EUGENE, Ore. – As the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships begin Wednesday, Northwestern State's three entries aim to outperform their seedings and finish in the top 16 to earn All-America honors.
 
The Demons' 4x100 meter relay team runs Wednesday in a semifinal at 6:15, hoping to be one of the top eight teams to reach Saturday afternoon's championship final. The anchor man on the relay team, Justin Walker, competes 90 minutes later in the 100 meter dash semifinals, trying to reach Friday night's final.
 
Thursday, Janae Allen throws in the women's discus.
 
The 4x100 meter relay squad of Gabriel White, Hanoj Carter, Kendal Taylor and Walker ran a season-best 40.00 two weeks ago at the NCAA East Preliminaries to reach the national meet. The Demons are ranked 22^nd in the 24-team field.
 
“We ran our best time against the best competition we've faced this season,” said Demons' coach Leon Johnson. “If we have a good race, we can go faster and will contend for All-America honors.”
 
Walker, who had reconstructive knee surgery and redshirted in 2012, is the 18^th-ranked runner in the 100 with a 10.25 season best. He shares the school record with a 10.13 mark as a freshman. It's his first national meet berth as an individual entrant, having been part of a 4x100 relay squad two years ago.
 
“I'm proud of the work Justin put in to come back to this point after the surgery, and he's been running very well lately,” said Johnson. “He has a chance to be an All-American in two events.”
 
Allen, who graduated last month, makes her first national meet appearance as the 24^th-ranked thrower after posting a 163-6 mark for an 11^th-place regional finish. She has a 165-3 season and personal best.
 
“We like where she's at, in an underdog role. What she's done in practices, and one throw at the regional meet, would give her a great shot to be in the top eight if she can get one of those in bounds. She's at the national championships, she's relaxed, and you can't go out on a better note than to end your career by competing at this meet, really exceeding what we thought she could do,” said Lady Demon coach Mike Heimerman.
 
Live stats and streaming video is available for the meet. A comprehensive web link for the NCAA meet is http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results/national-championships-central-outdoor-track-field