NATCHITOCHES – The fastest 4x100 meter relay time at Northwestern State since the days of Demon legends Joe Delaney and Mark Duper propelled the 2013 foursome of Gabriel White, Hanoj Carter, Kendal Taylor and Justin Walker to All-America status Wednesday afternoon on the opening day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
 
Walker barely missed another All-America award 90 minutes later in the 100 meter dash semifinals, running a 10.28 that was 18th in a 24-sprinter field, matching his national ranking entering the day. The top 16 finishers earn All-America recognition.
 
The Demons' 4x100 relay squad ran 39.57, the best mark by an NSU foursome since 1982. Duper ran on all five relay combinations between 1980-82 which own the fastest finishes in school history, and Delaney was on three of those units. Both, who became Pro Bowl football stars in the NFL, are in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
 
White, Carter, Taylor and Walker finished with the 11th fastest 4x100 mark among three eight-team semifinals. The top eight teams advanced to Saturday night's finals, led by Auburn (38.76) and including LSU (fourth in 38.94).
 
Just ahead of NSU were Iowa (the eighth and final qualifier at 39.31), Arizona State (39.44) and Clemson (39.46). Immediately trailing the Demons were Louisiana Tech (39.71), Illinois (39.76), Baylor (39.78), Nebraska (39.84) and Oregon (39.89), with Ohio State's foursome missing out on All-America honors with a 17th-place 40.08.
 
The four pending honors will raise to 56 the total of All-America honors won by NSU athletes coached by Leon Johnson since the 1983 track season, his first at the college level.
 
The Demons' time was easily a season-best, eclipsing the 40.00 at the NCAA East Preliminaries two weeks ago in Greensboro, N.C. That mark had NSU as the 22nd-fastest squad entering Wednesday's competition.
 
White (Captain Shreve High School) and Carter (Byrd High) are freshmen from Shreveport, while Taylor is a senior and Walker is a junior, both from Slidell and Northshore High. Walker overcame reconstructive knee surgery following a frustrating sophomore season in 2011 and was redshirted last season. He shares the school 100-meter record (10.13) run in his freshman year.
 
If Walker had been able to match his 100-meter season best, he would have contested with Will Henry of Utah State (10.25) for 16th and the last All-America honor in that event. The times would have been extended to determine which runner was faster.
 
The All-America awards will not become official until next week when the USA Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announces the list, but the top 16 marks in each event at the national meet earn that status. The top eight finishers are first-team selections and those in places 9-16 earn second-team honors.
 
Thursday at 4 CST, Lady Demon senior Janae Allen competes in the women's discus. It is her first national meet appearance, coming nearly a month after she graduated from NSU. Allen is the 24th-ranked thrower after posting a 163-6 mark for an 11th-place regional finish. She has a 165-3 season and personal best.
 
The entire discus competition will be contested Thursday. It will wrap up the NSU activity at the national meet.
 
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