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2013 Track and Field Media Guide
Southern Illinois Track and Field
SIUSalukis.com
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Distance Coach Matt Sparks
Matt Sparks
Distance Coach
11th Year
Indiana (‘97)
Matt Sparks is in his 11th year as the distance and middle
distance coach of the Saluki track and field program. Sparks
also serves as the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross
country teams.
Sparks has led a resurgence in SIU’s cross country program
over the last seven years. In his first year as coach of both
cross country programs in 2004, he led the Saluki men to a
share of the MVC title, and the 2007 and 2008 men’s cross
country teams won back-to-back championships. In 2012,
Sparks earned his fourth men’s title with a decisive win at the
MVC championships. The women produced back-to-back
second place finishes in 2003 and 2004, finishing third in 2005
and back at second in 2006.
For the men, Mohamed Mohamed won the individual title in
2006 and teammate Jeff Schirmer won back-to-back indi-
vidual titles in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Mohamed built upon
his 2006 MVC win by qualifying and competing well at the
NCAA Cross Country Championships finishing 77th. In the
2008 postseason, the men’s team finished sixth at the NCAA
Midwest Regional, Schirmer finishing ninth to advance to the
NCAA National Championships where he finished 25th for
All-American honors, the first at SIU since 1984. Schirmer
then repeated his All-America accolades in 2009 with a 19th
place finish at nationals.
On the track, Sparks’ athletes have experienced similar suc-
cess. In 2011-12, Coach Sparks’ distance runners were a major
part of the first Saluki men’s MVC indoor championship title
in 20 years. Seven of his runners -- Stephen Arvanis, Jeremy
Bankston, Lucas Cherry, Zach Dahleen, T.J. Heffernan, Oscar
Medina and Jawon Smith -- brought home the distance medley
relay title. Dahleen also won the mile race, the second of
Southern’s four event titles that day.
The 2010-11 campaign saw success led by Jeff Shirmer who
was the MVC Indoor event champion in the 1 mile, 3000m,
and 5000m as well as being named the MVC’s Most Valu-
able Athlete. Shirmer, Zach Dahleen, Dan Dunbar, and T.J.
Heffernan were named All-MVC honorees. On the women’s
side, Emily Toennies was named an all-MVC honoree as well
as winning the prestiguous MVC Elite 18 Award under Sparks’
instruction.
During the outdoor season Jeff Shirmer claimed champion-
ships in the 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m as well as qualify-
ing for NCAA Nationals and being named an All-American
honoree. Also during the outdoor season Lucas Cherry was
named an MVC Elite 18 Award winner and Dan Dunbar was
an NCAA Regional qualifier in the 10,000m. On the women’s
side, Megan Hoelscher was named an All-MVC honoree and
was an NCAA Regional qualifier in the 3,000m steeplechase.
In 2009-10, Sparks’ distance crew hauled in numerous
conference championship and all-MVC honors. For the men,
Stephen Arvanis swept the MVC 800m titles, while Schirmer
captured the indoor mile and 5000m championships, while
also earning the MVC Most Valuable Athlete at the indoor
championships. In addition, Zach Dahleen (outdoor 1500m),
Dan Dunbar (outdoor 10,000m), and Mohamed (outdoor
5000m) each notched MVC titles. Meanwhile, both Emily
Toennies and Megan Hoelscher were named all-MVC honor-
ees for a second straight season, while Hoelscher also broke
her own school record in the 3000m steeplechase.
In 2008-09, Schirmer for the second-straight season, swept
the MVC distance titles winning cross country, the indoor 3k
and 5k, being named the MVC Indoor Championships Men’s
Most Valuable Athlete. During the outdoor season, he swept
conference honors in the 5k and 10k, qualifying for the NCAA
National Championships in both events. Jason Ordway also
earned a MVC title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, advancing
to regionals. On the women’s side, Megan Hoelscher advanced
to regionals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, just missing a bid
to nationals.
During the 2007-2008 campaign, Schirmer made his first
sweep of the MVC Distance titles winning cross country,
the indoor 3k and 5k, and the outdoor 5k and 10k titles. Also
excelling in 2008 was Dan Dunbar who was USATF Junior
National Champion (Columbus, Ohio) in the 10k and went on
to place 19th at the World Junior Championships in Byd-
goszcz, Poland. In 2006, Ty-Nica Davis placed 13th at the
NCAA Outdoor Championships (Sacramento, Calif.) in the
800-meter run. Davis continues to train with the Salukis as a
volunteer coach and saw 2008 Olympic Trials success placing
ninth running 2:03.22. Under Sparks’ watch, SIU has qualified
an athlete to the NCAA regional meet in every distance event,
claiming 36 MVC individual championships along the way.