Despite competing without nine athletes, the SIUC men’s track and field team overcame its injuries for a first-place triumph at the McDonald’s/Saluki Invitational Saturday at the Recreation Center.

With only two weeks left until the Missouri Valley Conference Championships (Feb. 27 and 28 in Normal), the men’s team was trying to keep its remaining athletes healthy at the meet.

Men’s coach Bill Cornell said he was pleased with the team’s performance in the meet.

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We came into the meet without most of our competitors, Cornell said. Nine men were gone, seven of them scholarship men, so that takes close to 60 points away from us and gives it to the other teams.

Leading the way for the men was junior Baye Wilson with a first-place finish and season-best time in the 400-meter dash (49.74) and freshman Loren King, who placed first collegiately and fourth overall with a jump of 6 feet 8.25 inches.

Other top finishers were sophomore Matt McClelland with a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter run (8:28.05). Freshman Peter Forder finished second in the 200-meter dash (22.58), while junior Romante Archer finished fourth in the event (22.84).

The 4 x 400 relay team of Archer, Forder, Wilson and Allen Lakomiak led the Salukis to a first-place finish (3:22.52).

Archer competed with a sore hamstring, but was pleased with his performance.

I felt my performance was pretty decent considering I had a hurt hamstring, Archer said. I wasn’t actually supposed to run in the meet, but I had it worked on all week.

In the 4 x 4, it started to give in the last 100-meters, but I held on.

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Sophomore long jumpers Brad Bowers and Jeraldo Henry took second and third place, respectively. Bowers finished with a season-best jump of 24 feet and 3/4 inch while Henry jumped 23 feet 9 inches.

The men scored 130.50 points to put them well ahead of their closest competitor, Memphis University, which finished with 93 points.

Cornell said he thought the meet would be more competitive for his athletes.

I was worried about this meet all the way through, Cornell said. I thought Arkansas State (University, which tied for seventh with 18 points) would be much stronger than that.

The women’s track and field team headed into the final event of the day the pole vault trailing Eastern Illinois University 80-74.5.

Junior Michelle Nitzsche, a recent addition to the team, cleared 9 feet 3 inches to set a new school record and give the Salukis a second-place finish. The jump moved the Salukis ahead of Eastern Illinois 91.5-88. Southeast Missouri State University won the meet with 111 points.

Women’s coach Don DeNoon said the team’s performance was very satisfactory considering the Salukis were without some of their top athletes because of illnesses.

I thought we had a really good meet, DeNoon said. There was a lot of doubt because we lost (senior) Lorraine (Parkinson in throws), Felicia Hill (freshman, jumps/sprints) and Leah Steele (junior, pole vault).

The only other first-place finisher for the Salukis was senior Kelly French in the 5,000-meter run (17:22.82). Running the event for the first time this season, French finished 51 seconds ahead of her closest competitor, Celeste Ramsey of SEMO.

DeNoon said the team is continuing to compete with its full potential heading into the conference meet.

We’re hanging in there the best we can, DeNoon said. Our kids are doing the best they can possibly do. Hopefully, they’ll just continue.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams will play host to the Saluki/USA Open Friday at the Recreation Center.