Track and Field prepares for MVC Outdoor Championships

The Southern Illinois track & field program heads to Terre Haute, Ind. for the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships hosted by Indiana State. Competition at the Gibson Track & Field Complex begins on Friday, May 9 and concludes on Sunday, May 12.

Live results and ESPN3 coverage of the championship meet are available for all three days. Additional information, including the meet schedule, heat sheets and MVC Championship Central can be found below.

Her expectations...
The expectation is always to win because that is why you get into sports. What we always preach to our student athletes is to compete. If they are competing well, at a high level, or at 110% of what they had that day then the results will show. I expect that everyone will go into conference and compete hard.

On the team's progression this season...
The progression has been great. In the fall, we looked at the team and saw a lot of progression in terms of training. We were excited about indoor season and the team performed well. Carrying that success into outdoor season can be questionable at times, because you don't know if people are going to fall off or get more excited and keep training. Our student athletes have stayed on the grind and continued to train. The progression is continuing to occur and I expect great things at conference.

PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL

The Saluki men were picked fourth in the MVC Pre-Championship poll, which is voted on by the league coaches. They tallied 52 points to finish behind Indiana State, Illinois State (4 first-place votes) and Northern Iowa (5 first-place votes). The Saluki women were picked third in the poll with 80 points, trailing Indiana State and Illinois State (10 first-place votes).

EVENT SQUAD RANKINGS

The Salukis rank in the top-15 nationally in four events, according to the most recent USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings. Southern's best squad mark is in the women's discus, which ranks fifth nationally with an average distance of 164'-0" (49.97m). Men's shot put sits near the top at seventh, while men's hammer throw and women's shot put are just outside the top-10 at No. 11 and No. 13 in the rankings.

REGIONAL-BOUND SALUKIS

Several track and field athletes are in position to qualify for NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento, CA. Improved marks at the MVC Championships could push them further up the list and move others into contention as well. The top-48 marks in each individual event advance to the regionals.

Rank | Name | Event | Mark

Men's team
Josh Maier- Maier holds top-10 MVC marks in the 1500m, 5K and 10K. He is the lone Saluki runner on the men's team to earn conference Track Athlete of the Week this outdoor season as well. The senior has been at his best in the 10K (28:55.43) where he tops the MVC, holds the third-best time in school history and ranks 23rd nationally.

Canoy Tyree- Tyree is Southern's top 800-runner and is seeking his first outdoor-medal finish in the event. He ran a personal-best time of 1:51.45 at the Tennessee Relays, which is the eighth-best mark in the MVC. Just 1.07 seconds separates the fifth through eighth-fastest times in the Valley.

Theo Phipps- Phipps has proven to be a threat in the both the 110m hurdles and long jump. His season-best time of 14.14 in the 100m hurdles ranks third in the MVC and is tied for the 10th-best time in school history. As just a freshman at the 2018 MVC Outdoor Championships, he placed fourth overall. Phipps came just short of scoring points in the long jump at MVC's a year ago with a ninth-place finish, but has since achieved PR marks on multiple occasions in the event this season.

Willie Rodgers- The transfer out of Barton Community College has produced impressive marks in his first year as a Saluki. Rodgers is in contention for three medals, as he possesses top-three MVC marks in the triple jump, high jump and long jump. The 2019 MVC Indoor triple jump champion maintains the longest conference mark (49'-5.75") in the event and will look for the sweep.

Caleb Vogel- Another Saluki jumper looking to make an impact is Caleb Vogel. His mark of 6'-10.75" in the high jump earned him a second place at the 2019 MVC Indoor Championships. Vogel's best jump this outdoor season is 6'-8.75, which places him at a tie for third with Rodgers in the conference rankings.

Adam Kessler- Since arriving at SIU, all Kessler has done in the shot put is win. He is a two-time MVC champion in the event and tossed a winning mark of 64'-0.5" at the Bill Cornell Classic that was the third-best in outdoor program history and sits at eighth in the NCAA West Region. The mark earned him MVC Field Athlete of the Week for the fifth-time in his career and remains the furthest distance in the conference.

Ricky Hurley- The 2018 MVC Outdoor Most Valuable Field Athlete has a chance to medal in three events. In addition, he will look to defend his titles in the hammer and discus. Hurley holds Valley ranks of second in the discus (171'-7"), second in the hammer (199'-2") and sixth in the shot put (57'-9.5"). He has won three events and tallied 12 top-five finishes this outdoor season.

Nate Dyer- Dyer is yet another thrower that has impressed for Southern. An All-MVC and NCAA West Regional qualifier in the hammer a year ago, Dyer is once again in contention for a Valley title and regionals appearance. His PR toss of 206'-10" at the Kentucky Invite was the furthest in conference action and earned him MVC Field Athlete of the Week.

