ST. LOUIS – Southern Illinois head coach Bryan Mullins finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year voting, the League office announced Wednesday night at its annual Awards Banquet ahead of Arch Madness. It marks the second time that Mullins has finished in the top 3 in voting in his time at SIU.

Mullins led the Salukis to 19 wins in the regular season and 11 MVC wins after SIU was picked to finish ninth in the MVC Preseason Poll.

In his fifth season at the helm of the program, Mullins led the Salukis past nationally ranked Indiana State at home in February, snapping the program’s streak of 17-straight losses to ranked opponents.

The Salukis have beaten a Power 6 team for four consecutive seasons under Mullins after SIU defeated Oklahoma State earlier this season in what was the first Power Five program to come to Carbondale since Indiana in 2007-08.

He has coached First Team All-MVC honorees in Xavier Johnson and Marcus Domask in back-to-back years. The first time that an SIU coach has done so since 2007-08.