Saluki Women Place Second, Men Finish Fifth at 2021 MVC Outdoor Championships

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois University track and field program wrapped up competition at the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships on Sunday, where the Salukis saw the women place second with 143 points and men finish fifth overall with 103.5 points.

"What a weekend," said Director of T&F/XC Rosalind Joseph. "We get to do this. It's been a tough year with many setbacks, let alone the added stressor of hosting. But that stressor of hosting was quickly overshadowed by the pride of being able to be home. Even though we could not have fans, the home field advantage was obvious. Our student-athletes showed out! Across the board, all events - it was a really fun weekend. After the year we've all had, this was a nice cherry on top!"

The Salukis earned two gold medals on the final day of competition, one of which came by way of the men's 4x400-meter relay, where the Saluki lineup of Corey Sherrod, Jaden Johnson, Omar Rodgers and Willie Johnson took home gold and became the first relay squad to win the race for SIU since 2008. The quartet's time of 3:13.10 edged out Indiana State by just over one second. The second gold medal of the day came again from Willie Johnson, who finished the 400-meter dash at a time of 46.39. Johnson's racemate, Corey Sherrod, took home conference honors after finishing the race in second.

Omar Rodgers was a silver medalist in the 400-meter hurdles, where the Brooklyn, New York, native finished with a time of 50.90, a time that stands as the fifth-fastest in program history, overcoming his previous personal-best time of 52.11. Kyle Lind, competing in the 110-meter hurdles, took second and earned All-Valley honors after stopping the clock at 14.10; a time that stands as the 10^th fastest in program history.

On the women's side, the foursome of Miracle Berry, Iaunia Pointer, Jhordin Galmore and Savannah Long earned All-Valley honors after placing second in the 4x400m relay at a time of 3:42.04. Pointer, who also earned All-Valley honors with her second place finish in the 200-meter dash, was later named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming just the second Saluki in program history to earn the distinction, joining teammate Kayla Schiera, who earned the award at the last outdoor conference meet in 2019.

Long also earned two other conference honors after placing second in the 100-meter hurdles and third in the 400-meter hurdles. Long's time of 13.73 in the 100-meter hurdles is the seventh-fastest time in program history, while her finishing time of 58.96 in the 400-meter hurdles is the fourth-best on the SIU top-10 list.

The Salukis will now look ahead to the NCAA West Prelims, which are held in College Station, Tex., on May 27-29. The top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted for individual competition, while the top 24 declared relay teams will be accepted for competition at each preliminary site. Selections will be announced one week before preliminary action is set to start.

As of tonight in the men's West Regional standings, Ricky Hurley is 11^th in the hammer and 31^st in the discus, Willie Rodgers is 17^th in the high jump, Omar Rodgers is 19^th in the 400-meter hurdles, Willie Johnson sits 27^thin the 400-meter and Clint Meyer is 35^th in the shot put. On the women's side, Shauniece O'Neal is ninth in the hammer, A'veun Moore-Jones is 18^th in the shot put, Elisa Lancaster is 19^th in the hammer, Madison Meyer is 24^th in the heptathlon, Savannah Long is 26^th in the 400-meter hurdles, Kayla Schiera is 27^th in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Erin Diemer is 32^nd in the pole vault and Emily Kern is 33^rd in the hammer.

Specialty Awards
Freshman of the Year – Iaunia Pointer
Most Outstanding Field Athlete – Shauniece O'Neal

All-Valley Finishes
Women
Iaunia Pointer - 200m (2), 4x400m Relay (2)
Savannah Long - 100h (2), 400h (3), 4x400m Relay (2)
Kayla Schiera – 3000m Steeplechase (2)
Erin Diemer – Pole Vault (1)
Britney Mosby – Triple Jump (2)
Trinity Daniels – Triple Jump (3)
A'veun Moore-Jones – Shot Put (1), Discus (3)
Shauniece O'Neal – Hammer (1)
Emma Sexton – Javelin (2)
Madison Meyer – Heptathlon (2)

Men
Willie Johnson – 400m (1), 4x400m Relay (1)
Kyle Lind – 110h (2)
Omar Rodgers – 400h (2), 4x400m Relay (1)
Corey Sherrod – 4x400m Relay (1)
Jaden Johnson - 4x400m Relay (1)
Ricky Hurley – Hammer (1), Discus (2)

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS

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

Calendar

Upcoming Events