Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Women's Swimming & Diving

Lance Rhodes begins his seventh season at the helm of the Saluki baseball program in 2026. He enters the season with a 196-116 overall record in six seasons....

By the Numbers: • Produced a distance/middle distance event group conference champion at every coaching stop in NCAA DI or DII • Ramos has recruited a conference championship team title at every D1 program she’s been a part of as she’s held the role of sole recruiting coordinator/ recruiter of every Track/Field event area: 2021 indoor conference championship team title by University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the Mountain West Conference and 2023 outdoor conference championship team title by Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) in the Mid-American Conference. • Produced 22 distance/middle distance NCAA Division I, Division II, and high school All-Americans across five coaching stops, five Olympic Trials Qualifiers 800m-marathon, and two World Championships appearances • Coached NCAA D1 National championship bronze medalist Avi’Tal Wilson Perteete to her first-ever First-Team All American performance in the 800m in 2:02.02 in 2019, qualifying Wilson Perteete for the 2020 outdoor US Olympic Trials • Coached Avi’Tal Wilson Perteete to gold medal at her first ever international competition in 2019 at 800m (2:05) at high altitude in Mexico at NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association U18/U23 Under Age-23 Championships) • Coached Agnes Mansaray to set the indoor 800m Sierra Leone National Record (2:07) a mere eight weeks following a tumor removal surgery and to earn a second-place finish at conference at high altitude, second only to her own teammat

Ash Phillips is heading into his third season as an assistant coach on the Southern Illinois University women's soccer coaching staff. Phillips' second year ...

Bill is a Born Hoosier, having lived the first year of his life in a dorm room at Indiana University while his father was completing his Master's degree in Business. Bill returned to Indiana for his undergraduate years, and loved university life so much he never really left. For nearly four decades, he has worked almost exclusively in Student Affairs organizations at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, the Illini Union and College of Medicine at the University of Illinois and the Student Center at SIUC. Recently, he has moved to SIU Athletics, where he administers all tech, be it scoreboards, game film servers or workstations. He is a veteran of Information Technology, having built his first network in 1988 while working on his Master's degree at New York University. He has also taught technology to grade and high school teachers at SIU's College of Education. He is an owner of SIU's Golden Parking Sticker and displays it proudly on his 1977 Corvette. Bill is SIU's 2017 Lindell W. Sturgis Award Public Service Award Recipient and is very active as the Chapter Advisor for SIU's Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter, having been inducted into the TKE Chapter Advisor Hall of Fame and received multiple awards for Advisor of the Year from SIU's Interfraternity Council, Inter Greek Council, and the governing body for Registered Student Organizations.

Women's BasketballSkip AdHoward, BlakeBond-White, KellyBrown, GregHoward, BlakeNichols, ChesterRussell, HarisonThevenot, PeytonWalker, ClaudiaWebb, Marissa

Brittany Harry was named the 10th women's volleyball head coach in program history on Jan. 3, 2025. In 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Harry has compi...

SIU alum Bryleigh Buchanan was added to the Southern Illinois coaching staff on June 16, 2025. A native of Harrisburg, Ill., Buchanan is a true Southern Illinoisan, coming to SIU from John A. Logan College where she was an assistant for three seasons. She was also an operations intern for SMASH Volleyball Academy in Carbondale from 2021-2022. Her playing career followed a similar path, beginning at John A. Logan College where she earned her Associate's Degree before finishing with her Bachelor's at SIU in the school of Health and Human Sciences in 2022. She then stayed at SIU and received her Master's of Science in Sport Administration Management in 2023. Buchanan appeared in six matches for the Salukis in 2021, collecting 16 kills. As a freshman at John A. Logan, she was named to the NJCAA All-Region Team after tallying 255 kills and leading the team with 87 blocks.

Carley Kandel is going into her third season as an assistant coach on the Southern Illinois University women's soccer coaching staff in 2025. Kandel's second...

A lifelong resident of Southern Illinois, Cathy Perry joined Saluki Athletics as the department's chief financial officer in 2023. Perry graduated from SIU in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in accounting from the College of Business. She began her career in accounting as the controller for a local manufacturing company. In November of 2008, she joined the Southern Illinois Miners as the team's director of finance. During 13 seasons with the Miners, she served as assistant general manager and was named general manager in 2018. Perry resides in Carterville with her husband, Jason. They have two daughters, Emily and Brianna, and son-in-law, Cole.

Chris Gillespie joined Coach Hill's staff at SIU in 2022 as the program's video coordinator and was promoted to director of football operations prior to the ...

Southern Illinois Volleyball announced the addition of Chris Yates to the 2025 coaching staff on May 16, 2025. A native of Chicago, Ill., Yates spent the 202...

Chunhua “Joy” Zhao enters her 20th year as SIU’s diving coach and second-longest tenured coach in Carbondale. Zhao has earned Diving Coach of the Year recogn...

Claudia Walker finished her third season at SIU as the program's Director of Basketball Internal Operations in 2024-25. Walker came to Carbondale from Texas ...

