College Sports

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Drew Lock arrived at Missouri two years ago with a powerful right arm, fluffy bangs and an easy confidence. He seemed ready to be a Southeastern Conference quarterback. A few months later, after he was hustled into the starting lineup by necessity and became a tackling dummy for SEC opponents, his father was concerned...

A year ago, the Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team finished third in the Ohio Valley Conference in goals allowed (18) and goals allowed per game (.95). That has pretty much been the norm. Southeast coach Heather Nelson calls defense one of the program's bedrocks, and the numbers back it up -- only once in the last seven seasons have the Redhawks finished outside the top four in the OVC in the two aforementioned categories...

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team continued its preseason preparation Wednesday as it played its first-ever exhibition match, traveling to Hyland Arena at Lindenwood University to take on Quincy. The game gave the Redhawks an opportunity to experiment with different lineups and test the team's ability to adjust during game situations...

The Southeast Missouri State women's volleyball team was picked to finish ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, which was released Tuesday morning, while seniors Krissa Gearring and Nzingha Clarke were each named to the Preseason All-OVC team...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team announced the signing of guard Skyler Hogan on Tuesday. A native of Melbourne, Florida, Hogan spent the last two seasons playing for Embry-Riddle, which completed the transition from NAIA to Division II in July. ...

The Ohio Valley Conference announced its Team Academic Awards on Monday, including a couple of Southeast Missouri State athletic programs. Southeast's women's cross country and women's soccer teams were announced as winners in their respective sports...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz found plenty of reassurance as his team left the field Saturday morning following its second scrimmage of fall camp. The first-team offense impressed, while the defense had a pair of takeaways against the two-minute offense. Even the special teams unit showed glimpses of consistency...

It's a bit like being a mad scientist or solving a complicated puzzle. Southeast Missouri State women's soccer coach Heather Nelson has repeatedly referred to her squad's current state as somewhat of an all-star team -- a group of players with skills and abilities, but without the sinew and tendon to link them and turn the individuals into a whole. Right now, her job is to figure out how all those pieces fit...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Barry Odom was as prepared as a rookie head coach could be when he took over the Missouri football team following the 2015 season. He had played linebacker at Missouri in the 1990s and worked his way up the ladder under Gary Pinkel, starting as an administrative graduate assistant and finishing as defensive coordinator...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri announced Wednesday that prep basketball standout Jontay Porter has reclassified and signed as part of first-year coach Cuonzo Martin's 2017 recruiting class. The 6-11, 240-pound forward joins his older brother and father for what will be one of the most highly anticipated seasons in years in Columbia. Porter, who recently completed his junior season in Seattle, averaged 14.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game for undefeated Nathan Hale High School...

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team learned a few things last year. Most importantly, it learned how thin the line is between failure and success. The Redhawks went to overtime seven times during the 2016 season, including five times in Ohio Valley Conference play. Of those five games, they won none of them...

Twenty-six Southeast Missouri State student-athletes were recognized Wednesday as the Ohio Valley Conference announced its Academic Medal of Honor winners for the 2016-17 academic year. Awarded to student-athletes who achieve the highest grade point average in each sport, all 221 OVC student-athletes honored carried a perfect 4.0 GPA...

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team was picked to finish tied for fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, which was revealed on Tuesday. Murray State, which claimed a share of last year's OVC regular-season crown, earned 10 first-place votes from the conference's head coaches and sports information directors and was picked to win the OVC with 184 total points...

Guard Jaylen Benton will not join the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team for the 2017-18 season, coach Rick Ray announced Monday. Benton started 21 games last season, averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He led the Redhawks with 2.6 assists per contest...

Vision, elusiveness and speed are just a few of the words coach Tom Matukewicz uses to describe Marquis Terry. The junior newcomer displayed his diverse skill set with several long runs and showed why he's atop the depth chart at running back during the Southeast Missouri State football team's scrimmage Saturday at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex...

There's a renewed understanding as Jesse Hosket talks about the comfort of his role on the Southeast Missouri State football team. It's an understanding that didn't exist a year ago, when Hosket, a junior college transfer, was in the midst of a quarterback battle that wasn't resolved until late August, a little less than two weeks before the 2016 season opener...

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team earned recognition Monday for its academic work, as it was honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The Redhawks were among the teams named ITA 2017 All-Academic Teams, with six players receiving nods as ITA Scholar-Athletes...

Southeast Missouri State football standout Chad Meredith was named to the 2017 STATS Football Championship Subdivision Preseason All-America Team on Monday. Meredith, who hails from Louisville, Kentucky, earned third-team honors. The senior outside linebacker is also a Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference pick after earning First-Team All-OVC honors in 2016. He's coming off a junior season in which he amassed 86 tackles (10 1/2 for loss), four sacks and five quarterback hurries...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team revealed its non-conference schedule for the 2017-18 season on Friday. The slate features 13 non-conference games, beginning with the home opener against Missouri Baptist on Nov. 10. The Redhawks will travel to face Louisiana Tech (Nov. ...

With three weeks to go until the start of the college season begins, Southeast Missouri State soccer's Kindra Lierz and Lauren Kaempfe are about to participate in one of the biggest games of their playing careers. And they're getting up at the crack of dawn to do it...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team released its non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2017-18 season on Thursday. Highlights include the Preseason NIT -- opening the campaign at Louisville -- a home game against regional rival Southern Illinois, a trip to Kansas and the program's very own Thanksgiving event, the SEMO Thanksgiving Classic...

2017 South Pemiscot graduate Riley Cain finally got the call he was waiting for after attending the Ultimate Sports Baseball Showcase July 5 in Kennett. “I waited until this summer to sign,” Cain said. “I went to a showcase in Kennett and had six schools call me after I attended it. Rend Lake had a lot of interest in me and I had a lot of interest in them.”...

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 10th year in a row on Monday. The Redhawks had a cumulative team GPA of 3.50 for the 2016-17 academic year. "I am very proud of our student-athletes and their academic accomplishments," Southeast coach Julie Yankus said in a news release. ...

The Ohio Valley Conference's implementation of instant replay in football was a hot topic on Monday, while Southeast Missouri State was picked to finish seventh at OVC media day in Nashville, Tennessee. The OVC is one of 11 Football Championship Subdivision leagues that will implement instant replay in 2017. Scoring plays, spot reviews and catches can all be reviewed, while targeting is the only foul that can be reviewed based on judgment...

The Southeast Missouri State football team helped raise awareness Friday for former Southern Illinois quarterback Joel Sambursky's baby, who is fighting health complications. Sambursky's son, Theodore, turned 100 days old Friday, and in honor of him the Redhawks players and coaches participated in an 100-yard run at Houck Field. The team was divided into groups of three, and two members had to carry the other across the field...