Track and Field Notebook: Indoor Final Notes

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, the NCAA announced the cancelation of all remaining winter and spring NCAA tournaments and competitions, including the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The decision to cancel was made in response to the evolving COVID-19 public health pandemic and help stop the spread of the virus.

The Salukis had a very successful indoor season under the direction of second-year Director of T&F/XC Rosalind Joseph. The following includes some of the highlights from the 2019-20 indoor campaign.

SALUKIS SEND ONE TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Southern Illinois' Alexis Roberson was set to represent the Salukis in the weight throw at the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 13-14. In order to qualify for the national meet, an athlete must nationally rank in the top-16 of an event.

The week prior, Roberson took gold in the weight throw at the 2020 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships with a toss of 21.54 meters (70'-8"), which kept the Jefferson City, Mo. native in the 16^th spot on the national performance list. Following the conclusion of the meet, Roberson had a little scoreboard watching to do as there were still a few meets that had yet to play out.

"It was a waiting game to find out whether I made it or not," said Roberson in an interview before the NCAA Championships. "There were four more conferences that had yet to compete in the weight throw by that time. My teammate Kayleigh Conlon and I were watching the live results of all the conferences and just making sure that I didn't get bumped out of that 16^th place. Once all the results were in, it was almost unbelievable, and I almost didn't believe that I had made it in. I was happy but ready to get back to work for two weeks before leaving."

SALUKIS THAT RANK IN TOP-75 NATIONALLY

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. The Salukis second-place finish is its highest finish since 2015. Southern captured gold in the 60 meter, 200 meter, 4x400, triple jump, shot put, weight throw and pentathlon.

On the men's side, the Salukis tallied 112 points to tie for second with Illinois State. It marked the highest finish for the men's team since 2017. The men won gold medals in the 400 meter, high jump, triple jump and weight throw.

EASON'S STRONG FINISH TO DECORATED CAREER

Saluki senior Ty'Juana Eason completed her decorated career at Southern Illinois by winning the 60 meter, 200 meter and 4x400 meter for the second-straight year at the MVC Championships en route to being named the 2019-20 MVC Indoor Women's MVP. In total, Eason leaves a legacy at Southern that includes 10 gold medals at conference and three school records.

RODGERS STRIKES GOLD AT INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Willie Rodgers also went out in style after winning the high jump and triple jump at the 2020 MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships, becoming the first Saluki in program history to win both events at the same conference meet. For his efforts, Rodgers was named the 2019-20 MVC Indoor Men's MVP.

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Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Kayleigh Conlon

Trinity Daniels

Ricky Hurley

Clint Meyer

Madison Meyer

A'veun Moore-Jones

Dawson Plab

Alexis Roberson

Willie Rodgers

Kira Williams

Scoreboard

Southern Illinoise University Athletics