siuDE.com

Despite walking away without the team championship at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, the SIU track and field team was showered with top finishes and accolades.

The Salukis' men's and women's teams had individuals score in all but five events at the MVC Indoor Championships held in Cedar Falls, Iowa during the weekend. Host Northern Iowa scored a collective 315 points, securing conference titles for the men and women.

Coach Connie Price-Smith said she was pleased with how all of the athletes performed.

"Everywhere we had someone compete, I was impressed with their hunger to compete," Price-Smith said. "I can't say that there was one person that stood out more than the other because everyone competed hard."

The Salukis' second-place finish didn't stop Brittany Riley from collecting more accolades. The senior thrower from Flossmoor picked up her third consecutive MVC Indoor Most Outstanding Field Athlete Award. Riley won her third weight throw title, breaking her own MVC record with a throw that measured 79-feet and 10.25 inches.

At the championships, SIU collected eight individual titles and several Salukis defended their titles.

Junior Bianca Stuart picked up her third-straight long jump title with a jump that measured 20-7 1/4. Senior throwers Riley and Joe Mueller defended their weight throw titles. Mueller's throw measured 65-8 3/4, surpassing the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

While Stuart and Riley move on to the NCAA championships, Mueller and teammate Brenton Siemons move on to a final chance meet with throws coach John Smith. Siemons defended his 2007 shot put title with a throw that measured more than 58 feet - four feet longer than second place finisher, teammate Ryan Shumaker.

Brandon Deloney, Sammy Biggs and Jeff Schirmer contributed with individual titles in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 3,000-meter run respectively. Schirmer also picked up another individual title, winning the 5,000-meter run as well.

Price-Smith said she was proud of the way the Salukis were supportive of one another and that type of encouragement helped spark the Salukis' success.

"They all wanted to do well as a team and it made everyone stronger," Price-Smith said. "I think the way to win a championship is to have a well-rounded team like that."

Luis C. Medina can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 238 or lcm1986@siu.edu.

Article Tools