Broken Records and New Champions: The Dawgs Show Off at MVC Championship

Sunday, March 1

Indianapolis, IN

Southern Illinois University

Missouri Valley Conference Championships

Triniti Douglas in the 60m event at the MVC Championship

Broken Records and New Champions: The Dawgs Show Off at MVC Championship

03/04/2026 | 11:07:00 | Track and Field

By: Dante Green

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The Salukis showed up to the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship on March 1-2 with swagger and walked out with their heads held high.

Christian Coleman won the men's triple jump, marking the first time a Saluki has claimed the event at the MVC Championship since 2003. He also competed in the 60-meter hurdles, running 7.95 seconds in the final. Coleman won his preliminary heat the day before with a time of 7.86, the second-fastest mark in school history.

In an interview with ESPN, Coleman said, "I want to give all my glory to God. Without Him none of this is possible. I just knew this was my race to win if I did everything I needed to do."

Leah Thames won the 200-meter title after being disqualified in the 400-meter for a lane violation that was not called until after the first heat concluded and she had crossed the finish line first. She posted a time of 54.10 seconds in the 400 meter before the disqualification. Thames credited her 200-meter victory to the motivation she gained from the setback.

"I had a minor setback yesterday getting disqualified in the 400-meter finals, so I had to come back today with a chip on my shoulder," Thames said. "I had to come back stronger. All glory to God. I'm very thankful."

Capping off the afternoon, the men's four-by-400-meter relay team of Xavier Preston, Jalen Dickerson, Kwame Smith and Donte Long claimed the conference title and recorded the fastest time in MVC Championship history.

Smith won the 400-meter title, earning the championship for the Salukis for the second straight season. Malik Allen finished second in the men's triple jump, while Na'kyrah Cooks placed fifth in the women's triple jump (5.87 meters) and advanced to the long jump final.

Director Richard Jones, a former 400-meter champion for Guyana in 1993, praised the team's effort.

"As a head coach, I always want to win the title, but understand how tough it is to win the title in the conference," Jones said. "So we maximized our opportunities and did as well as expected. I am extremely proud of the fight of the young men and women this past weekend and everyone that came, competed and supported even when they were finished. We left the meet feeling good about our efforts and now begin transitioning to the outdoor season."

Other Noteworthy Performances

The men's distance medley relay team of Ben Chance, Weston Jokerst, Drew Tywman and Jalen Dickerson posted its best time of the season at 10:12.72, shaving 30 seconds off its season-opening mark at Indiana. Chance recorded a lifetime best in his 1,200-meter split during the event.

KeyAnn Wilson advanced to the 60-meter final (7.68) and scored points for the Salukis.

Jordan Smith recorded a top finish in the men's heptathlon 60 meter and won his heat. Kylee Weber posted a lifetime best in the pole vault. (3.63 meter)

Ella McDonell earned a personal record and a top-five finish in the high jump with a clearance of 1.69 meters, scoring five points. Halaya Woodson extended her streak of scoring at every MVC Indoor Championship appearance in the women's weight throw.

Triniti Douglas posted a personal best of 8.65 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles preliminaries and advanced to the final, where she earned points. Dickerson recorded an indoor personal best in the 400 meter and advanced to the final. Kyla Engel set a lifetime best in the 800 meter. Vashti Grey recorded a lifetime best in the 200 meter (24.71), and earned points in that event plus the 400 meter. Jalen Dickerson finished third in the men's 400 meter, earning the Salukis four points.

Courtney McDonald earned points and advanced to the 60 meter and 200 meter finals, posting an indoor personal best in the 200 meter (24.38). Freshman Maya Rounds recorded a lifetime best in the shot put. (11.98 meters)

Darius Fuller finished sixth in the men's triple jump (14.57), and Adrian Przestzelski placed seventh (13.90), with both earning points. Dallas Hodge earned two points in the men's weight throw. Otto De St. Joer scored in the 200 meter. Jaiden Block recorded a lifetime personal record in the shot put.

Other News
Trinity Cleaver suffered a season-ending injury. She finished her event despite the injury. Shane Ashton was also injured and was unable to participate in several events.