Connor Dailey enters his third year at Southern Illinois University as the Director of Pitching Development, working closely with the pitchers at every level. Prior to SIU, Dailey served as the Pitching Coach at Southeastern University (NAIA), where his pitching staff helped lead the program to over 100 wins in two seasons. Highlighted by the 2022 NAIA National Championship. During his tenure, Southeastern produced the NAIA National Pitcher of the Year, the 2023 NAIA National Reliever of the Year, 4 All Americans, and set the all-time NAIA single-season team strikeout record in 2023. Five pitchers from those staffs are currently playing professional baseball in Minor League Baseball (MiLB). Dailey began his collegiate coaching career at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C., where his pitchers earned two Regional Pitcher of the Year honors. He also spent 3 summers as a Head Coach in the CPL with the Forest City Owls. As a player, Dailey competed at the collegiate level at Lenoir-Rhyne University, and he is a graduate of R.S. Central High School in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Dailey holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lenoir Rhyne and earned his MBA from Southeastern University. He and his wife, Meredith, were recently married and reside in Carterville.

Dan Clark has served as SIU's offensive line coach since 2022 and has mentored a pair of all-conference linemen in offensive tackle Beau Branyan (2022) and center Chase Evans (2024). The Salukis advanced to the Sweet 16 of the FCS Playoffs in 2023 and posted marquee wins over Big Ten Northwestern (2022) and Northern Illinois (2023). Prior to SIU, Clark was the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Illinois State, where he helped the team to three FCS playoff appearances from 2014-16 and set up the program's run to the 2014 FCS title game in Frisco, Texas. Clark mentored offensive guard Michael Liedtke of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and offensive tackle Jermaine Barton of the Buffalo Bills during his time with the Redbirds, while also working with the Josh Aladenoye, who went on to sign with Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. Prior to Illinois State, Clark served as the tight ends and special teams coach at Northern Iowa for three seasons (2010-12). He was a part of the coaching staff that led the Panthers to two MVFC championships and two FCS playoff appearances with a cumulative record of 22-14. In Clark’s first year at Northern Iowa, two of his graduating tight ends signed free agent contracts in the NFL. Schuylar Oordt inked a deal with the St. Louis Rams, while Ryan Mahaffey signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens. Before coaching at Northern Iowa, Clark served as an offensive graduate assistant coach at the University of Iowa (2007-09). Clark assisted w

Darius Davis was named SIU's defensive line coach on Feb. 4, 2025. He joined the Salukis following a three-year stint as defensive line coach at Robert Morris (2022-24). The Colonials posted a 7-5 record in 2024, a seven-win improvement over a winles season in 2022. While at RMU, Davis coached SIU transfer defensive tackle Bernadin Fleurima Jr., who played in 31 games in three seasons (2022-24) and recorded 42 career tackles with 3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Davis joined the coaching staff at RMU after spending five years at Findlay as the co-defensive coordinator. During his five-year stint at Findlay, the Oilers posted an overall record of 37-16 (.698), including a mark of 27-8 (.771) in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Findlay claimed the G-MAC championship in 2021 and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Football Championship thanks to a 26-21 victory over Tiffin. In 2021 the Oilers led the G-MAC in scoring defense, yielding just 16.4 points per game, while also holding opponents to just 98.1 yards per game on the ground, which also led the conference. During his tenure at Findlay, Davis coached 20 student-athletes that earned all-conference honors on the defensive line, including four on the first team. In his first season at Findlay in 2017, Davis helped the Oilers earn their first bid to the NCAA Division II Football Championship. Findlay ranked in the top 25 for the majority of the season as Davis was instrumental in the development of John

Darreon Reddick enters his second season at Southern Illinois in 2025-26 after being hired in April of 2024. He was promoted to assistant coach in July of 2025. Reddick is entering year two with the Saluki basketball program. Reddick spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at SIU Edwardsville, helping the Cougars to a 17-16 overall record and a semifinal appearance in the OVC Tournament. He also helped two players to OVC All-Conference honors. ad State. Reddick spent two seasons at Missouri S&T, helping the Miners to 27 wins over two years. Before his time in Rolla, Reddick was an assistant at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid for two years. Missouri S&T was 16-12 in 2022-23, its first winning season in 27 years. Reddick served as interim head coach for the last 5 games of the 22-23 season going 3-2 with key wins against UMSL and GLVC tournament champion McKendree. A native of Belleville, Illinois, Reddick's responsibilities included academic oversight, recruiting, scouting, travel, weightlifting and player development at both institutions. Reddick also recruited Missouri S&T`s leading scorer and rebounder Ikenna Okeke. Reddick played four seasons at Tennessee State where he averaged 7.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game from 2014-2018. He played in 121 games, making 103 starts during his career. He finished his career with 169 assists, 75 steals and eight blocked shots. Reddick connected on 119 shots from three-point range, where he shot 33.1 percent for his career. He sc

Dr. Partridge is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for the department. Her primary focus of training and study is in the sub disciplinary area of sport and exercise psychology. She also serves as Director of the Social Psychology of Sport Laboratory. Dr. Partridge's research interests include the impact of social influence (i.e., peers, parents, coaches, siblings) on psychosocial outcomes in sport and physical activity, as well as the effects of shame and embarrassment on physical activity performance. She also works as a sport psychology/performance enhancement consultant with athletes from a variety of sports/competitive levels. Her teaching duties at the undergraduate level include Behavioral Aspects of Exercise (KIN 318) and Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity (KIN 345). At the graduate level, Dr. Partridge teaches coursework required for both Exercise Science and Sport Studies students including Applied Sport Psychology (KIN 412), Psychological Aspects of Sport (KIN 504), and Exercise Psychology (KIN 530). Dr. Partridge has served her profession as an editorial board member of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP), and has also reviewed for multiple journals in the field. She is a member of both AASP and the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), and is on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS).