Matthew Bigelow- Bigelow is primed for another All-MVC finish in the decathlon. At last year's MVC Outdoor Championships, he scored a personal-best 6660 points to finish third in the event.

Mitchell Bland- Bland has broke out as a senior in the triple jump with a mark of 49'-1" that is third in the MVC and 46th in the NCAA West Region.

Women's team
Bri'Anna Branch- Branch has been one of the most dominant sprinters in the MVC. A two-time MVC Track Athlete of the Week this outdoor season, Branch leads the conference in both the 100- and 200m dashes with times of 11.51 and 23.19. Her mark of 11.51 in the 100m was the second-fastest in school history. She has also ran on the Saluki 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that recorded the fastest conference times. The senior has won back-back 4x100 relay titles and has been named All-MVC in the 200m twice.

Tyjuana Eason- Eason is another member of the 4x100 relay team that has won back-to-back MVC titles. She finished on the first-place 4x400 relay team at the 2018 Valley Outdoor Championships as well. Currently ranking second in the 100m (11.62) and third in the 200m (24.34), Eason has a shot to become a four-time All-MVC runner. The native of Kankakee, Ill. has been All-MVC in the 200m the past two years and was a qualifier for the 2018 NCAA West Regionals in four events.

Genesis Ewell- Ewell, a three-time MVC Outdoor Champion, is in contention for conference titles in four events. She ranks second in the 400m (55.16), fourth in the 200m (24.36) and is a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that hold the fastest marks in the MVC. The junior will look to earn the top mark in the 4x400 relay for the third-straight year this weekend.

Megan Krolak- Krolak has been at her best in the 3000m Steeplechase (10:38.84) and 5K (17:15.11). She has raced to PR times and a pair of top-10 school marks in her last two meets, which places her at fourth in the MVC in both events. At the most recent conference indoor championships, she placed fifth in the 5K with a mark of 17:27.86.

Madison Meyer- The Carterville, Ill. native is the reigning MVC heptathlon champion and holds top-10 MVC marks in four individual events. Her 5118 points in the heptathlon is the highest total in the MVC and she is also a member of the SIU 4x100 relay team that ran the third-fastest time in school history just two weekends ago at the Lenny Lyles Invite. At the 2019 conference indoor championships, she won the pentathlon with a career-best 3871 points.

Savannah Long- Long ranks first in the Valley in the 400m hurdles with a PR time of 1:00.40 set at the Tennessee Relays. It was the 10th-best time in school history. The junior is also a member of the 4x400 relay team that won the 2019 MVC Indoor Championships and holds the fastest-conference outdoor time.

Justine Paton- The two-time NJCAA All-American ranks fourth in the Valley in the high jump (5'-5.25"). The senior had a PR jump of 5'-7" at the Bulldog Invite during the 2019 indoor season, which was a top-10 school mark and placed fifth in the event at the 2019 MVC Indoor Championships.

McKenzie Krich- The freshman posted her first collegiate win in the open division of the women's high jump at the Lenny Lyles Invite with a PR of 5'-5.25". The jump placed her at fourth in the MVC rankings in the high jump, tying her with teammate Paton.

A'veun Moore-Jones- Moore-Jones ranks second in the MVC and 31st in the NCAA West Region in the shot put with a toss of 51'-7.25". The sophomore was named MVC Field Athlete of the Week this outdoor season and has posted five top-five finishes in the shot put. Last season, Moore-Jones qualified for the NCAA West Regional in the shot put, where she finished 47th.

Shauniece O'Neal- O'Neal has enjoyed a breakout sophomore season for the Salukis, as she holds the MVC's longest distance in the hammer (212'-9") and third-longest in the discus (176'-6"). Her PR throws in outdoor season have moved her to fourth on SIU's all-time discus list and sixth all-time in the hammer.

Nikki Freeman- Freeman's PR discus toss of 167'-2" at the Bill Hayes Invite was the fourth-best mark in the MVC this season. At last year's outdoor championships, she placed second overall in the discus and sixth in the shot put.

Alexis Roberson- Roberson's PR mark of 190'-7" in the hammer is fifth in the MVC and 43rd in the NCAA West Region. The junior has three top-five finishes in hammer this season and finished in the top-10 at the MVC Outdoor Championships in the event as a freshman and sophomore.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

For the latest updates on the Salukis at the MVC Championships, follow the team on Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC) and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Bigelow

Mitchell Bland

Bri'Anna Branch

Nate Dyer

Tyjuana Eason

Genesis Ewell

Nikki Freeman

Ricky Hurley

Adam Kessler

McKenzie Krich

Megan Krolak

Savannah Long

Josh Maier

Madison Meyer

A'veun Moore-Jones

Shauniece O'Neal

Justine Paton

Theo Phipps

Alexis Roberson

Willie Rodgers

Canoy Tyree

Caleb Vogel

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