Saluki Track and Field set for 2018 MVC Outdoor Championships

Friday, May 11

Terre Haute, Ind.

TBA

Southern Illinois University

MVC Outdoor Championships

05/10/2018 | 1:29:00 | Track and Field

Live Results ESPN+ (Day 1)ESPN+ (Day 2)ESPN+ (Day 3)Heat Sheets

The Southern Illinois track & field teams travel to Terre Haute, Ind. to compete at the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Indiana State University, beginning Friday, May 11.

The Saluki men will be looking for their first MVC Outdoor Championship since 2015 while SIU's women will try to take home an outdoor conference title for the first time since 2010.

Pre-Championship Poll

The Saluki men were picked to finish fourth in the MVC Pre-Championship poll behind Illinois State, Indiana State and Northern Iowa. Southern's women were picked to finish third behind Illinois State and Indiana State.

Regional Rankings

The Salukis have 14 marks that are ranked within the top-48 of the NCAA West Region. Jared Kern moved up to No. 3 in the nation in the shot put with his conference and school-record heave at the Billy Hayes Invitational and is one of SIU's seven top-48 marks in throwing events.

20 | Ricky Hurley | Shot Put | 60'-3.75" // 18.38m
25 | Ricky Hurley | Hammer Throw | 206'-6" // 62.94m
27 | Warren Hazel | 400m dash | 46.75
33 | Tyjuana Eason | 100m | 11.52
35 | Marcellus Fletcher | Triple Jump | 50'-6" // 15.39m

37 | Shauniece O'Neal | Hammer Throw | 192'-4" // 58.62m
42 | Kezia Martin | Triple Jump | 41'-1" // 12.52m

42 | Bri'Anna Branch | 100m | 11.58

44 | A'veun Moore-Jones | Shot Put | 50'-.75" (15.26m)
47 | Sian Person | Shot Put | 49'-11.25" // 15.22m

47 | Nate Dyer | Hammer Throw | 198'-3" // 60.43m

On the Cusp

In addition to SIU's 14 top-48 regional marks, the Salukis have a pair of student-athletes on the cusp of qualifying for the NCAA West Regional. Luke Horton, who ran a season-best 1:49.99 in the 800m at the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational two weeks ago, currently ranks 50th in the west region. Alexis Roberson, who notched a PR in the hammer throw with her toss of 186'-10" (56.94m) at the Billy Hayes Invitational, currently ranks 49th.

Athletes to Watch

Luke Horton (800m) - Is this the year Horton finally reaches the podium at the conference meet? The Harrisburg, Ill. product ran the fastest time in the 800m prelims at the 2018 MVC Indoor meet only to finish sixth. It was the third-straight conference meet in which Horton has posted one of the fastest prelim times in the 800m. At last season's MVC outdoor meet, Horton ran the second-fastest 800m prelim time only to finish fourth the next day. Two of the three people to finish ahead of Horton a year ago have since graduated. Loyola's Kevin White, the reigning MVC 800m champion, is the only person back that finished ahead of Horton last year. Horton also ran the fastest 800m prelim time at the 2016 indoor meet and later scored team points with a fifth place finish.

Matthew Bigelow - Bigelow is flourishing in the multis this season. He set PRs in 6 of 7 events at the 2018 MVC Indoor Championships to take second in the heptathlon and scored 5258 points, the most by a Saluki at the conference meet since 2012. Bigelow has a legit chance to win SIU's second-ever decathlon title, and first since Elliot Young scored 7,379 to win the decathlon in 1999. A year ago, "Bigs" set PRs in 5 of 10 events at the conference meet and scored 5933 points - the most by a Saluki at the MVC Championships since Matthew Rives scored 6233 points in 2008. Wichita State's departure leaves several spots up for grabs on this year's leaderboard. The Shockers averaged four top-8 finishes and 20 points at each of the last four MVC Outdoor meets in the event, including taking the top-5 spots and scoring 34 of a possible 39 points at the 2016 meet.

Madison Meyer - Meyer was sidelined throughout the indoor season with injury but has returned to form during the outdoor season, which included her first career MVC Women's Field Athlete of the Week honor after she scored 5118 points to take second in the hepthatlon at the Tennessee Relays. Last season, Meyer scored 5003 points behind personal-bests in five of seven events to finish sixth in the heptathlon at the 2017 Outdoor Championships, the most points scored by a Saluki in the event at the conference meet since another Malakiah Love scored 5303 points in 2011. The heptathlon will be wide-open at the conference meet much like the decathlon on the men's side, as Wichita State's absence creates plenty of room on the leaderboard. Wichita State has averaged close to 5 (4.75) top-8 finishes in each of the past four seasons and scored, on average, a robust 25 points in the event in each of the last four. Even more good news for Meyer- four of the five who finished ahead of her at the 2017 conference outdoor meet in the heptathlon were Shockers.

