Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Track Squads Head to MVC Outdoor Championships
05/12/2004 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field
May 12, 2004
CARBONDALE, Ill. - This is the weekend every track athlete at Southern Illinois University has waited for over the last one and a half months. It's when athletes and fans find out who is the best track athlete in the Missouri Valley Conference this outdoor season. This weekend is the 2004 MVC Outdoor Championships.
"We have much more depth this year, as well as being pretty much injury free," women's head coach Connie Price-Smith. "So I expect us to go in to the championship and finish where the polls say we will or better. It's just a matter of everyone competing to their potential."
The poll Price-Smith eludes to is the MVC pre-championship coaches poll, which places SIU in the third spot after the four-day championship, which begins today in Normal, Ill. with the multi-events, ends Saturday. The men's team was picked to finish in the fifth place, but men's head coach Cameron Wright has high hopes for the Salukis, who took runner-up honors at last year's meet.
"I would say that there is no unbeatable team in this conference," Price-Smith said. "Yet, it will be a challenge to beat some of the teams on the track and come out on top. The athletes and the coaches are ready to go out and compete."
Beyond the championship, the SIU squads have qualified six women and three men for the NCAA Regional Championship meet scheduled in two weeks. Among those nine athletes are three outdoor school record holders in seniors Korto Dunbar (110H), Noa Beitler (1500m) and sophomore Ray Scotten (PV).
Others representing the Salukis are women's senior Danielle Lawary (SP), juniors Inna Turevsky (TJ), Katy Ritten (SP) and Kelsey Toussaint (100m), as well as men's juniors Emmanuel Daux (110H) and Aaron Robinson (HJ).
The MVC Championship will take place on the campus of Illinois State at the Redbird Track and Field Complex from Wednesday, May 12 to Saturday, May 15. All results, as well as a complete schedule of the meet can be found at www.redbirds.org after the completion of each day.
The Salukis results and recap can be found at www.SIUSalukis.com after each day as well.
