Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's Saluki athletics teams are experiencing a busy period as they transition from winter to spring sports. This week marks the home debut for several teams, with various events scheduled.

The men's basketball team suffered two conference losses last week. On Wednesday, they were narrowly defeated by Murray State 62-60, despite Kennard Davis Jr.'s impressive 26-point-10-rebound performance. On Saturday, they lost to Valparaiso 83-79, with Davis again leading in scoring with 21 points. The team will host Illinois State on Tuesday for their final home game and travel to Indiana State on Sunday to conclude the regular season.

The women's basketball team also faced two defeats, losing to Drake 82-40 on Thursday and UNI 87-51 on Saturday. Isabella Palmqvist and Tyranny Brown led the scoring against Drake, while Brown contributed double-digit points against UNI alongside Gift Uchenna and Kayla Cooper. They will play Belmont in Nashville on Thursday and Murray State on Saturday.

Track and field athletes will participate in the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championship starting Saturday through Monday.

In softball, Jackie Lis was named The Valley's Player of the Week after her performance at The Snowman Tournament. Emily Williams earned MVC Newcomer of the Week honors. Due to weather delays, their participation in the San Marcos Classic began Sunday with a doubleheader loss against Kansas and Texas State.

Men's golf begins its second tournament of the spring season at Lake Las Vegas Invitational hosted by Arkansas State from Monday through Wednesday.

Baseball player Alec Nigut received recognition as MVC Pitcher of the Week following his hitless innings against Texas-Rio Grande Valley. The baseball team split games with Tennessee Tech over the weekend and will complete their series on Monday before traveling to Arkansas State on Tuesday.

The men's swim and dive team finished as runners-up at the Men's MVC Championships with a score of 691.5, winning seven individual and relay events. Alex Santiago was named MVC Swimmer of the Year; Lucas Lauzon earned MVC Freshman Diver of the Year; Alex Cimera received the Elite 18 Award for academic excellence combined with athletic achievement.

This week features more championship action as Southern competes in both women's swimming championships beginning Wednesday and some male swimmers attend Mizzou Qualifier over next weekend.

For updates about Saluki athletics follow them online via social media or download their mobile app available through major app stores.