Navarro en route to Ohio Valley Conference individual championships in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon.        Last year, Smith was inducted into the Southeast Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame. Smith became the 23rd Southeast Missouri track & field athlete to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Smith was inducted with fellow track athlete Kathleen Hudson (1979-1981, 1983).        An argument can be made for Smith being the greatest Division I athlete Southeast has produced in any sport. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Smith was a three-time All-American in the 400m, earning the honors in 2005, 2006 and 2008. He was named the Ohio Valley Conferences Male Track Athlete of the Year four times (2005 indoors, 2006 indoors and outdoors and 2008 indoors) and still owns Southeast school records in the 200m (indoors), 400m (indoor and outdoors) and 4x400m relay (indoors and outdoors). Southeast enjoyed tremendous team success with Smith, winning OVC outdoor championships in 2005, 2006 and 2008. He won seven individual OVC championships in his collegiate career and was named the 2006 OVC Athlete of the Championship at the OVC Indoor Track and Field Championships.       Smith was also an elite competitor on the international stage. He ran for the US National Team in the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, where he won a gold medal with the 4x400m relay team. He also qualified for the USA Olympic Trials in both 2008 and 2012.       Smith graduated from Southeast in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications. Miles Smith returns as the Southeast Missouri sprints coach for a second season. Smith, who was a star for the Redhawks track team, returned to Southeast a season ago to take over the sprint coach duties. 

Rademaker, an Associate Professor Emeritus of physical education, retired from Southeast Missouri State University in 2010 after more than 30 years of service (1975-2009). He was a student-athlete at Southeast Missouri and earned his bachelors degree in Education, History and Social Studies as well as a Masters Degree in Teaching, Physical Education. He would later earn a Doctorate from The Ohio State University. In 2016, Rademaker was named by the Ohio Valley Conference a recipient of the Thurston Banks Award. Established in 2013, the award was created to recognize individuals with at least five years of service at one or more OVC member institutions for their outstanding contributions to OVC student-athletes' academic success, learning and development, and for his or her overall commitment to the institution's athletics program. He continues to teach sport psychology as a part-time instructor and also serves as volunteer pole vault coach for the Redhawks track & field team, a position he has held off-and-on since the mid-1980s (after being a full-time assistant with the program from 1975 to 1982). Professionally, Rademaker has had 22 presentations and seven publications in scholarly journals and received numerous honors for his teaching and contributions as a faculty member. He has helped many students pursue a career in physical education and coaching including holding a clinic to help students attain coaching certification on the weekends at no additional cost other than the price of the book.   

Koelling is in his sixth season as the Southeast Missouri State jumps coach. In the previous five seasons, Koelling has transformed the Redhawks jumpers into an elite squad in the Ohio Valley Conference. During this time, Koelling has coached 22 OVC Champions and 25 OVC Runner-Up finishes.  His athletes have also broken eight school records and he has coached 19 Southeast Top-Ten Performances in the sprinting and jumping events. On the national level, Koelling has coached 23 West Region qualifiers and has led the Redhawks to nine Division I National Championship berths, with five athletes earning All-American honors.   Last season the Redhawk jumpers continued their success. They earned six individual OVC championships and seven OVC runner-up finishes between indoors and outdoors. Senior Blake Smith led the charge, breaking school records in the 60m dash, 100m dash, and long jump. Smith qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing 10th in the 60m dash. He also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships placing 15th in the long jump. Triple jumper Chris Martin also qualified for the Outdoor Championships finishing 21st. The 2014 season was a very successful one for the jumps squad. The squad walked away with six gold medals at the OVC indoor and outdoor championships. Chris Martin earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Blake Smith and Reggie Miller each competed at the NCAA Championships; Smith placed 14th in the long jump at the Indoor Championships, while Miller took 17th in the triple jump at the Outdoor Championships. In 2013, Blake Carter broke the schools indoor long jump record with a jump of 25-6. Koelling also coached Carter to a 13th Place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, garnering 2nd-Team All-America honors. During the 2013 outdoor season, the Redhawks made another national appearance in the jumps. Carter placed 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a school-record long jump of 25-6 1/4, earning 2nd-Team All-American honors. Miller took 17th in the high jump, earning him All-America Honorable Mention. In 2012, Koelling mentored four OVC champions, three of whom were freshmen. Jacob Kent, the OVC Co-Freshman of the Year indoors, claimed the mens indoor high jump while fellow freshman Jessica Brown claimed the womens indoor long jump. Outdoors, freshman Miller took the mens high jump while Shemeika Brewer claimed the womens triple jump in her final collegiate season. The group also combined for five runner-up finishes at the OVC indoor and outdoor meets. Miller (mens high jump), Brewer (womens long jump and triple jump) and Carter (mens long jump) extended their seasons further, qualifying for the NCAA West Region preliminary meet. In his first season, Koelling led Southeast to an impressive showing in such events at the Ohio Valley Outdoor Championships in 2011. Southeast had two athletes win gold. Tyler Terry won the mens long jump and Brewer was victorious in the womens triple jump with a school record jump of 416. Koelling produced four All-OVC selections during the outdoor campaign and coached two NCAA West Preliminary qualifiers in Brewer (womens triple jump) and Terry (mens long jump). During the indoor season, Koelling led two Redhawks to all-conference honors. Junior Shemeika Brewer broke the indoor school record in the womens triple jump at Indiana University with a mark of 405 Before arriving at Southeast Missouri, Koelling was a standout jumper at Emporia State University. While at ESU, he finished 12th in the triple jump at the 2008 NCAA D2 Outdoor National Meet and ninth in the triple jump at the 2010 NCAA D2 Indoor National Meet. Koelling earned his Masters degree in Coaching from the University of Northern Colorado in 2015. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is also a Registered Coach through USA Track and Field and holds a USATF Level 1 Certification.    

