Sammy Biggs once lifted his high school track team to a top-three finish in the state track meet, almost single-handedly.

Now the 2006 Morrison High School graduate is looking to perform more feats of greatness, this time as a member of the Southern Illinois University men’s track and field team in Carbondale. He’s a Saluki now, as are two other local standouts, Sterling’s Sam Megli and Bureau Valley’s Alisa Baron.

Biggs has had a rough time athletically the past two years at SIU, dating back to his days as a member of the football team. At the end of a workout in the summer of 2008, he was racing Salukis running back Larry Warner, one of the team’s fastest players.

“He said I couldn’t beat him, and I was going as hard as I could,” Biggs said. “Then I tore my hamstring right off the bone. I dropped like I had been shot.”

Biggs’ football days in Carbondale were done because of the injury, and while he ran track as a junior, the results weren’t there. The season was about rehabilitation, and getting ready for his senior season.

Biggs showed flashes of his old form in the indoor season. He ran the 400 meters in 47.3 seconds, and was timed for a split of the 1,600 relay in a blazing 45.7 seconds.

“If I could run that in the open 400, I could have qualified for the indoor nationals,” Biggs said.

Those plans went by the wayside at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Meet, Feb. 27-28 at Cedar Falls, Iowa. Competing in the 400 finals, Biggs suffered a slight tear of the same hamstring he injured preparing for football. Rest and rehab were prescribed, and he’s only now rounding back into shape.

Biggs has competed sparingly, with a top time of 54.48 seconds in the 400 at the Ole Miss Invite on April 10. He’s shooting for a more Biggs-like performance at the conference outdoor meet, slated for May 14-16 in Normal.

“Today’s is the best I’ve felt in the last five weeks,” Biggs said after Wednesday’s practice. “I can feel everything coming back. I think I can win the 400 in the conference meet.”

A precedent has been set for Biggs coming up big on a big stage. As a senior at Morrison, he won the 100 (11.27) and 400 (47.91) and placed second in the 200 (22.29) at the state meet, scoring 28 of his team’s 30 points to tie Herrin for third place.

“I never even really trained in high school,” Biggs said. “I just went out, ran the preliminaries, and my competitiveness took over in the finals. That can happen again. It’s all about helping my team win the Missouri Valley Conference meet.”

Biggs, a community health major, is set to graduate in December, and he’s interested in becoming a fireman. In addition to his academic and athletic commitments at SIU, he has another major one.

When he doesn’t have weekend track meets, he heads to Champaign to see his 6-month-old daughter, Amaya, and his girlfriend, Chantrelle Nealon, a junior at Illinois.

“I was kind of freaking out at first,” Biggs said of becoming a father, “but now I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Amaya is amazing. Everyone had better watch out. She’s going to be a speed demon.”

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Megli rounding into shape

Like Biggs, Megli – a 2007 Sterling grad – has had some physical issues to deal with. He ran the 800-meter leg for the distance medley relay team that placed second in the Missouri Valley indoor meet back in February, but has been slowed by a pulled hamstring since.

His season best open 800 is 1:55.88, posted at the Ole Miss Invite on April 10.

“We’ve been having some pretty hard workouts the last couple of weeks, but we’re starting to taper down and the times should start dropping,” said Megli, who was hoping to be in the 1:53-range at this weekend’s Jesse Owens Invite at Ohio State.

The big test will be the Missouri Valley outdoor meet in Normal, when Megli should be in peak form.

“I’m hoping to make the finals,” he said, adding it would take something around 1:51 or 1:52 to accomplish that.

Megli’s track highlight thus far was the 2007 state meet, when he ran a career-best 1:54.15 to place second in the 800. That performance helped Megli, also a top-notch swimmer at Sterling, concentrate on track in college.

“It was pretty tough to give up swimming, but track takes up a lot less time,” said Megli, noting track practices last about 1 1/2 hours, as opposed to swimming practices that last about 2 hours, but often held twice a day. “With my major, it just worked out much better for me.”

Megli is studying civil engineering, and will do an internship for the Illinois Department of Transportation this summer in either the Sterling or Carbondale area. A year ago, he worked for IDOT in the summer and oversaw the contstruction on Route 136 near Fulton.

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Baron, a 2008 BV grad from Princeton, set a Class A record in the 400 meters her senior year at state with a time of 55.66 seconds She also was sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 36 feet, 10 1/4 inches.

At Southern Illinois, her top 400 time thus far has been 56.42, at the preliminaries of the Missouri Valley Championships her freshman season. She ran a 56.47 in the finals and placed third among 20 runners. She also ran the anchor leg of the 1,600 relay that placed third with a time of 3:47.81.

This season, Baron’s best time in the 400 has been 58.05, at the Ole Miss Invite on April 10. She’s been slowed by injuries to her left shin and foot this spring, but is on the mend.

“When you have an injury or you’re not in the best of shape, it just ruins your fitness level,” Baron said. “That’s what happened to me this spring, but you just have to push through it.”

Baron is also pondering a return to cross country. She competed as a freshman at SIU, but a bout of mononucleosis wrecked that season.

“When I was in high school, I actually preferred cross country to track,” Baron said. “I had a bad experience down here as a freshman, but I really miss it. We’ll see how the summer goes and then I’ll decide what I’m going to do.”

Baron’s major is communication disorders. She plans to become a speech pathologist.

Sammy Biggs

High school: Morrison

SIU class: Senior

FYI: Scored 28 of team's 30 points to lead Mustangs to tie for third at 2006 Class A state track meet. ... Has top time of 47.3 seconds in 400 at SIU. ... Also played football for the Salukis

Sam Megli

High school: Sterling

SIU class: Junior

FYI: Placed second in 800 at 2007 Class AA state track meet with time of 1:54.15. ... Has top time of 1:55.88 this season

Alisa Baron

High school: Bureau Valley

SIU class: Sophomore

FYI: Set Class A meet record of 55.66 seconds in the 400 at 2008 state track meet. ... Has top time of 58.05 in injury-plagued sophomore season