LUBBOCK, Texas—Regardless of what year it is, the Northwestern State 4×400 relay remains the bread and butter of a powerful track and field program.
For the second consecutive day at the season-opening Corky Classic hosted by Texas Tech, NSU broke a school record, and once again, Will Achee was in the middle of it.
The quartet of Achee, Desmond Duncan, Kason Jones and Elijah Rowe ran a 3:08.13 Saturday to smash the previous record of 3:09.05, set last season.
“It was a really a pretty dang good day,” head coach Mike Heimerman said. “Both 4×4 teams ran really well. They were not perfect races by any means but for first meet, it was exciting. They will be fun to watch this year.
“Randy (Kelly) starting off right at his OR, Marquise’s (Butler) first college competition and jumps a PR. There were so many great running performances and the throwers competed well.”
Friday, Achee posted an indoor school record, running a 46.84 in the men’s 400-meter dash, highlighting NSU’s efforts on the opening day. The sophomore placed fifth overall out of 51 competitors, winning his heat and finishing fifth in the event.
TENNIS: In a season-opening two-day round robin hosted by LSU in Baton Rouge, the reigning Southland Conference champion Lady Demons were beaten 7-0 Saturday by the fifth-ranked Tigers, then bounced back in a big way Sunday morning, earning a 6–1 victory over Xavier of Louisiana at the LSU Tennis Complex.
Northwestern (1-1) took control early by securing the doubles point with dominant performances at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
The pairing of Pika Doberlet and Maria Farina cruised to a 6–0 win at No. 2 doubles against Ana Sabikova and Laura Lopez, while Martina Acebedo Bonocore and Athina Grigoriadou matched that score with a 6–0 victory at No. 3 against Anais Yakan and Valeria Ortega.
The Lady Demons carried that momentum into singles play, winning five of the six matches to seal the team victory.
The opening loss to LSU had its merits, said third-year NSU coach Marcos Morelli.
“The girls competed hard and stayed committed to the process from start to finish,” Morelli said. “It was a tough environment, and the effort and fight were there on every court.”
Facing one of the nation’s elite programs provided an early benchmark for the Lady Demons as they begin the 2026 campaign.
“Matches like this show the level of consistency and discipline required at the highest level,” Morelli said. “If we keep working every day and trust the process, this experience will help us grow.”