Dr. Katie Gerlach joined the Southern Illinois athletics department as the Associate Director of Athletics for facilities and events in August 2019. Her duties were expanded to encompass Senior Associate AD for Operations/Senior Woman Administrator in January, 2021. A native of nearby Sparta, Illinois, Gerlach spent the previous four years at LSU, where she served as the coordinator of external events. At LSU, she coordinated all non-athletic competition events and facility rentals. She assisted with LSU football game day operations and Tiger Stadium tour requests. She also worked with the NCAA softball tournament regionals and super regionals hosted at LSU and was the 2017 SEC Diversity in the Workplace recipient. Prior to LSU, Gerlach worked for two years at Southern Miss as the assistant director of facilities and event management. She was the event administrator for women's basketball, softball and volleyball while assisting with football and men's basketball. She was the event administrator of both the 2014 and 2015 Women's NIT hosted by Southern Miss and assisted with the 2014 Men's NIT administration. She was also the event administrator for two conference championship tournaments. Gerlach earned Academic All-American honors as a member of the John A. Logan softball team before going on to become a 2011 cum laude graduate of Southeast Missouri. She earned her master's degree from Southern Illinois in 2013 and her Ph.D. in higher education from LSU in 2023.

Eriq Moore was named cornerbacks coach in April, 2025. Prior to SIU, Moore spent two seasons coaching defensive backs at Missouri Western State, helping lead the Division II Griffins to a playoff appearance in 2023. “Eriq has worked his way up through the coaching ranks, starting out as a GA at Chadron State,” Hill said. “The path he’s taken, it tests you and your love for the game. Everywhere he’s been, he’s helped elevate their program.” As a player, Moore was a three-year starter at SEMO (2013-16), walking on to the team as a freshman, before earning a scholarship and being voted a team captain his junior and senior years. “He has an infection personality,” Hill said. “He brings a lot of energy, and the guys in the corners room are really going to enjoy playing for him.” Prior to Missouri Western, Moore spent two seasons at Emporia State (2021-22), helping lead the Hornets to a 15-6 record and two post-season appearances. Two defensive backs under Moore's tutelage – Montrell Wilson and Derrick Maxwell – tied for the conference lead in 2022 with three interceptions apiece. Moore also served as defensive backs coach at Southern Arkansas (2019-20) and as a graduate assistant coach at Chadron State (2018). He and his wife, Unique, have two sons, EJ and Elijah.

Geoff Hanson is entering his sixth year as the Men’s and Women’s Head Coach following a historic and record-breaking 2023-24 season. Since Hanson began with the Saluki Swimming & Diving program in the fall of 2019, SIU swimmers and divers have compiled more than 50 relay and individual conference titles, and set program records nearly 100 times. The Salukis have combined for a 52-23 dual-meet record in Hanson’s first five seasons as well as sweeping the SIU Invitational in 2019 and the A3 Performance Invitational in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2023 the Saluki Men finished 28that the Men’s NCAA Championships, while in 2024 the Women matched that 28th place finish at the Women’s NCAAs. During the 2023-24 season the Saluki men and women combined for 13 relay and individual MVC and MAC titles, and 17 total program records. The women compiled 1126.5 points for a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley, while the men complied 657.5 points to also finish third in their final year as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Under Hanson, Celia Pulido-JR was named MVC Swimmer of the Year for her performances during the regular season and conference meet. Pulido went on to a historic showing at the Women’s NCAA Championships in Athens, GA. Her 7th place First Team All-American finish in the 100 Backstroke marked the highest NCAA finish by a female Saluki swimmer since 1988. Her time of 50.73 stands as the fastest 100 Backstroke in mid-major collegiate history. She also finished 13th in t

Graeme Orr is entering his third season as the Southern Illinois University women's soccer head coach in 2025. Orr was named the third women's soccer head co...

Harison Russell wrapped up his second season as a graduate assistant on the SIU women's basketball coaching staff in 2023-24. Russell previously worked with ...

A native of Lincoln, Neb., Halperin joined the staff in 2024 as the director of player personnel and recruiting. Prior to SIU, Halperin served two seasons on the staff at Villanova, working in the role of assistant director of player personnel. He helped coordinate high school recruiting, transfer portal recruiting, assisting with all visits, and assisting with the kickoff return unit. Halperin graduated from Ohio University with degrees in sports management and business analytics, and worked as a student assistant with the football team at Ohio in video and with the cornerbacks.

Du Quoin native Jacqueline Crain has worked on the support staff for Saluki Football since 2021 and currently serves as the program's graduate assistant, res...

