SIU track and field won five individual titles — four men’s, one women’s — but fell short of a team title on the men’s side at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships.

The men’s team, which scored 132.5 points, finished second to Wichita State, which scored 141.5 points. SIU was picked to finish fourth before the weekend.

SIU was led by junior jumper Kyle Landon, who was named the MVC Most Outstanding Male Field Athlete of the meet.

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He won his fifth high jump title in as many tries on Sunday when he set a personal best of 2.25 meters. Landon also finished third in the long jump, earning All-MVC honors, with a personal best jump of 7.36 meters.

Louis Dotson and Franklin Adams followed Landon with fifth and sixth place finishes in the long jump. Dotson set a personal record with a jump of 7.25 meters.

Day One was highlighted by six top-three finishes in five events — including a championship from senior thrower Brad Sauer — for the Saluki men.

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Sauer won his first MVC title with a throw of 21.54 meters in the weight throw. His teammates, sophomore Issac Ingram and senior Josh Freeman, finished third and fifth, respectively.

Ingram earned All-MVC honors with his throw of 19.79 meters while Freeman set a personal-best of 18.99 meters.

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The men also earned points in the long jump and pole vault.

Junior Nathan Schuck finished runner-up to Indiana State senior Connor Curley, 5.30 meters, in the pole vault after clearing 5.03 meters. Senior Jon Walsh and junior Chad Weaver finished third and fifth, respectively. All three were tied for fifth in the conference entering the weekend.

SIU ended Day One with a 13.5-point lead over Wichita State.

The Saluki men added three more event titles Sunday but it was not enough to stay ahead of the Shockers.

Sophomore Cal Urycki started the day by finishing off the Heptathlon win after setting personal bests in all four events he completed in on Saturday. He won the event — his first MVC title — with 5,138 points, 77 ahead of Wichita State’s junior Kyle Troxler.

Freeman won the shot put, his sixth MVC title of his career, with a throw of 19.67 meters — nearly two meters ahead of the second place finisher.

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The Saluki women finished sixth in the team score after being picked fifth before the championships began.

Senior thrower Alexus Scott won the shot put and added a team-best third place finish in the weight throw.

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Her win in the shot was her first individual title. She won the event with a throw of 16.43 meters. Junior Alex Morgan finished third with a throw of 14.74 meters.

The senior finished third in the weight throw with a throw of 19.48 meters on Saturday. Junior Freya Block had a fourth-place finish and a throw of 19.43 meters.

Participants at the NCAA Indoor Championships, the next meet of the season, will be announced within the next couple days.

The NCAA Indoor Championships begin March 11 in Birmingham, Ala., and the outdoor season begins March 17 when the team competes at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Brent Meske can be reached at [email protected] or at 536-3333