Salukis Win 4 Golds, Men Finish 4th, Women Finish 5th at MVC Indoor Championship

CARBONDALE, ILL. - The Southern Illinois Track and Field Program ended it's 2023 Indoor season with an impressive final day at the MVC Championship Meet in Chicago. The Saluki men took home a fourth place finish tallying 82 points. The SIU women recorded 57 points and finished in fifth place. The Salukis claimed Gold medals in 4 different events with Shauniece O'Neal winning the women's weight throw, Iaunia Pointer winning the women's 200 meter dash, Xavier Preston winning the men's 200 meter dash, and Dawson Plab winning the men's high jump.

On the men's side Indiana State (153) took home first place, followed by second-place Illinois State (149). Northern Iowa (123) rounded out the top three, followed by Southern Illinois (82), Bradley (72), Drake (47), Belmont and Valparaiso (14), and UIC (5).

For the women Illinois State (130) claimed victory, followed by Murray State (108). Indiana State (99) rounded out the top three, followed by Bradley (84), Southern Illinois (57), Belmont and Northern Iowa (55), Missouri State (45), Drake (27), and UIC (3)

Specialty Awards:
Most Valuable Athlete (Most Points Scored)
Women: Nicola Jansen, BU, Meghan Fletcher, MUR, Ryann Porter, Ind St, Iaunia Pointer, SIU
Men: Carter Morton, UNI (34)

Most Outstanding Track Athlete (highest-ranking individual performance on NCAA list)
Women: Wilma Nielsen, Brad
Men: JaVaughn Moore, Ind St.

Most Outstanding Field Athlete (highest-ranking individual performance on NCAA list)
Women: Shauniece O'Neal, SIU
Men: Dawson Plab, SIU

Freshman of the Year (most points scored)
Women: Peyton Schieppe, Brad
Men: Xavier Preston, SIU

Elite 17
Women: Ryann Porter, Ind St.
Men: William Stagg, Ind St.

Coach of the Year
Women: Jeff Bovee, Ill. St.
Men: Angela Martin, Ind. St.

Quote from Southern Illinois Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Richard Jones:
"It's been a long and exciting weekend as my first charge as director. Watching both the men and women compete at a high level made me very proud and a majority of the team left the meet with some hardware or personal bests. We have a small group preparing for nationals. Other than that we have a few days to rest and recover and carry the same energy into the outdoor season."

Saluki National Qualifiers:
Iaunia Pointer - Women's 200m Dash
Dawson Plab - Men's High Jump
Shauniece O'Neal - Women's Weight Throw
Matisen Ingle - Women's Weight Throw

Saluki MVC Medalist:
Shauniece O'Neal - 1st Place - Women's Weight Throw
Dawson Plab - 1st Place - Men's High Jump
Iaunia Pointer - 1st Place - Women's 200m Dash
Xavier Preston - 1st Place - Men's 200m Dash
Miracle Berry, Shavell Riley, Vashti Grey, Iaunia Pointer - 2nd Place - Women's 4X400m Relay
Bryson Wilson, Xavier Preston, Jeremiah Hamilton, Shane Ashton - 2nd Place - Men's 4X400m Relay
Iaunia Pointer - 2nd Place - Women's 400m Dash
Dasani Edwards - 2nd Place - Men's Triple Jump
Matisen Ingle - 3rd Place - Women's Weight Throw
Ellie Hall, Miracle Berry, Brianna Nieset, Claire Ayers - 3rd Place - Women's Distance Medley Relay
Ethan Senti - 3rd Place - Men's 5000m Run

What's Next
The 4 Saluki National Qualifiers will be back in action in Albuquerque March 10-11. The rest of the Salukis will begin preparing for the 2023 outdoor season.

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

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