Coach Jake Brydson enters his third season with the Salukis for the 2024-2025 season. In 2024, Brydson’s jumpers closed out the outdoor season with a 1-3-6-7 finish at the 2024 MVC Championship in the Men’s Triple Jump, headlined by Darius Fuller’s championship-winning and regional qualifying performance. Throughout the season, the Saluki jumps group tallied 56 team points across indoor and outdoor, with three podium finishes. In 2023, the Saluki jumpers amassed another three podium finishes, book ended with Dawson Plab’s Indoor MVC Championship in the Men’s High Jump and Jadon Robertson’s podium finish in the Outdoor Men’s Long Jump. Indoors, Plab was named the MVC Performance of the Meet, and Outdoors, Robertson was named the MVC Freshman of the Meet, with scoring performances in the Long Jump (Third), High Jump (Fourth), 110m Hurdles (Fourth), and Javelin Throw (Sixth). Plab’s season concluded at the NCAA First Round and Robertson capped the year with a Fourth Place Finish at the USA U20 National Championship in his debut decathlon. Prior to joining the Salukis, Brydson spent four years at Missouri State University, where athletes he coached amassed five MVC Individual Championships across Triple Jump, Long Jump, and Javelin, as well as six second-place finishes and five third Place Finishes. At the 2022 MVC Championship, his Women Javelin Group finished 1-2-5. Brydson began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at the University of Oklahoma, assisting wi

FootballSkip AdKulig, JakeClark, DanDavis, DariusFrame, NathanGrant, ZachGriffin, NateHill, NickKulig, JakeLindauer, MichaelMoore, EriqPronschinske, LeeRebholz, TomWarner, Larry

Jake Ryan enters his fifth season on the Saluki baseball staff in 2026, serving as Southern Illinois’ Recruiting Coordinator/ Assistant Hitting Coach/ Catchi...

Jen Sewell completed her fifth season as head coach and 19th season overall at Southern Illinois University in 2026 after taking over as head coach during the 2022 season, and led SIU back to the NCAA Regionals in both 2023 and 2024. During her time at SIU, the Salukis have advanced to the NCAA postseason five times and have won four MVC Tournament titles. Most recently, Southern won the 2021, 2023, and 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, earning the program’s fifth appearance in the NCAA Regionals in seven seasons and SIU’s first-ever NCAA Regional finals appearance. The Salukis also won the program’s sixth MVC Regular Season Championship in 2025, marking the second time SIU has gone back-to-back. Since Sewell arrived in 2008, the Salukis are 604-360-1 (.626) and have won at least 30 games 15 times. The Salukis went 34-17 overall and 21-6 in conference play under Sewell in 2026. This marked the fourth consecutive season SIU won at least 30 games with Sewell at the helm. At the end of the regular season, six players received All-Conference recognition with four making the All-MVC First Team, one making the Second Team, and then two received specialty awards. Freshman Brooklynn Danielson was named MVC Freshman of the Year while Emily Delgado was named MVC Newcomer of the Year. Southern Illinois went 33-20 (21-5) in 2025 and won the program’s second straight MVC Regular Season Championship. The Salukis also had a tied for program record six players make the

Former Southern Illinois track and field athlete Jeneva Stevens returns to Carbondale to join SIU’s T&F coaching staff. Stevens comes by way of Ohio Universi...

Jevon Mamon (pronounced MAY-mun) will enter his sixth season as an assistant coach at SIU, and his first under head coach Scott Nagy after being retained on the coaching staff. He was initially hired at SIU on April 17, 2019. Mamon is no stranger to the Salukis, spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the program. During his time in Carbondale, Mamon helped SIU to 86 wins and four wins over Power 6 programs. Mamon was instrumental in signing one of the best recruiting classes in school history. Troy D'Amico and Scottie Ebube were both ranked as top-10 players in the state of Illinois, and D'Amico was the highest-rated in-state recruit to sign with SIU since 2008. Foster Wonders, the runner-up for Michigan Mr. Basketball in 2021 and the No. 5 ranked player in the state of Michigan, also signed with SIU. In the offseason, Ben Coupet Jr., who averaged double-figures on a conference-title-winning Little Rock team in 2020, signed with SIU as a graduate transfer. In Mamon's first season at SIU, the Salukis outperformed the preseason expectations of ESPN's BPI, KenPom, Sagarin, Norlander, and Sports Illustrated. SIU returned only three players from the previous year's team, but the team won 10 MVC games anyway, the most ever by a team that had been picked last in the league's preseason poll. The Salukis ran off 10-straight home wins and seven-straight MVC wins during the season, both of which were the longest for the program since 2007. The Salukis found success wi

Jodi Malichi completed her first season as the athletic trainer for the women's basketball team in 2024-25.

Justin Endsley, originally from Normal, Illinois, enters his third season with the Saluki basketball program in a full-time capacity ahead of the 2025-26 season. He spent his first two seasons as the Director of Men's Basketball Operations before being elevated to Deputy Assistant to the Head Coach in July of 2025. In this role, Endsley works closely with the coaching staff daily, oversees the student managers, organizes recruiting visits, and collaborates with various departments within SIU Athletics, including facilities and academics. He is also responsible for planning travel, coordinating weekly schedules, managing camps, and facilitating community outreach initiatives. Endsley continues to contribute to the basketball program after serving as a student manager for four years from 2019 to 2023. After his sophomore year, he was promoted to the position of head manager. During the summers of 2022 and 2023, Endsley was one of only five individuals nationwide to serve as a college host at the National Student Leadership Summit, an event sponsored by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which governs high school sports across the country. Endsley graduated from SIU in May 2023 with Magna Cum Laude honors, earning a bachelor's degree in sports administration.

SIU Men's Golf won the 2016 MVC Championship Justin Fetcho is entering his tenth year as the Head Coach and fourth year as the Director of Golf at SIU . The ...

