Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) track and field team has released its schedule for the 2024-25 season. Richard Jones, Director of Track and Field, emphasized the opportunities this schedule offers: "This year's schedule provides a great opportunity for friends and family to come and support the athletes," he stated. He noted that the schedule is more regional compared to previous years while maintaining high competition levels within the conference and region.

The season begins with the Saluki Fast Start event from December 6 to December 7 at the SIU Recreation Center. The team will make its 2025 debut at the Indiana Invitational in Bloomington on January 17, followed by participation in the Crossroads of America Invitational in Indianapolis from January 24 to January 25. They will compete in Columbia at the Missouri Invite on February 7 and conclude their indoor regular season with the Don DeNoon Invitational on February 15 at home.

The Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships are scheduled for March 1 to March 3 in Chicago, followed by the NCAA Indoor Championships from March 14 to March 15 in Virginia Beach.

For the outdoor season, SIU will start competing at the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford on March 22. The team will then participate in events such as the WashU Distance Carnival in St. Louis on March 29 and host the Bill Cornell Spring Classic from April 4 to April 5 at their own Lew Hartzog T&F Complex.

Subsequent competitions include traveling to Terra Haute for the Gibson Invitational from April 17 to April 18, attending the Drake Relays in Des Moines from April 23 to April 26, and finishing their outdoor regular season at Lexington's UK Invitational from May 1 to May 2.

SIU is set to host the MVC Outdoor Championships at Carbondale's Lew Hartzog T&F Complex from May 16 to May 18. The NCAA Outdoor Championships West Prelims will occur in College Station, concluding on June 11 in Eugene.

Jones expressed enthusiasm about hosting significant events like the outdoor MVC Championship: "It is an exciting opportunity...this will hopefully encourage conference teams to attend." He also looked forward to seeing how athletes perform throughout these competitions across different locations.