NACOGDOCHES, Texas — For the third consecutive season, the Northwestern State women left no doubt about the best track and field team in the Southland Conference, while the NSU men made a run at their own SLC crown.
The Lady Demons followed up a dominant 2025 Southland Conference Outdoor team title with another one in 2026, winning their third straight outdoor team title on Saturday. Adding indoor championships, NSU has won five out of the last six overall.
On the men’s side, the Demons finished a strong second in the 12-team conference to meet host Stephen F. Austin, which defended its 2025 title.
Trailing Lamar by 3.5 going into Saturday’s final day, the NSU women used dominance on the track and in the discus (taking three of the top four spots) to capture the crown.
Northwestern finished with 147.5 points. UT-Rio Grande Valley came in second with 126 and Stephen F. Austin placed third with 122.
Northwestern’s Rushana Dwyer set a new outdoor championship meet record in the 400m dash with a school-record time of 51.20. The previous record was set last year by her teammate Maygan Shaw (52.10).
Dwyer was also a member of the Lady Demons’ first place 4x400m relay team with Kahliyah Anderson, Margaret Conteh and Samari Finney that also set a new championship meet record and school record in the event (3:33.41). Another Lady Demon victory Sunday came in the 100 with a school record 11.31 from Juvonna Cornette.
NSU’s Mike Heimerman was named the Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year for the third straight year.
The SFA men scored 164 points, outpacing NSU’s 124 and 117 by Incarnate Word.
The Demons’ Eddy Vu, Keoante Gaines, Antione Evans and Kalen Beavers set a new meet record in the 4x100m relay with a time of 39.22, third best in school history. Saturday, the Northwestern men also got an event victory from Tarajh Hudson in the discus (a personal best 184-2).
While he did not win gold, Will Achee did break his two-week-old own school record in the 400-meter dash with an impressive 45.19, but was beaten out by New Orleans’ Keldrick Turner, who also ran a 45.19 and beat his previous best by a second.
NSU’s Charlie Bartholomew (45.65) grabbed the bronze. Desmond Duncan (46.28) and Kason Jones (46.43) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Those four ran a 3:05.70 to conclude the conference championships with a gold in the final event, the 4×400 relay .
Also setting a school record was Dishaun Lamb, who claimed a silver in the 100-meter hurdles, running a 13.80.
Friday, Northwestern’s Anisha Gibbons threw 166-9 in the javelin to win.
On the men’s side, with a personal best 25-4 on his last attempt, the Demons All-American Roy Morris won the long jump title by a half-inch.