New track to be ready for ’99 conference meet

SIUC’s track and field teams will know what it feels like to compete at home next season when a new all-weather track is installed at McAndrew Stadium.

The Salukis have been unable to have a major meet in Carbondale in recent years because of the track’s poor condition. Holes in the track where the supporting concrete has surfaced pose a major injury threat for the athlete.

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Both teams hope that will change soon because the Salukis are scheduled to play host to the 1999 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Men’s coach Bill Cornell said he hopes the track is installed by September, but it possibly may not be completed until the summer of 1999. That would force the Salukis to move the competition to another MVC school for the second time in four years.

In 1995, the MVC Championships were scheduled to take place at McAndrew Stadium, but because of the poor track conditions, the meet could not take place at SIUC.

Cornell said the new track has been one of the highest priorities for the Athletic Department in recent years.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but this is a major need for our program, Cornell said. It’s just a deplorable sight to look at and try to run on.

The SIU Board of Trustees approved $700,000 to replace the worn-down track at McAndrew Stadium Dec. 11.

Of that amount, $500,000 will come from the $2.3 million the Saluki Futures fund-raising campaign has set aside for athletic improvements. The other $200,000 will come from the athletic facility reserves.

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The project will be constructed by Design Architects Inc. of Hillsboro, the company that designed the new floor at SIU Arena. The design will move the field events to the east side of the stadium. Field events had been contested outside the stadium in the past.

Women’s track and field coach Don DeNoon said not having home meets forces the Athletic Department to spend more money for the team’s transportation.

We have a greater need for travel money because we don’t have home meets, and we have to travel to every meet, DeNoon said.

The addition of the new track will be a valuable opportunity for the SIUC track and field program and the University. The track will allow the school to schedule home track and field meets every spring and build public interest in the school and athletic program.

Cornell said the new track will be a major aid in the recruiting process.

It will make a tremendous difference in a recruiting aspect, Cornell said. We are ashamed to take new recruits to the track we have now.

Saluki runner Joseph Parks said track conditions play a vital role in a recruiting visit.

When I looked at schools, I looked at the track and facilities because everyone wants to run on a quality track, Parks said.

DeNoon avoids letting recruits visit the track.