Former SIU assistant women's basketball coach Kat Martin joined Saluki Athletics as director of development on March 6, 2024. In her role, Martin generates external support for the athletic department, including advancing the Salukis Unleashed fundraising campaign. Martin comes to SIU after spending the past four years on the development team at Westminster Academy in St. Louis, where she also served as the head girls basketball coach, compiling a 73-20 record. Before Westminster, she was women's basketball coach at Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri - Kansas City. From 2013-17 she was the recruiting coordinator for Saluki Women's Basketball where she was influential in signing Kylie Giebelhausen and the 2021 MVC regular season women's basketball championship senior class. An Ontario, Canada, native, Martin began her career at Kishwaukee College, before becoming the recruiting coordinator for women's basketball at SIU. Martin earned a Master of Science in sports administration from Northern Illinois University, and a bachelor's degree in sport and wellness from Trinity International, where she was also a member of the women's basketball team.

Kelly Bond-White is entering her fourth season as the head coach of SIU's women's basketball team in 2025-26. Bond-White was named the 11th women’s basketbal...

Larry Warner, one of SIU’s all-time great tailbacks, returned to coach the team’s running backs in 2023. He was a guiding force behind the success of Saluki tailback Ro Elliott, who finished his career ranked 10th all-time in rushing at Southern. The Salukis advanced to the Sweet 16 of the FCS Playoffs in 2023 and posted an FBS win at Northern Illinois. Known by his nickname, “Lighting Larry,” the 5-foot-6 Warner electrified Saluki fans for two seasons, including a 2008 campaign in which he rushed for 1,265 yards and was named First-Team Associated Press All-American. Warner returned a school-record three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2008 and was the fourth-fastest player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards, accomplishing the feat in just 130 carries. “He was the first person I called when a spot opened up on my staff,” said Hill, who played with Warner on SIU’s 2007 team that went 12-2 and advanced to the Final Four of the postseason playoffs. “He is a close friend, and he shares the same core values and passion for our program. You’re not going to find anybody that has more energy than Larry.” Warner began his coaching career at Carbondale High School in 2009, before joining Dale Lennon’s staff at SIU as a graduate assistant in 2011. He later joined Hill at CHS, before the two became full-time assistants for Lennon from 2014-15. After leaving Southern, Warner coached at Central Arkansas (RBs, 2016-17), South Alabama (RBs, 2018-20) Arkansas-Pine Bluff (RBs, 2020-21)

Laura Carver was named assistant coach for Saluki swimming & diving on Nov. 4, 2022. Carver is an SIU swimming & diving alum, competing from 2016-20. She was...

Laurin Watts completed her second season as Southern Illinois' pitching coach in 2026. Watts was announced as the team's pitching coach on July 16, 2024, by head coach Jen Sewell. Southern Illinois had one of the conference's top pitching staffs in 2026 under Watts, finishing the season with a team ERA of 2.91. This ranked second in the league. Against Valley opponents, SIU's ERA was 2.11, also ranking second in the MVC. Two pitchers received All-Conference recognition at the end of the year as Brooklynn Danielson was named the MVC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team, while Emily Delgado was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year. In her first season in the role, the SIU pitching staff had the second-best team ERA in the MVC at 3.18. Southern Illinois won its second consecutive MVC regular season championship in 2025. "We have been anticipating this big announcement for a while now and I'm so glad we were able to get Laurin on board with us here at Saluki Softball," Sewell said. "Laurin is one of the top up-and-coming pitching coaches in the country. Her name just kept coming up every time I asked about who is the next big pitching hire." Watts came to Southern Illinois after spending five seasons at Southern Utah. In the fall of 2023, Watts was promoted to Associate Head Coach of the Thunderbirds. During her time in Cedar City, Watts worked with both the pitching and catching staffs, and also served as the program's lead recruiter. "Laurin is not onl

Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill promoted Lee Pronschinske (pronounced pron-CHIN-ski) to defensive coordinator after the 2024 season. Pronschinske will continue to serve as the team's safeties coach. In 2024, he mentored a a pair of all-conference safeties in Ubayd Steed and Iverson Brown. "Coach Pron is a young, rising star in our profession," Hill said. "He communicates really well and is a highly detailed guy. He sees how the roster pieces fit into the scheme he wants to run and being able to attack that in recruiting, as well." Pronschinske has familiarity with the Missouri Valley Football Conference, serving as a defensive assistant for North Dakota State for two years, including its 2021 FCS National Championship season. He was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Division II Western New Mexico in 2023, and served as the defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Division II Minot State in 2022. With the Bison, Pronschinske was involved in all aspects of defensive game-planning and assisted linebackers and defensive backs. He was also the offensive coordinator for the scout team and coordinated the scout team’s special teams. A native of Arcadia, Wis., Pronschinske played safety and linebacker at Winona State where he earned Academic All-Conference honors in 2017. He started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater in 2018 as a tight ends, fullbacks and safeties coach. From there, he spent one season as defensive backs coach at Emporia Stat

Luke Martin was named SIU's director of broadcasting and the radio "Voice of the Salukis" in July of 2023. Martin succeeded Saluki Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Reis. Prior to SIU, Martin was the play-by-play voice for Indiana State football, men's basketball and baseball for six seasons, while also producing news and features for GoSycamores.com and the school's digital platforms. Martin is a 2014 graduate of Ball State's nationally acclaimed Digital Sports Production program and was host of the Emmy Award-winning "3rd Down Chirp." After graduation, Martin served as the play-by-play broadcaster for UNC Greensboro for one season, where he also hosted weekly coaches shows, produced the school's video content, and produced/directed ESPN3 telecasts. While living in Terre Haute, Martin served a stint as sports director at 1130 The Fan radio, hosting a popular daily talk show, "In The Haute." As an undergrad at Ball State, Martin interned with Major League Baseball Productions, Turner Sports NCAA March Madness Live and the Indianapolis Colts.

