Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Landon earns MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors
03/14/2017 | 12:42:00 | Track and Field
ST. LOUIS – For the fifth time this season, and the 12th time in his career, Southern Illinois senior jumper Kyle Landon has been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference male Scholar-Athlete of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Landon earned First-Team All-America honors following his second-place finish in the high jump at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend. The Chester, Ill. native claimed national runner-up honors after he cleared an indoor lifetime-best of 7'-5" (2.26m) on his second attempt at the height. It not only equals his clearance from the U.S. Olympic Trials in July, but it marks the highest NCAA Championship high jump finish for the Salukis since Darrin Plab won the event at the 1992 outdoor meet.
Overall, it's the best finish by a Saluki male at a national meet since 2012, when current SIU throws coach J.C. Lambert finished second in the weight throw. The accounting major at SIU is now a five-time All-American, with his five AA honors tied for the most by a high jumper in program history.
Landon carries a 3.75 GPA as an accounting major.
To qualify for Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing. Redshirt freshmen and first-year junior college transfers are not eligible. In addition to the academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performance for a one-week period.
Players Mentioned