A'Veun Moore-Jones - Moore finished third in the shot put at the 2018 MVC Indoor Championships and is currently ranked No. 3 in the conference in the event at 50'-.75" (15.26m). Moore is trying to become the first freshman shot putter to reach the podium at both conference meets since Raven Saunders burst onto the scene with wins at both the conference indoor and outdoor meets in 2015.

Tyjuana Eason - Eason has six all-conference finishes and two MVC relay titles to her credit but is this the conference meet in which the Kankakee, Ill. native takes home her elusive first individual conference title? Eason took second to Missouri State's Marissa Kurtimah in the 200m a year ago and was the runner-up to Illinois State's D'Jenne Egharevba at the 2018 MVC Indoor Championships. Eason enters the conference meet with the fastest 100m time (11.52) in the conference and the second-best 200m time (23.93) this season. She is also slated to run both the 4x100 and the 4x400 relays.

Ricky Hurley - Hurley has been on a tear during the outdoor season and has racked up three MVC Field Athlete of the Week honors in seven tries. The Fox River Grove, Ill. native currently ranks in the top-25 regionally in the shot put (15th), discus (20th) and hammer throw (25th) and is one of seven throwers nationally to rank in the top-25 regionally of all three events. Maggie Ewen (Arizona State), Denzel Comenentia (Georgia), Alyssa Wilson (UCLA), Claudia Ababio (Maryland), Stamatia Scarvelis (Tennessee), Janeah Stewart (Ole Miss) and Hurley all rank in the top-25 of all three events. A year ago, Hurley took third in both the discus and hammer throw to make it four-straight years in which a Saluki male thrower has placed top-3 in multiple events at the conference outdoor meet. The four-time All-MVC honoree comes into the conference meet ranked first in the Valley in both the discus and the hammer throw and is second in the shot put. Since the MVC began sponsoring the hammer throw in 1986, only three athletes have won both the discus and hammer throw competitions in the same season. The most recent occurrence came in 2000 when Tom Barrett of Illinois State won both for the second-consecutive season. Illinois State's Cedric Chapman also accomplished the feat in 1996 while SIU's Ron Harrer was the first MVC athlete to win both at the 1987 outdoor meet.

Marcellus Fletcher - Fletcher will try to repeat as MVC triple jump champion after he won at the MVC indoor meet with a clearance of 50'-2.75". Fletcher's mark of 50'-6" (15.39m) from the Tennessee Relays on April 12 has been the best mark by almost three feet for much of the outdoor season. Recent history is on Fletcher's side- six of the last 14 winners of the MVC indoor triple jump title went on to win the outdoor competition that same season. All time, a competitor has swept the MVC triple jump titles in 14-of-32 (43.75%) years that the MVC has contested both. Fletcher would join Douglas Palacious (2013) and Leonard Vance (1989, 1990) as the only Salukis to sweep the MVC triple jump competitions.

Bri'Anna Branch - Branch comes into the conference meet with ranked in the top-3 of the conference in both the 100m and 200m dashes. A year ago, the Chicago, Ill. native made it to the podium on three seperate occasions, as she helped Southern's 4x100 relay team win gold and added a runner-up finish in the 100m and a third place finish in the 200m. Branch is again slated to run all three events (100m, 200m, 4x100 relay) at this year's conference meet and will seek Southern's first MVC title in the 100m dash since Traci Davis won the event in 1989. Marissa Kurtimah of Missouri State, the back-to-back 100m champion, is not scheduled to run this weekend.

Kezia Martin - Martin has placed top-3 at both MVC outdoor meets that she has competed at since she transferred to Southern prior to her sophomore season. The Jefferson City, Mo. native enters the weekend with the third-best triple jump mark in the Valley this season at 41'-1" (12.52m). Drake's Taryn Rolle leads the conference in the event and is the only jumper in the field to have finished ahead of Martin at last year's competition.

Jared Kern - Jared Kern comes into this weekend's competition after he broke both the school and the conference shot put record at the Billy Hayes Invitational this past weekend. Kern threw 66'-10.50" (20.38m) Friday to break Josh Freeman's 2015 school record of 66'-1.50" and Curtis Jensen's 2014 MVC record of 66'-8.50". The Machesney Park, Ill. native now ranks third in the NCAA in the event and will look to avenge his fifth place finish at the MVC outdoor meet a year ago.

Shafiqua Maloney - Maloney had a breakout performance at the 2018 MVC Indoor Championships, as she scored 26 points behind wins in the 400m dash and the 4x100 relay. She also placed third in the 200m. She enters this weekend with the top quarter mile time in the conference at 54.46 and is set to compete in the 200m, 400m, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relays.

Warren Hazel - Hazel will try to become just the sixth 3-time winner of the MVC outdoor 400m dash dating back to 1908 and the first since UNI's Terrence Reid won three-straight 400m titles from 2007-09. If the Old Roads, St. Kitts native accomplishes the feat, he will join Erick Pegues (1988-90) as the only Salukis to win three-straight MVC 400m titles.