The Saluki Track and Field team has made several achievements during the past weeks, most notably sending three athletes to nationals Wednesday.

The Saluki track team took 14 athletes to compete in 14 events during the Mideast Regional Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on May 30 and 31, where three athletes advanced to the NCAA National Championships.

At regionals, senior thrower Brittany Riley, women’s world-record holder for the weight throw, came in second in the hammer toss after throwing 202-6. Senior thrower Brenton Siemons threw the shot put 59-7.75 for a second place finish. Junior jumper, Bianca Stuart, will compete in the long jump after finishing third with a jump of 21-1.25. The national meet will be held June 11-14 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

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In addition to competing at nationals, Riley and Stuart are also preparing for Olympic try-outs over the next few months.

“She [Riley] has a good chance of making the Olympic team,” Head coach Connie Price-Smith said. “There are a lot of good hammer throwers in the country, but she has a good chance of placing in the top three at the trials and making the team.”

Two weeks before the national qualifiers, the Salukis hosted the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships on May 16 and 17. The women’s team finished second and the men’s team finished third overall. The women’s team lost to Northern Iowa by four and a half points. For the men, Northern Iowa also clinched the top spot with 204 points, while Wichita State finished second.

Freshman sprinter Brandon Deloney and Brittany Riley won individual awards at the tournament. Deloney was named the Men’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete after winning the men’s 200 with a time of 21.14 seconds. This mark ranked higher nationally than any other track mark during the event. Riley was named the Women’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete after winning both the discus and hammer toss and finishing second in the shot put. She ranked nationally with her hammer mark of 218-6.

The men’s team won five events the final day, including the sprint relays. Teammates Deloney, Stevie Warren and Sammy Biggs, sophomores, and Antoine Jennings, a senior, won the 4×100-meter relay with a time of 40.48 seconds. The four also combined to clinch the 4×400 meter relay in 3 minutes and 9.52 seconds.

Including Deloney’s 200-meter dash win he finished sixth in the 100-meter dash. Biggs finished second in the 400 with a time of 47.05 seconds. Warren finished first in the 100 with 10.51 seconds and second in the 200 with 21.18 seconds. Jeff Schirmer won the 5,000-meter run in 15 minutes and13.12 seconds.

Seven male athletes – the most since 1999 – and eight female athletes from SIU were named to the 2008 MVC track ‘ field scholar-athlete team. The team acquired a combined 40 all-MVC honors in 22 events. Athletes must finish within the top eight of the conference indoor or outdoor championships and maintain a 3.00 GPA or better.

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Justin Kabbes can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268.