LEXINGTON, Kentucky – There was plenty of lightning Saturday at the NCAA East Preliminary Round track and field championships, but no striking performances from seven Northwestern State competitors bidding for a spot at the national meet.
 
After another weather-plagued day in Lexington, for the first time since 2012, no NSU athletes advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships set June 7-10 in Eugene, Ore.
 
The Demons' returning All-American 4x100 meter relay team ran 40.17, just off the foursome's season best (40.16) but not near the 39.41 that was needed to finish among the dozen teams advancing to the national meet in two weeks. It was the last race for senior George Flaviano, who ran the third leg. Juniors Amir James and Ty Shilling, and sophomore Micah Larkins, are set to return next spring.
 
Last year the quartet ran a 39.69 to finish 15^th at the NCAA Outdoors and earn second-team All-America honors. Shilling missed over a month this spring with rib and leg injuries, rejoining the foursome to win the Southland Outdoors for the third straight season.
 
Lady Demon junior star De'Shalyn Jones, who won four gold medals two weeks earlier at the Southland meet, wrapped up a breakout junior season Saturday evening, clocking 23.64 in the 200 national quarterfinal for 23^rd place in the East region.
 
James posted a 20.94 in the men's 200 national quarterfinal and did not make the top 12 to advance to Eugene. He needed a personal best of 20.48 to crack the top 12, and finished 21^st.
 
In earlier field event finals Saturday, NSU's entries had stronger than projected performances.
 
Sophomore Ceasar Stephens entered the triple jump competition seeded 35^th, but finished 17^th, just five spots away from a trip to the national meet, with a 50-3 ¼ best mark.
 
Junior Kyrin Tucker, who competed in the shot put Friday, threw 174-2, seventh in his flight and 31^st overall. He was seeded 48^th in the 48-man field of regional qualifiers.
 
The competition closed NSU's collegiate slate for 2017, highlighted by Jones' four gold medals and 25 points as the Lady Demons set a school record by scoring 133 points in a third-place finish at the Southland Outdoors. The NSU men were fourth, missing third by a point, in the team standings.
 
Flaviano was the only senior competing for NSU in the regional championship. Combined with a talent-laden recruiting class, the returning NSU competitors appear positioned for a potent 2018 campaign indoors and outdoors.