The SIU track and field team dominated the Saluki Invitational meet and left the Recreation Center Saturday in first place Saturday.

The SIU men’s team won seven events during Friday and Saturday, while the women won five.

Heading into the meet freshman thrower Bradley Sauer said the team’s members expected to feed off the home crowd’s energy, primarily because it was the final meet of the indoor season.

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Seniors J.C. Lambert and Jeneva McCall both won the weight throw Friday and shot put Saturday. McCall’s best throw was 75-06 1/4 in the weight throw and 56-04 3/4 in the shot put. Lambert recorded a best weight throw of 70-11 3/4 and 58-04 1/2 in the shot put.

Lambert said he was sick and didn’t feel 100 percent during the meet but was motivated by his coaches to perform his best.

“Coach Connie (Price-Smith) and Coach Sasha (Leeth) came over and motivated me and got me amped up and ready to go,” Lambert said. “They told me this was my last home meet, and not to lose it. That set a fire under me.”

Sophomore long jumper Kenya Culmer broke a 13-year-old SIU school record Friday with a jump of 5-10 to take first in the event.

Several other Salukis earned themselves spots in the university’s record books during the meet.

Freshman Amiris Warren ran the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.64 seconds, her sixth all-time in SIU history.

Senior Malaikah Love’s first place time of 8.62 placed her fourth all-time in SIU history in the 60-meter hurdles. Love also won the women’s triple jump with a distance of 42-04 1/4, breaking her own school record.

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Senior Matthew Benes won the men’s 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.27. Sophomore Doug Palacious set a new personal record with his first place finish in the triple jump with 49-10.

Other first place finishers during the meet were senior Dan Dunbar in the one-mile run with a time of 4:16.73 and junior Zach Dahleen in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:53.02.

Overall, the Salukis recorded 13 second-place finishes, and 10 third-place finishes. The women defeated second-place team Austin Peay University by 112 points, while the men won by 152 points against Southern University.

Coach Connie Price-Smith said she was pleased with her team during indoor season and plans to keep the same focus as they prepare for outdoor season.

“Everybody is starting to improve and come up, things are getting better and better meet by meet,” Price-Smith said. “The events are different, but the training (for the outdoor season) is just as intense, we move to different surfaces, a bigger track and different rings. But the intensity is just the same.”