For the second time following three indoor competitions, Northwestern State’s track and field program has flexed its muscles with a Southland Conference weekly award.
After the first meet, it was William Achee, and Wednesday Keontae Gaines was chosen the SLC Indoor Male Track Athlete of the Week.
At the Woo Pig Classic Saturday at the University of Arkansas, Gaines earned recognition with a win in the 200 meter dash and a second place in the 60.
He began his day in the 60, where he was eighth-fastest in the prelims with a 6.80 before clocking a season-best 6.70 to finish second in the finals.
Gaines followed that up with a sensational run in the 200, running a 20.90 to take the top spot in the event. He beat out teammate Elijah Rowe, who clocked a 21.18 to place second. It was Gaines’first 200 race of the season and he made the most of it.
His time of 6.70 in the 60 was the best time in the conference this past weekend. It is tied for second in the indoor season in the Southland and is tied for 11th in the South Central Region.
The 200 time is eighth in the South Central Region and second in the Southland.
This is his third SLC Male Track Athlete of the Week award, getting the honor in the indoor and outdoor seasons with the Demons in 2024.
Achee won the first weekly track honor this season after breaking a pair of indoor school records, one in the 400-meter dash and the other as a part of the men’s 4×400 relay team.
Northwestern’s teams compete this weekend at the Jarvis Scott Invite at Texas Tech, a two-day meet that begins Friday. The Demons and Lady Demons then turn their attention to the conference indoor championships, which begin Feb. 25 in Birmingham.
