This Week in Saluki Athletics: February 23-March 1

02/23/2026 | 10:14:00 | General

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The end of the winter season is rapidly approaching for Southern Illinois athletics. Both basketball squads inch closer to their respective tournaments while swim and dive and indoor track and field start their Missouri Valley Conference championship runs this week. Meanwhile, spring sports like baseball, softball, and both golf teams continue their early seasons.

Men's Basketball (14-15, 8-10)
It was a successful week for men's basketball, who picked up a pair of conference wins.

First was Wednesday's 66-61 win at Drake. Damien Mayo Jr. led the Salukis in points with 22 thanks in large part to his five three-pointers. Quel'Ron House and Drew Steffe joined Mayo in double-digits with 15 and 11.

Then, the Salukis took down UNI on Saturday by a score of 59-57. House hit the 20-point mark with 21 while also dishing out five assists. Steffe helped out with his 14 points and three assists.

This week, the squad hosts Drake on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. for Senior Night. Then, the Salukis visit Evansville on Sunday, March 1, for a 3 p.m. game.

Women's Basketball (9-16, 6-10)
Women's basketball dropped both of their games this past week.

On Thursday, the Salukis fell to UNI 77-48. Kynnedi Davis was the only Saluki to score double-digit points with 14, while Indya Green helped out on the boards with eight rebounds.

Southern then fell at Indiana State on Saturday, 81-73. Alayna Kraus led all scorers with 19 points, while Green, Kayla Cooper, and Tkiyah Nelson all scored 10+ as well. Cooper was one rebound short of completing a double-double.

Conference play continues this week for women's basketball. On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Salukis visit Illinois State at 6:30 p.m. They then return home on Saturday, Feb. 28, for Senior Day against Drake at 2 p.m.

Softball (8-7, 0-0)
It was a tough weekend for softball as they went 1-4 at the UAB Green and Gold Classic.

The win came on Friday when SIU defeated Mercer 8-3. Mikaela Coburn was the lone Saluki to have multiple RBIs while Maleah Blomenkamp and Haley Wilkerson each added one. In the circle, Haley Wilkerson collected the win with five innings of one-hit ball.

SIU then fell to old MVC foe Missouri State, 5-4, later on Friday. Sydney Potter added another home run to her season total as she drove in three of the Salukis' runs with Wilkerson grabbing SIU's other RBI.

Southern opened Saturday's slate with a 1-0, nine-inning loss to Ole Miss. Hailey Lucas was the story of the game for SIU, throwing eight innings while allowing the game's only run.

The Salukis ended Saturday with a 7-3 loss to UAB. Potter hit her tenth home run of the season to score a pair of runs while Erin Lee drove the other Southern run in.

The Classic ended on Sunday for Southern, who fell 9-0 to #1 Tennessee as the Saluki were no-hit by the Lady Vols.

This weekend features SIU's last tournament of the season when they compete in the Lipscomb Purple and Gold Challenge. First up is Western Carolina on Friday, Feb. 27, at 10 a.m. Later on Friday, at 12:30 p.m., the Salukis face Purdue. Moving to Saturday, Feb. 28, SIU faces Purdue again at 10 a.m. and Western Carolina at 5:30 p.m. The Salukis then compete against Lipscomb on Sunday, March 1, at 1:30 p.m.

Men's Golf
Men's golf was in action last week in Alabama at the Hal Williams Collegiate. The team placed ninth, with Anthony De Schutter placing the best of any Saluki with his 20th place finish.

The squad now gets some time off before facing the Louisiana Classic on March 9 and 10.

Baseball (1-5, 0-0)
Baseball encountered some trouble in North Caroline this week, falling in three straight games.

First was a 2-0 loss to Queens (NC) on Friday. Starting pitcher Andrew Evans did well for Southern, allowing just two hits and one run across seven innings of work.

SIU was then walked off by Queens on Saturday, 9-8. Home runs for the Salukis came courtesy of Jacob McKenzie and Kristian Sprawling while Tim Simay had a multi-RBI game in addition to Sprawling.

Southern was walked off again on Sunday at Appalachian State, losing 9-8. Cecil Lofton hit a homer for the Salukis on his way to four RBIs. On the mound, five of SIU's seven relief pitchers did not allow a run.

The Salukis open the home portion of their season this week. On Wednesday, Feb. 25, SIU welcomes Miami (OH) to Carbondale for a 3 p.m. game. Then Seton Hall comes to town for a weekend series. The two face off at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, and 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 1.

Track and Field
It is championship time for track and field, who compete at the MVC Indoor Championships on Sunday, March 1, and Monday, March 2.

Women's Golf
The women's golf team is back in action this week. Monday, Feb. 23, and Tuesday, Feb. 24, they compete at the Babs Steffens Invitational down in Florida.

Swim and Dive
It is also championship season for swim and dive, who travel to Evansville, Indiana, for the MVC Championships between Wednesday, Feb. 25, and Saturday, Feb. 28.

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.