The 2026 season marks the sixth season for Eric Fox as an assistant coach with the Southeast Missouri track & field program. Fox is in charge of the Redhawks multi, pole vault, hurdle and jump events.   During the 2025 season under his direction Brianna Dixon, Clara Billing and Sullivan Gleason all qualified for the NCAA West Regional. Hatfield Jackson was able to qualify for the National Championship meet and earned second team All-American Honors. Fox also coached nine returning OVC Champions for the 2026 indoor and outdoor season  During the 2024 season Fox coached Clara Billing, Brianna Dixon, and Molly Grohmann to the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Brianna Dixon won outdoor and indoor OVC Female Freshman of the year and outdoor OVC Female Field athlete of the year.         In 2023 Fox coached Freshman Clara Billing and Luke Hatfield Jackson to the NCAA West Preliminary round. Billing broke the SEMO pole Vault record twice and place first in the OVC in the indoor and outdoor season, while claiming OVC Women’s Outdoor Freshman of the Year honors.         Luke Hatfield -Jackson won gold in the high jump and the long jump in the outdoor season. Jackson also claimed Ohio Valley  Field Athlete of the Year in the indoor and outdoor season.            Fox coached Luke Hatfield-Jackson to back-to-back OVC outdoor high jump titles, one indoor high jump crown and one outdoor long jump championship. Nick South also claimed one indoor pole vault title and both Laila Hardin and Kendall Long won the 400m hurdles with Fox as their coach.   Fox comes to SEMO after serving as an assistant at Wittenberg, a NCAA Division III institution in Springfield, Ohio. As a Tiger, he coached five All-Americans and eight national qualifiers in the long jump, high jump, and heptathlon. He also was responsible for recruiting prospective student-athletes.   Fox, a Cambridge, Ohio native, earned his Master's in Athletic Coaching from Wittenberg in June 2021. He also has high school coaching experience as an assistant at Eastern High School in Louisville, Kentucky. Fox mentored Luke Levinson, the 2019 Kentucky High School Athletic Association State champion in the pole vault. Levinson ranked first in the country for the event after clearing 15-8 as a freshman. In both coaching stints, Fox has developed training plans for athletes as well as aided in meet management. Prior to coaching, Fox was a standout track & field student-athlete at Louisville. Fox captured the Atlantic Coast Conference Decathlon Championship in 2018 and earned seven All-ACC honors for multi events and pole vault. He was an NCAA Division I East Preliminary Regional qualifier for pole vault in 2017. Fox was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team and Louisville's Athletic Director Honor Roll.   Fox graduated from Louisville in 2018 with a Bachelor's in Sports Administration with a minor in Communication.