Marissa Webb completed her second season as an assistant coach on the SIU women's basketball coaching staff in 2024-25. “Coach Webb has been a blessing to th...

Saluki Athletics named Massey Arnold its new associate AD for compliance and internal affairs on July 24, 2023. Arnold is a native of Benton, Ark. and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Mississippi in 2011 and a juris doctor degree from the William H. Bowen School of Law at Arkansas, Little Rock in 2015. Prior to SIU, Arnold served as the associate director of athletics and senior compliance administrator at McKendree from 2021-23. In addition to compliance, his administrative responsibilities included internal operations, athletic facilities and game management for 35 athletic programs and more than 900 student-athletes. Arnold spent six years (2015-21) working in the athletic department at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where he served 27 NCAA programs and more than 600 student-athletes. His oversight included all recruiting activities, rules interpretations, rules education, eligibility, waivers, appeals and violations. He was also an adjunct professor for Sport Governance and Sport Law at the university. Before his career in intercollegiate athletics, Arnold was the district and juvenile court case coordinator for the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Arkadelphia, Ark. from 2014-15. In that role, he managed misdemeanor and juvenile cases and was the coordinator of involuntary commitments. Arnold also served as a volunteer NCAA compliance assistant from 2013-15 for Arkansas-Little Rock. In his role at UALR, Arnold oversaw the NCAA

Meade Smith is one of the top strength and conditioning professionals in college athletics with a proven track record of helping athletes maximize their potential. He joined the staff at Southern Illinois in May of 2016 after serving as head strength coach at SIUE from 2011-16. In 2019, he oversaw a complete renovation of the Saluki weight room. A 2000 graduate of Missouri, Smith played two seasons with the Tigers’ baseball program and earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and fitness. He earned his master’s degree in exercise physiology in 2004 from Southern Illinois, where he served as graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach. During his first stint with the Salukis, Smith was mentored by Eric Klein, who is now the head football strength and conditioning coach at UConn. Smith’s core strength and conditioning principles focus upon training movements not muscles, ground-based training programs, explosive training, an accent on core training, and an emphasis on injury reduction. “The primary focus with all performance programs is to build a strong athletic foundation while focusing on each student-athlete’s individual needs,” said Smith. “This is accomplished by developing comprehensive training programs that put a major emphasis on movement training, explosive power development, foot speed and agility, linear and lateral speed, proper resistance training techniques, functional strength, injury reduction, and energy system development.” Smith is a certified strengt

Mia Trejo finished her first season as an assistant coach for Southern Illinois in 2026. Jen Sewell announced the hiring of Trejo as an assistant on July 26, 2025. In Trejo's first year as an assistant, SIU went 34-17 overall and 21-6 in MVC play. Offensively, the Salukis scored 276 runs which ranked second in the Valley. "Thrilled to have Mia on staff with us this year working with our defense and our offense," Sewell said. "Our goal was to bring in a player's coach who believes in our culture and has a championship background. Thanks to our administration, we have the resources to recruit a big time coach and recruiter like Mia into our program." Trejo comes to SIU by way of Utah State, where she worked as an assistant for two seasons. Under Trejo, the Aggies set new program single-season records in 2025 in home runs (66), batting average (.345), slugging percentage (.557), and on-base percentage (.428). Other records that were set in the spring include runs (340), RBI (319), and total bases (807). Utah State also had seven all-conference players in 2025, the most in program history. In her first season at Utah State, Trejo and the Aggies achieved their best 24-game start since 2017 when they began the year 15-9. In non-conference play, the team went 17-11, one of the best marks in the recent history of the program. Prior to Utah State, Trejo had previously spent time at her alma mater, the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), as a graduate assistant in 2023. Trejo played

Michael Lindauer was promoted to quarterbacks coach on Jan. 8, 2026, and enters his first season in the role. Lindauer was previously a graduate assistant for the Salukis and was in the role for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In 2025, Lindauer primarily worked with the offense as an offensive assistant. The former quarterback started his collegiate career at Cincinnati and was there from 2019-20. In 2020, Lindauer played behind NFL quarterback Desmond Ridder. Lindauer transferred to Southern Illinois in 2021 and spent the rest of his playing career in Carbondale. The Evansville, Ind., native missed the 2021 season due to injury and served as Nic Baker's backup from 2022-23. In 2024, Lindauer began the season as a graduate assistant on the coaching staff before being activated in Week 9. From there, Lindauer went on to play in four games and made one start, which came in a record-breaking performance against Murray State. The former quarterback threw for a program-record seven passing touchdowns against the Racers.

