This Week in Saluki Athletics: February 9-15

02/09/2026 | 10:08:00 | General

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Crossover season is in full effect at Southern Illinois University as it is a packed week for Saluki Athletics. After men's golf and softball began their spring season last week, baseball joins the party this week. Meanwhile, both basketball and track and field continue their seasons.

Men's Basketball (10-14, 4-9)
Men's basketball split two, very different, conference games this past week.

First was a defense-driven win over Illinois State on Tuesday, 54-50. Quel'Ron House set the tone offensively with a game-high 22 points. Meanwhile, Rolyns Aligbe secured a 12-points, 12-rebound double-double. Jalen Haynes helped facilitate the offense with four assists.

Then, Southern lost a 91-81 shootout versus Murray State on Friday. House dropped 26 points and was joined by three other Salukis in double-digit points. Drew Steffe was one of those Salukis to score 10+ as he also dished out four assists.

This week begins on Monday, Feb. 9, for men's basketball as they visit Indiana State at 6 p.m. CST. They then return home for a 7 p.m. game versus Evansville on Thursday, Feb. 12, and a 1 p.m. match against Bradley on Sunday, Feb. 15.

Women's Basketball (8-13, 5-7)
It was successful trip up north for women's basketball last week, who picked up two wins.

On Thursday, the Salukis took down UIC 55-53 thanks to a buzzer-beater from Jeniah Thompson. Alayna Kraus was the only Saluki to score 10+ with her 18 while Tkiyah Nelson helped facilitate with five assists.

Southern then visited Valparaiso on Saturday, defeating the Beacons 82-73. Indya Green tied her career-high in points with 29 while she also grabbed 14 rebounds for a double-double. Kraus dropped 18 points, and Nelson and Kayla Cooper hit double-digit points as well, with Nelson dishing out eight assists.

SIU is back at home this week for a pair of games. On Friday, Feb. 13, they host Illinois State at 6 p.m. Then, Bradley comes to Carbondale on Sunday, Feb. 15, for a 4 p.m. matchup.

Swim and Dive
While swim and dive was not in action last week, they squad did receive an honor as Willem Huggins was named the Men's Swimmer of the Week. The prior week, against Eastern Illinois and Missouri, Huggins recorded three individual wins as well as two relay wins while setting three new pool record's at Eastern's Padovan Pool.

Women's Golf
Southern Illinois women's golf concluded their first competition of the spring last week when they placed 17th at the Advanced Golf Collegiate Invitational. Kayla Sayyalinh was the highest finisher of the Salukis, taking ninth place with her score of +5.

The squad will be back in action on February 23 at the Babs Steffens Invitational.

Softball (5-0, 0-0)
Softball began their season a perfect 5-0 at the FGCU Kickoff Classic.

The season began on Friday with a 5-2 win over Charlotte. Erin Lee had the biggest hit of the day with a three-run bomb to give SIU the lead in the fourth. Sydney Potter then hit a two-run bomb as insurance. Brooklynn Danielson picked up the win in her first start as a Saluki.

Later, on Friday, SIU took down the host school, Florida Golf Coast, 2-0. Hailey Lucas pitched a complete-game shutout in her first outing at Southern, while Potter's two-run homer proved to be the only offense of the game.

Moving to Saturday, the Salukis took down Charlotte again, 7-6. Potter homered once again, as did Lee. Hayden Kurtz and Emily Williams added RBIs too. In the circle, Danielson picked up her second win in as many days.

Sunday began with a 4-0 win over Ball State. Potter added another home run to her total, and Amanda Knutson hit her first long ball of the year. Emma Gipson grabbed the win after 4.1 innings of shutout ball.

Softball's run at the Classic ended on Sunday with a 7-0 win over Long Island. Potter hit her fifth home run in as many games, and Mikaela Coburn got her first homer of the year. Kiana McDowell and Emily Delgado combined for the shutout in the circle.

This week, the squad moves down to Mexico for the Puerto Vallarta Challenge. On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the take on Eastern Kentucky at 11 a.m. before playing UTSA at 2 p.m. Then, on Thursday, Feb. 12, the Salukis play Long Beach State at 10 a.m. before UTSA at 1 p.m. The tournament concludes on Friday, Feb. 13, with a 7 p.m. game against Long Beach State.

Men's Golf
Men's golf officially started their season on Sunday at the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate, which runs through Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Baseball
The 2026 baseball season begins this week. On Friday, Feb. 13, the team travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to face Oral Roberts at 3 p.m. They play again on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. before concluding the series on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 1 pm.

Track and Field
Track and field is back in action this week when they head to Indianapolis for the Heartland Invitational on Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14.

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.