This Week in Saluki Athletics: December 8-14
12/08/2025 | 12:58:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – It is finals week at Southern Illinois University and also a relatively quiet week in Saluki athletics. After last week, where both basketballs and track and field were in action, this week features just two men's basketball games.
Football
Postseason honors continued to pile up for football. On Tuesday, the Missouri Valley Football Conference announced its All-Newcomer Team, and two Salukis, defensive end Donnie Wingate and wide receiver Fabian McCray, made the cut from SIU. Additionally, five players made the Scholar-Athlete Team, the program's most since 2011. Center Noah Fenske earned a spot on the First Team, while linebacker Andrew Behm and tight end Aidan Quinn were named to the Second Team. Defensive end Camron Miller and tight end Ryan Schwendeman rounded out the list on the Honorable Mention team.
Men's Basketball (5-4, 0-0)
Men's basketball had just one game last week, defeating High Point 86-84 thanks to a last second, game-winning layup from Davion Sykes. Damien Mayo Jr.. exploded for 22 points in just 23 minutes, and Drew Steffe, Prince Aligbe, and Jalen Haynes joined him in double-digit scoring. Steffe also led the team in assists with seven, and Rolyns Aligbe grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
This week, the squad welcomes UT Martin to SIU on Wednesday, Dec. 10, for a 7 p.m. game. The Salukis then visit Richmond on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m. (CST). m
Women's Basketball (2-6, 0-0)
Women's basketball picked up a win and a loss this past week.
The loss came on Wednesday, an 81-54 defeat at UAB. Alayna Kraus, Kayla Cooper, and Indya Green all had 10+ points, and Green collected a double-double with her 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kraus had a nice game on the defensive end as well with four steals.
Southern ended their six-game losing streak on Saturday with a 76-71 win over SEMO. Kraus led SIU offensively with 18 points, meaning she has still yet to score less than 10+ points in a game this season. Kraus was backed up by double-digit scoring games from Cooper, Jeniah Thompson, and Tkiyah Nelson. Green came close to another double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
The squad now gets a break off from competition, as they will not be in action again until December 18 when they travel to Bradley.
Track and Field
The track and field squad began their indoor season last Friday and Saturday by hosting the Saluki Fast Start. On Friday, two Salukis came away with gold medals: Dominic Martin in the 60-meter hurdles and long jump and Dallas Hodge in the weight throw. Then, Saturday featured 13 event winners from the Salukis, eight coming on the track and five from the field events.
Following the holiday break, track and field will be back at it on January 16, 2026, at the Indiana Invitational.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIUSalukis, on Instagram at @siusalukis, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalukiAthletics/. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Football
Postseason honors continued to pile up for football. On Tuesday, the Missouri Valley Football Conference announced its All-Newcomer Team, and two Salukis, defensive end Donnie Wingate and wide receiver Fabian McCray, made the cut from SIU. Additionally, five players made the Scholar-Athlete Team, the program's most since 2011. Center Noah Fenske earned a spot on the First Team, while linebacker Andrew Behm and tight end Aidan Quinn were named to the Second Team. Defensive end Camron Miller and tight end Ryan Schwendeman rounded out the list on the Honorable Mention team.
Men's Basketball (5-4, 0-0)
Men's basketball had just one game last week, defeating High Point 86-84 thanks to a last second, game-winning layup from Davion Sykes. Damien Mayo Jr.. exploded for 22 points in just 23 minutes, and Drew Steffe, Prince Aligbe, and Jalen Haynes joined him in double-digit scoring. Steffe also led the team in assists with seven, and Rolyns Aligbe grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
This week, the squad welcomes UT Martin to SIU on Wednesday, Dec. 10, for a 7 p.m. game. The Salukis then visit Richmond on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m. (CST). m
Women's Basketball (2-6, 0-0)
Women's basketball picked up a win and a loss this past week.
The loss came on Wednesday, an 81-54 defeat at UAB. Alayna Kraus, Kayla Cooper, and Indya Green all had 10+ points, and Green collected a double-double with her 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kraus had a nice game on the defensive end as well with four steals.
Southern ended their six-game losing streak on Saturday with a 76-71 win over SEMO. Kraus led SIU offensively with 18 points, meaning she has still yet to score less than 10+ points in a game this season. Kraus was backed up by double-digit scoring games from Cooper, Jeniah Thompson, and Tkiyah Nelson. Green came close to another double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
The squad now gets a break off from competition, as they will not be in action again until December 18 when they travel to Bradley.
Track and Field
The track and field squad began their indoor season last Friday and Saturday by hosting the Saluki Fast Start. On Friday, two Salukis came away with gold medals: Dominic Martin in the 60-meter hurdles and long jump and Dallas Hodge in the weight throw. Then, Saturday featured 13 event winners from the Salukis, eight coming on the track and five from the field events.
Following the holiday break, track and field will be back at it on January 16, 2026, at the Indiana Invitational.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIUSalukis, on Instagram at @siusalukis, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalukiAthletics/. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Football
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Football
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
/ Track and Field
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/ Women's Basketball
/ Track and Field
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/ Men's Basketball
WR
/ Football
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/ Football
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Football
TE
/ Football
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
DE
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