Nate Griffin joined Nick Hill’s staff as running backs coach in 2016 and moved to the tight ends room in 2023. Playing in the toughest conference at the FCS level, the Salukis have advanced to the playoffs three times in the last five seasons. SIU was one of only two FCS teams in the nation to beat FBS opponents in both 2022 (Northwestern) and 2023 (Northern Illinois), joining Sacramento State, which beat Colorado State (2022) and Stanford (2023). At SIU, Griffin has mentored some of the greatest running backs in school history, including a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the 2019 season — D.J. Davis and Javon Williams Jr. As a unit, SIU’s ground game ranked No. 12 in the nation. Davis totaled 5,431 career all-purpose yards — finishing with the 2nd most yards in school history and 7th in MVFC history. He also finished fifth in career rushing yards at SIU (2,697) and 11th in receptions (112). Williams earned All-American status in 2019 and finished 3rd in the voting for Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the nation’s top freshman in FCS football. He led all Division I freshmen with 19 TDs (17 rushing, 2 receiving) and finished with 1,038 rushing yards (2nd nationally among freshmen). As recruiting coordinator, Griffin made an immediate impact, earning recognition from Hero Sports for bringing in some of the top recruits in the FCS in 2016. Griffin came to Carbondale from Minnesota, where he spent four seasons in the Big Ten on the Golden Gophers staff. Griffin served as a quality c

Nathan Frame returned to the Saluki Football program in 2023 as the special teams coordinator and defensive assistant. He was also on head coach Nick Hill's ...

Entering his 10th season as head coach in 2025, Nick Hill has elevated his alma mater into one of the elite programs in FCS Football. A native son of Souther...

Peter Borkowski joined the athletic communications and marketing department as a graduate assistant in January 2025. He currently serves as the sports information director for women's soccer, swim and dive, and women's basketball. Prior to arriving at SIU, Borkowski attended Concordia-University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois, for three and a half years, earning a degree in communications while minoring in journalism and English with a 4.0 GPA. While at CUC, Borkowski served as a student worker in the school's Athletic Communications Department, specializing in broadcasting, interviewing, photography, writing, and social media management. For a year and a half, Borkowski was the department's lead broadcaster. Outside of the college world, Borkowski spent two summers with the O'Fallon Hoots of the Prospect League. In 2023, he was a Broadcast Intern for the team, being on the call for almost every single home game of the season. Then, in 2024, Borkowski moved into a full-time position as the organization's Promotions and Marketing Manager. In that role, he managed the team's social media, organized in-game promotions, dealt with advertisements, and wrote game scripts, all while managing a dozen interns. At Concordia, Borkowski was a member of the men's lacrosse team, acting as starting goaltender for his three seasons. By the end of his career, Borkowski set the program record for single-game saves (29) while finishing second in career saves (645) and saves-per-game (16.97).

Peyton Thevenot completed his first season as a graduate assistant on the women's basketball coaching staff in 2024-25. Thevenot was previously on the men's ...

Richard Jones enters his second season as the Director of SIU Track & Field and Cross Country. Jones was an assistant coach with the Saluki track and field p...

Riley Hoistad joined the Saluki Men's Basketball staff as athletic trainer in the summer of 2018 and was promoted to assistant AD for sports medicine in 2024...

Southern Illinois Volleyball added Riley Rabedeaux to its 2025 coaching staff as a graduate assistant on July 15, 2025. Rabedeaux wrapped her collegiate care...

Ryan Grieser joined the athletic communications and marketing department as a graduate assistant in January 2026. He currently manages Saluki Video Services, the live production arm of Saluki Athletics, and oversees all video board productions. Prior to beginning his graduate assistantship, Grieser attended SIU for three and a half years and earned a degree in sports journalism with minors in marketing and digital media production. During his time in undergrad, Grieser worked for The Daily Egyptian as a sports writer for two years and worked for Saluki Video Services for three. Grieser also completed summer internships with Saluki Athletics as well as the Thrillville Thrillbillies of the Prospect League, where he was a production assistant and was the primary director for Thrillbillies broadcasts. Grieser is originally from Fisher, Illinois, and attended Fisher Jr./Sr. High School, where he was a member of the soccer and track programs.

Ryan McClaran joined the Saluki baseball program as the pitching coach prior to the 2026 season after a three-year stint at Louisiana Monroe. Over his time w...

Southern Illinois University named Scott Nagy (NAY-gee) the 15th men’s basketball coach in the program’s history on March 28, 2024. Nagy holds a career 591-351 (.627) record and ranks No. 17 in wins among active Division I head coaches. Nagy brought with him nearly three decades of coaching experience, most recently with eight years at Wright State before coming to Carbondale. Nagy was named Horizon League Coach of the Year three times, led the Raiders to 20-plus wins in five seasons, and tallied 18 wins in the shortened 2021 campaign. He guided WSU to three Horizon League regular-season championships, two Horizon League tournament championships, a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, and one NIT bid. In his first season at Wright State in 2017, he led the program to its first 20-win season since 2008. Building on that success in his second season, Nagy took the Raiders to their first NCAA Tournament in a decade and earned his first Horizon League Coach of the Year Honor. Nagy repeated as Coach of the Year in year three, taking the Raiders to the NIT after tying for the league’s regular season title. In 2019, he won a school-record 25 games on his way to WSU’s first outright League title in program history, while earning his third-consecutive Horizon League Coach of the Year award. He led Wright State to a Horizon League tournament championship in 2022 – with wins over No. 1-seeded Cleveland State and No. 3 Northern Kentucky. The Raiders won their First Four game in Dayton over Br

Stephen Taylor completed his first season as an athletic trainer for the SIU women's basketball team in 2023-24.

