This Week in Saluki Athletics: March 16-22

03/16/2026 | 1:17:00 | General

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Winter sports have officially come to a close at Southern Illinois with the conclusion of women's basketball's season. But SIU still has plenty of action this week, as baseball, softball, and men's golf continue their seasons. Meanwhile, track and field begins their outdoor season and swim and dive sends a swimmer to the NCAA Championships.

Women's Basketball (10-20, 7-13)
Women's basketball's season came to an end on Thursday, but first three Salukis were honored with postseason awards from the Missouri Valley Conference. Alayna Kraus, Kelowna Ngoyi, and Karris Allen were all named MVC Scholar-Athletes while Kraus also earned a spot on the All-MVC Third-Team.

Then, the Salukis saw their season conclude on Thursday as they fell to #9 Indiana State, 81-69, in the first round of the Credit Union 1 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament. Coming off her All-MVC nod, Kraus led all scorers with 25 points while being supported by Jeniah Thompson's 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Following the conclusion of the season, SIU's finishes the year with a 10-20 overall record while going 7-13 within Valley play.

Softball (16-9, 5-0)
Softball continued their unbeaten streak in conference play this past weekend with a three-game sweep over Bradley.

Game one on Friday ended 7-2 in favor of the Salukis. Emily Williams and Amanda Knutson hit homers on their way to five combined RBIs. In the circle, Hailey Lucas pitched a complete game.

Southern than run-ruled the Braves 15-0 in game two of Friday's double-header. Williams and Knutson both hit a pair of home runs and Sydney Potter joined the home run party as well. Brooklynn Danielson and Kaylen Grammer combined for the five-inning shutout.

SIU secured the sweep on Saturday with a 7-5 win. Williams hit her fourth home run of the series and Hayden Kurtz hit her first career homer when playing at home. Emily Delgado picked up her fifth win of the season thanks to five innings of work while allowing just one earned run.

Southern now hits the road for their first road series in conference play. On Friday, March 20, they visit Illinois State for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The two play again on Saturday, March 21, at 1 p.m.

Baseball (8-10, 0-0)
Baseball split their four games this week.

First was a 16-6 loss at SIUE on Tuesday. Kye Watson and Cecil Lofton both left the yard for SIU as both compiled two RBIs. Tim Simay and Jaden Flores added the other pair of RBIs for the Salukis.

The Salukis got back in the win column on Friday with a 10-7 win over Southern Indiana. Southern home runs came courtesy of Julio Guerrero and Gabe Petrucelli on their way to three RBIs apiece. Andrew Evans had a strong start for the Salukis, allowing three runs across six innings of work.

SIU won again on Saturday, 7-4, in the first game of a doubleheader. Kaleb Hall and Jacob McKenzie both had multi-RBI games while Meade Johnson threw five innings of shutout ball in his start.

Southern Indiana won game two of Saturday's doubleheader, 6-3. Jackson Dibble and Kyle Mager drove two of SIU's runs while Southern's bullpen allowed just two earned runs across 4.2 innings of work.

The Salukis welcome UT Martin to Carbondale on Wednesday, March 18, for a 6 p.m. midweek game. SIU then travels to UIC for the start of conference play. On Friday, March 20, the two play at 4 p.m. Then, on Saturday, March 21, they face off at 2 p.m. Finally, they end the series on Sunday, March 22, at 1 p.m.

Women's Golf
The women's golf team spent the weekend in Arizona for the three-day Red Rocks Invitational, where the Salukis placed eighth. Kayla Sayyalinh and Ella Overstreet both had top-30 finishes for SIU, placing 24th and 30th.

Southern now prepares for the Colonel Classic on March 30.

Men's Golf
Men's golf had a tough outing at the Louisiana Classic last week, finishing 16th overall. However, Jaeseung Na had a great competition, finishing third with a score of -9.

Southern is currently competing at the Seminole Intercollegiate, which runs through Tueaday, March 17.

Swim and Dive
It is a big week for Olivia Herron and SIU swim and dive as the senior prepares to compete at the Women's NCAA Championships. On Thursday, March 19, she will swim in the 100-breaststroke before having a go at the 200-breaststroke on Friday, March 20. She ends her trip with the 200-IM on Saturday, March 21.

Track and Field
Outdoor season begins this week for track and field as they compete at the Margaret Simmons Invitational ond Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21.

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.