By: Brad Welborn, Assistant Director of Communications
AUSTIN, Texas – The final day of the Texas Relays were filled with highs and lows for Northwestern State who saw four relay teams competing on one of the biggest track stages in college athletics. Those highs and lows manifested most in the two women's relays of the day – the 4x100 and the 4x400.
After clocking the seventh-fastest time in school history on Friday (45.28) the foursome of Robyn Byrd, Jayla Fields, Aarika Lister and Natashia Jackson failed to record a time and did not finish the race.
Turning the disappointment of the first relay on its head, the 4x400 squad turned in one of the best races in program history.
After running the eighth fastest time in NSU history and the 16th fastest time (53.86) in the country in the 400 less than an hour prior, Jackson helped lead the 400 relay team to the fourth best time at NSU at 3:38.54.
Jackson, Janiel Moore, Erin Wilson and Diana Granados edged Baylor in the race by 17/100ths to have the fastest time among collegiate teams in the six-team relay. The mark improved the already conference-leading time the Lady Demons set a week ago at the TCU Invitational by nearly three seconds.
The men's 4x100 relay started the track events for the Demons where Javin Arrington, Kennedy Harrison, Kie'Ave Harry and Tre'Darius Carr finished sixth in a stacked field with a time of 39.92. The men's 4x400 relay team did not run in the meet finale race.
Off the track NSU had a pair of solid finishes and a career best mark in the triple jump.
Lauren Ashley-Clarke landed a 41-11.25 jump on her first attempt of the day, the sixth-best jump in NSU history, taking sixth at the meet. Four fouls in her next five attempts prevented her from improving the opening leap.
On the men's side of the triple it was a career day for Quindarrius Thompson. His second try of the day came in at 51-2.25 setting a new career best for the senior, taking seventh overall and sixth among collegians in the event.
Of the five recorded finishes on the day, NSU sits in first or second in the Southland Conference in each event. Clarke now owns the top two jumps in the triple this season and the men's 4x100 team have the two fastest times to this point.
NSU returns to action a week from today at the Houston Invitational.
