NACOGDOCHES, Texas—The Northwestern State women’s track and field team doesn’t lack for motivation.
But after sweeping the indoor/outdoor titles in both 2024 and 2025, the Lady Demons came in third in this season’s indoor conference championship.
The Lady Demons have a chance to make it right with their third consecutive outdoor team crown after having not won it at all previously.
Both the men and the women start their journey to the team crown today at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships on the campus of Stephen F. Austin.
The conference championships begin with the multi events today with the men’s decathlon 100-meter dash at 9:30 a.m., followed by the women’s heptathlon 100-meter hurdles at 10:15.
The field events begin at 10 a.m. with the women’s hammer, followed by the women’s pole vault at 1 p.m., while the running events start at 5 p.m. with the women’s 1500-meter run.
In the 2025 outdoor conference meet, the Lady Demons rolled with 180.5 points, winning the meet by 63.
Between the men and women, NSU currently has the SLC’s top mark in 12 events, including having the top two in four events — women’s 100-meter dash, men’s 400-meter dash, women’s javelin and men’s discus.
In addition to the top two, the Demons’ 400 corps has three of the top four, led by record-breaking sophomore Will Achee.
The Parkway High product has broken four records this season — six if you count the two records he broke twice this season.
Achee broke a 50-year-old school record in the men’s 400 with a blazing 45.81, which leads the Southland. He also has the indoor 400 record and the 4×400 relay record in both indoor and outdoor.
He is followed closely behind by teammate Charlie Bartholomew, who also bettered the previous 400 outdoor mark and is second in the Southland, while senior Desmond Duncan is fourth after earning the bronze in the indoor conference meet.
Anisha Gibbons and Teodora Samac have been friendly rivals in the women’s javelin, as each have taken their turn leading the Southland in the women’s javelin. Gibbons (163-2) currently leads the conference, but Samac is right behind her (162-0).
The women’s 100 is led by a pair of Lady Demon seniors, Juvonna Cornette (11.45) and Sileena Farrell (11.47), while the men’s discus is led by three-time defending SLC Field Athlete of the Week Tarajh Hudson (182-1). He is followed by teammate Seth Smith (176-2).
Others who lead their events are Rushana Dwyer (women’s 400), Silet Gray (women’s 400 hurdles), Samari Finney (women’s long jump), Eliska Zahradnickova (women’s discus) and all four relays.
Day two is Friday, starting with the conclusion of the multi events, starting at 9:30 with the men’s decathlon 110-meter hurdles and Saturday’s final day starts at 11 a.m. with the women’s discus throw.