Primary Responsibilities: Defensive Coordinator, NIL Coordinator Steve Hawkins joined the Saluki basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach in April 2024 and was promoted to associate head coach in March 2025. In addition to his regular coaching responsibilities, Hawkins serves as the program's defensive coordinator on game days and manage the Salukis' NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) efforts. Hawkins made an immediate impact during his first season with the program. After assuming the role of defensive coordinator in early January, the Saluki defense showed significant improvements in protecting the rim and the paint. Initially, SIU ranked last nationally in paint defense after the first five MVC games. However, by the end of the final 15 games of league play, they improved to within the top 100 nationally for opponent field goal percentage at the rim (82nd – 59.8%). The team's paint defense saw an even more dramatic improvement, rising from 364th nationally—where opponents shot 58.9 percent in the paint—to 20th nationally, as opponents finished the season shooting only 34.8 percent in the paint. Hawkins brought with him to Carbondale nearly four decades of coaching experience to SIU, including 28 years as a head coach. His most recent position was at Quincy University, following almost two decades at Western Michigan. During his 17 seasons as the head coach of the Broncos, Hawkins achieved 291 victories and led Western Michigan to the NCAA Tournament twice, making seven tot

Primary Responsibilities: Offensive Coordinator Tae Gibbs is entering his second season at Southern Illinois, after been hired in April 2024 as an assistant coach and player development coach. Before joining Southern Illinois, Gibbs spent three seasons with Wright State's men's basketball program as the Director of Player Development under head coach Scott Nagy. During his tenure at Wright State, Gibbs helped develop five players who earned all-league honors. Notably, in 2022, the team won the Horizon League Championship and achieved a significant milestone by securing its first NCAA Division I victory with a First Four win over Bryant in the NCAA Tournament. In 2024, Wright State distinguished itself as one of the best offensive teams in the nation. The team led the country with a field goal percentage of 53.3 percent, ranked second in effective field goal percentage at 58.5 percent, placed fifth in two-point percentage at 58.8 percent, and came in tenth for three-point percentage at 38.3 percent. Additionally, Wright State averaged 86.5 points per game, which ranked fourth in the nation. Gibbs previously spent three seasons at Trevecca Nazarene University, where he rose to the position of associate head coach after initially joining the staff as an assistant before the 2018-19 season. Before his time at Trevecca, he was an assistant coach at Wheaton College for one season. Gibbs is a 2016 graduate of Indiana University-Southeast, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Secon

Tim Leonard was named the 16th full-time director of intercollegiate athletics at Southern Illinois University on July 22, 2022. A 30-year veteran of athletic administration, Leonard previously served for eight years (2013-21) as director of athletics at Towson University of the Colonial Athletic Association, leading a department of 19 intercollegiate sports and overseeing a $25 million budget. During his tenure at Towson, Leonard produced a strategic plan for athletics entitled "Building Greatness," which resulted in record fundraising success and led to a balanced departmental budget. Under his direction, the Tiger Athletic Fund secured the three largest gifts in department history, and Towson built new facilities for basketball, football, softball and tennis programs. The Tigers were successful on and off the field, setting school records for most wins in a season in football and men's basketball, plus NCAA tournament appearances in volleyball, lacrosse, gymnastics, and track and field. Prior to Towson, Leonard was senior associate AD for external affairs at Southern Methodist from 2008-13, where he managed "The Second Century Campaign: SMU Unbridled" capital campaign, which raised $725 million with $125 million designated for athletic initiatives. He also spent nine years at Central Florida (1999-2008) in development roles, where UCF experienced a tenfold increase in giving during his tenure. A 1992 graduate of Boise State, Leonard is a member of the National Association

FootballSkip AdRebholz, TomClark, DanDavis, DariusFrame, NathanGrant, ZachGriffin, NateHill, NickKulig, JakeLindauer, MichaelMoore, EriqPronschinske, LeeRebholz, TomWarner, Larry

Tony Caldwell enters his first season on the Saluki baseball staff in 2026, serving as Southern Illinois' Hitting Coach. In his first season at Florida South...

Tyler Lawrence joined the Saluki Athletics Facility and Event Operations staff as a graduate assistant in August 2024. He currently oversees the hiring, sche...

In his first season with Saluki basketball, Will Veasley was named an assistant under Scott Nagy in April of 2024. No stranger to the Missouri Valley Conference, Veasley was most recently an assistant coach at UIC for the last three seasons under Luke Yaklich during UIC's transition to The Valley. Prior to his time in Chicago, Veasley joined the staff at North Dakota State as an assistant coach before the start of the 2016-17 campaign and helped turn the Bison into one of the top teams in the Summit League. NDSU posted winning records in three of Veasley's four years, highlighted by back-to-back conference championships. During the 2018-19 year, the Bison captured the conference title and defeated North Carolina Central in the NCAA First Four before falling to eventual Elite 8 participant Duke. The Bison repeated as conference champions and were bound for the NCAA Tournament once more after compiling a 25-8 record and a 13-3 mark in league play during the 2019-20 season. Veasley is the all-time winningest player in Butler history and was a starter on the Bulldogs' 2010 national runner-up team. As a four-year letterwinner at Butler, Veasley helped his team make four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 2010. Veasley and the Bulldogs were the regular-season Horizon League champions for four straight years and won the Horizon League Tournament in 2008 and 2010. Following his collegiate career, Veasley played professionally for two years in Japan