Salukis Claim Eight Titles on Final Day of 2020 MVC Indoor T&F Championships

Saturday, February 29

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Southern Illinois University

MVC Championships

Salukis Claim Eight Titles on Final Day of 2020 MVC Indoor T&F Championships

03/01/2020 | 9:30:00 | Track and Field

Photo Gallery

By: Brandon Lindholm, SIUSalukis.com

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Southern Illinois University Saluki track and field program collected eight Missouri Valley Conference titles on the final day of the 2020 MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Southern's women placed second overall in the team standings with 125 points, trailing the Redbirds of Illinois State, who placed first with 190.16 points. Missouri State finished third with 74 points, followed by Indiana State in fourth (72.33), Northern Iowa in fifth (71.5), Loyola in sixth (60), Drake in seventh (35), Evansville in eighth (15), Bradley in ninth (13) and Valparaiso in 10^th (6).

On the men's side, the Salukis tallied 112 points to tie for second with Illinois State. UNI placed first after scoring 143.5 points, with Indiana State (107.5), Loyola (78), Drake (47.5), Bradley (34), Valparaiso (24) and Evansville (4.5) rounding out the field.

"I'm extremely proud of our student-athletes," said second-year Director of T&F/XC Rosalind Joseph. "We talked about being disruptive, putting everything out there and fighting for our university, ourselves and our family. Everyone on the roster did just that."

Willie Rodgers was named the MVC's Most Valuable Athlete on the men's side after he won both the high jump and triple jump competitions. Rodgers' triple jump win was the program's third-straight title in the event and his second-straight at the conference meet, becoming only the third Saluki in program history to repeat as conference champion in consecutive seasons. Rodgers' high jump title is the first since 2017, joining former Saluki standout Kyle Landon as the only Salukis to win the award over the past decade.

Rodgers won his second-straight MVC triple jump title after clearing a personal-best mark of 15.43m (50'-7.5"). He becomes the first Saluki in program history to win both the high jump and triple jump in the same conference meet.

Tyjuana Eason was named the MVC's Most Valuable Athlete on the women's side after the senior went out and defended her MVC titles in the 60 meter dash, 200 meter dash and 4x400 meter relay. The Kankakee, Ill. native was the team's top point scorer with 30 points. The senior won the 60 meter dash in 7.5 seconds, finishing 0.15 seconds ahead of Missouri State's Timeka Jordan. In the 200 meter dash, Eason took home gold after finishing with a time of 24.33 seconds.

Eason closed out the day by helping the Salukis complete a three-peat in the 4x400 relay for the first time in school history. Eason, along with Savannah Long, Genesis Ewell and Kira Williams, finished the mile relay with a time of 3:45.77, coming within six-tenths of a second of placing in SIU's all-time list for the event.

Johnny McGluen took home his first-career MVC title after winning the men's 400 meter dash. McGluen completed the race in 48.33 seconds, coming within three-tenths of a second his personal-best. McGluen is only the fourth Saluki in program history to win the event and the first since 2008.

Trinity Daniels surprised a few in the women's triple jump, as the Flossmoor, Ill. native upset Loyola's Oyinlola Akinlosotu en route to winning the program's first title in the event since 2017. Daniels winning mark of 12.52 meters (41'-1") is a lifetime-best and places the freshman fifth on the program's all-time list.

Kayleigh Conlon won Southern's eighth MVC title of the day in the women's shot put. Conlon launched her winning-mark of 15.21 meters (49'-11") on her first attempt and didn't look back, as Conlon's closest competitor finished over seven inches behind her. The Arizona native becomes the first Saluki since 2016 to win the event.

Solomon Wilson-Smith reached the medal stand for the first time in his career as he finished second in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.06 to earn All-MVC honors.

Dawson Plab, competing in his fourth collegiate meet, took home All-MVC distinctions after placing second in the high jump with a mark of 2.07 meters (6'-9.5"). Plab, the son of former Saluki hall-of-famer Darrin Plab, went jump-to-jump with Willie Rodgers, but bowed out after failing to clear 2.10 meters in his final three attempts.

Clint Meyer made it to the stand after dealing with injuries throughout his lone campaign as a Saluki. The California native threw for 18.57 meters (60'-11.25") to take third and earn himself his first All-MVC honors.

The men's 4x400 relay team took second after finishing less than two seconds behind Loyola for the title. The squad, made up of Corey Sherrod, Ja'Den Johnson, Johnny McGluen and Terry Simuel, earned All-MVC honors after finishing with a time of 3:19.33.

All-MVC Honors

Men
Johnny McGluen – 400m, 4x400
Solomon Wilson-Smith – 60H
Corey Sherrod – 4x400
Ja'Den Johnson – 4x400
Terry Simuel – 4x400
Willie Rodgers – HJ, TJ
Dawson Plab – HJ
Clint Meyer – SP
Ricky Hurley – WT

Women
Tyjuana Eason – 60, 200, 4x400
Genesis Ewell – 400, 4x400
Savannah Long – 4x400
Kira Williams – 4x400, Pen
Madison Meyer – LJ, Pen,
Trinity Daniels – TJ
Kayleigh Conlon – SP
Alexis Roberson – WT
Emily Kern - WT

Saluki Awards

Men's Most Valuable Athlete - Willie Rodgers, Sr, (Gainsville, Fla.)
Women's Most Valuable Athlete - Tyjuana Eason, Sr. (Kankakee, Ill.)
Women's Most Outstanding Field Athlete - Alexis Roberson, Sr. (Jefferson City, Mo.)

Click here to view the final results.

The 2020 outdoor season begins on Friday, Mar. 20 with the first day of the Bill Cornell Spring Classic.

Follow the Salukis

For the latest updates on the Salukis, be sure to follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.