LAKE CHARLES – Northwestern State opened the 2018 outdoor track and field season Saturday with five wins and 16 podium finishes at the McNeese Bob Hayes Challenge Cowboy Relays, posting a meet record in the women's 1600 sprint medley relay.
 
The 4:00.40 time by Deja Moore, Natashia Jackson, Widline Lageroy and Jessica Coleman shattered the old mark by four seconds and is the third-best in school history. Another NSU win, a 59-2 shot put throw by senior Cedric Paul, also ranks third all-time at NSU.
 
The other firsts for the Demons were senior Marquise Foster's 181-3 ½ hammer throw that was second in program history, and a 1:25.70 clocking in the 4x200 relay by Tre'Darius Carr, Amir James, Desmond Mapps and Michael McGruder.
 
The Lady Demons got their other gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay as Daeshon Gordon, De'Shalyn Jones, Moore and Jackson ran 46.03.
 
Five runner-up finishes for NSU came in the men's 100 dash (Kie'Ave Harry, 10.45), the women's 100 meter hurdles (Jasmine Frazier, a 14.42 personal record), the women's shot put (Destiney Myers, 44-9 ½), the men's discus (Kyrin Tucker, 162-1 ¼) and the Demons' 4x100 relay foursome of Charlie Milton, Tremayne Flagler, Harry and Carr in 40.70.
 
Myers also picked up a bronze in the discus, marking 140-1. The Lady Demons' other third-places were from Jasmine Dansby (400 hurdles, 1:04.97), Fabriana Nation (long jump, 18-2 ¼) and Jakiriya Hunter (javelin, 138-11 ¼).
 
The Demons got two thirds with Tre' Evans clearing 6-8 ¾ in the high jump and Milton running 55.12 in the 400 hurdles.
 
In the outdoor debut, NSU coach Mike Heimerman and his staff didn't enter many of their top competitors in their specialties, if at all, and he was pleased with what he saw.
 
"It was a pretty good day despite a weather delay, a long day, but I saw a lot of good things," he said. "We're in high volume training so especially for the track events, any good mark is a really gutty and impressive time. Overall, I just very, very happy with everything. We got good effort from everyone and we got some kids their first collegiate experience."
 
Individually, Heimerman was especially pleased with the NSU throwers, a group he coaches.
 
"Cedric (Paul) had two fouls over 60 and that 59-2 is a big PR (personal record). Marquis (Foster) had a big PR to win the hammer," he said.  "(Jakiriya) Hunter threw the javelin almost 140 feet in her first college meet, and that qualifies her for junior nationals.
 
"David Moritz had a good long jump (23-1 ¼, fifth). Tre' Evans had a nice mark in the high jump. There were just a lot of good performances all around, and those are just a few that come to mind as we're about to head home, tired but very pleased," said Heimerman.
 
NSU claimed six fourth places, four by the Lady Demons. In the 4x200 relay, Hall, Jackson, Granados and Frazier ran 1:42.28 while Isabella Hudson, Erin Wrozek, Sydney Cowgill and Atianna Parks clocked 10:07.19 in the 4x800. Jasmine Roberson cleared 5-1 in the high jump and Nation went 37-9 ¼ in the triple jump.
 
The Demons got fourths from Tucker in the shot put (53-7 ½) and in the 4x800 relay by Hayden Robertson, Adam Courville, Joshua Wilkins and Colby Clark.
 
Along with Moritz in the men's long jump, NSU's fifth place finishes were by Brooke Petkovich in the women's triple jump (37-8, a PR), Kristin McDuffie (women's discus, a PR of 137-2 ¾), and Sabrina Thiels (women's javelin, a PR of 132-2 ½).
 
Cori Runnels provided a pair of sixth-place results, throwing 39-10 ½ in the women's shot and 136-8 ½ in the discus. Sarah Lewis ran the 400 hurdles in 1:06.83 for sixth, while the NSU men had four take sixth: Tucker (hammer, 160-3), Carr (100, 10.54), Deylon Key (long jump, 23-0 ¾) and in the 4x200 (the B-team of Travis Allen, Jalen Hewitt, Milton and Keidrick Haynes, 1:30.51).
 
NSU was among 15 teams competing at McNeese Saturday, including conference cousins McNeese, Southeastern Louisiana, New Orleans and Nicholls (women), along with in-state teams UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, Xavier, Dillard and Louisiana College.
 
Next weekend, NSU will compete Friday and Saturday at the TCU Invitational. The only home track competition of the season is April 28 with the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational. The McNeese meet was the first of four within three hours driving time (at Stephen F. Austin, April 6-7; at UL Monroe April 14; at LSU, April 21).