Salukis second at Illini Classic

SIU men's track and field team falls to host Illinois by just four points

Comment on this story on our discussion board

Kansas and Iowa State may be much more nationally renowned schools, but SIU has a better men's track and field team - and the Salukis didn't even use their full squad.

The Salukis (119) finished second to host team Illinois (123) this past weekend at the Illini Classic. Kansas (118) placed third and Iowa State (61) finished last.

"Basically, we didn't have all of our guys there, and we could have won that meet if we did," sophomore Tony LaChiana said.

Head coach Cameron Wright said he left some competitors back home because he originally thought the meet was unscored. He also said that long-distance runners Joe Byrne and Julien Garcia both stayed back in preparation for the Tyson Invite at Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend.

Freshman Ray Scotten, who has already qualified for the NCAA championships, continued his dominant streak in the pole vault by clearing 16 feet 8.75 inches to take first place.

"I am just really excited about his year so far, he has done real well," Wright said. "For a freshman to come to U of I and beat some of their seniors and beat two kids from Kansas, one of which was Big 12 champion, it isn't easy. He is on his way."

Chris Cline won the 35-pound weight throw with a heave of 50 feet 9.5 inches.

The Dawgs also had equal success in the running events.

B.J. Davis was victorious in the 400-meter dash and ran a career-best 48.39 seconds. Maurice Moss also recorded a career-best in the 400 with a time of 50.02 seconds, good enough for third place.

Marvin Primo, a senior, finished second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.99 seconds.

The meet served as a gauge to how well the Salukis should fare in the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor championships, which will take place Feb. 28- Mar. 1 in Normal.

"I think we had a lot of competition with the big teams there, and it kind of gave us a picture of how we should be doing in conference," LaChiana said. "Anytime you run against Big Ten teams, the competition is always going to be top-tier. It was some of the best runners in the nation."

The Salukis get another taste of competition before the MVC championships this weekend when they host the Saluki USA Track and Field open, which starts Friday at 5 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center.

After delivering such a strong performance against the big-name schools, the Salukis want a confident demeanor, not a cocky one. But they know this was one meet they could have won.

"[Our finish] tells me that we have a team that can go up to Illinois and win," Wright said. "We are getting better every year. When I first took the job, Illinois thumped us pretty good, and we wanted to win this meet pretty bad.

"On one hand, we competed well. On the other hand, we didn't do our best in all of our events and didn't beat the Illini. Anytime you lineup, you want to win."

Reporter Zack Creglow can be reached at zcreglow@dailyegyptian.com