FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – It was a small day in terms of events but a big one when it came to results for the Northwestern State track and field teams at the Arkansas Tyson Invitational on Saturday.
 
Natashia Jackson enjoyed a remarkable day, establishing an indoor school record in the 200 meters and led off the women's 4x400 relay team that clocked the second-fastest time in school history.
 
Jackson clocked a 23.98 in the 200 meters, marking the fastest time in both school history and the second-fastest in the Southland Conference this season, .01 behind the time recorded by Stephen F. Austin's Imani Nave at the Houston G5 & Super 22 Invitational two weeks ago.
 
"It was another stellar day for the women, especially Speedy," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "She had an impressive day, becoming the first woman in school history run a sub-24 in the 200, and then she turned around and kicked off the 4x4, which ran the second-fastest time in school history."
 
The Lady Demons' quartet of Jackson, Janiel Moore, Erin Wilson and Jayla Fields clocked a 3:42.52, less than a second off the 2018 school record of 3:41.76 set by De'Shalyn Jones, Jackson, Wildine Lageroy and Deja Moore.
 
Not to be outdone, the men's quartet of Junior Charles, Slavoski Wright, Kennedy Harrison and Dejon Blake clocked a 3:13.38 time, finishing 10^th and coming in .09 shy of the school indoor record set in 2010.
 
"That was the first time Junior Charles ran (the relay)," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "Yesterday, he felt something in his hamstring, but he learned how to run with it. Those guys ran well. The best part is there is one junior, one sophomore and two freshmen in that group. They are getting more and more confident, and they are going to get faster."
 
Much like Jackson on the women's side, Harrison enjoyed a stellar Saturday in northwest Arkansas.
 
He set a PR in the 200 meters (21.88) and added a strong leg in the 4x400 relay. Both Harrison and Javin Arrington set PRs in the 200, each running a 21.88.
 
In the men's field events, Quindarrius Thompson collected a victory for Northwestern State, capturing the triple jump with a mark of 51-2.25, falling just shy of his indoor PR of 51-3 set on Feb. 1.
 
"It was another great day for Quindarrius," Heimerman said. "He jumped over 51 feet again. He didn't even hit the board on the winning jump, so it was probably about a foot longer."
 
Marco Arevalo set a PR in the shot put, finishing ninth in a "stacked field," according to Heimerman, with a throw of 53-10.5, the second-longest by a Southland Conference competitor this season.
 
Jackson's performance headlined a strong overall weekend for the Lady Demons on the track, especially in the 200.
 
Deja Moore clocked a season-best 24.65, which stands sixth in the Southland Conference, and Janiel Moore ran a 24.8, which stands eighth in the conference.
 
Lauren Clarke took home a third-place finish in the women's triple jump, going 42-0, while Jasmyn Steels collected a seventh-place finish (40-8.75). In the high jump, Marlee Paulk tied her personal best with a leap of 5-3.75.
 
"Janiel had a PR in the 200 today, a PR in the hurdles (Friday) and ran a phenomenal leg on the 4x4," Heimerman said. "That's a big confidence booster for her. She had a stellar weekend. I'm hoping she takes off a little bit. We had great runs on the 4x4 by Erin (Wilson) and Jayla (Fields). Deja Moore had a great meet. The triple jump was great as well.
 
"Overall, it was a great weekend. I'm extremely proud of the entire group to do what they did with as little work as we got in. We only really got to practice once this week and not a lot in the last two weeks because of the weather. I'm very, very happy with the way we performed."