BATON ROUGE – Northwestern State track and field is about to turn to the back stretch of its outdoor regular season with three meets remaining.
 
The NSU men and women will step on a Southeastern Conference stage for the second time in as many weeks as the teams prepare for the Boots Garland Invitational at LSU on Saturday.
 
The competition will feature participants from LSU, Houston, South Alabama and a slew of Louisiana schools including Southland Conference members McNeese, Nicholls and New Orleans.
 
"We're almost to the back half of the outdoor season, and everybody is starting to look pretty good as we're building toward the (Southland Conference Championships)," said NSU coach Mike Heimerman. "We're fine-tuning a few more things, and we're getting more specialized in some individual events as we try to prepare kids for marks to qualify for regionals and then hopefully nationals.
 
"This is where things start picking up and taking off."
 
Senior jumper Quindarrius Thompson turned in his second triple jump.mark of more than 50 feet this past week (50-1.75), and his season best of 51-2.25 is ranked 38^th nationally and 18^th in the East region.
 
Thompson is in solid position to be one of the top 32 jumpers to advance to the NCAA East Preliminaries, but NSU men and women will have a more difficult road to the postseason with the number of qualifiers reduced to 32 from 48 because of COVID-19.
 
"I feel like I'm in a good spot right now," Thompson said. "I want to get in the 52-foot range (top-10 nationally).
 
"I feel like my first phase is really good, but my second and third phases are kind of lacking. Competitors at an LSU meet will push you, and a lot of people have (personal records) there, so I feel like I'll have extra energy at LSU."
 
Competitors have three more chances to log qualifying marks, which will undoubtedly improve throughout the final month of the season.
 
NSU does have some of the top East Region times and marks, including sprinter Kie'Ave Harry (10^th in the 100 with a 10.29), the 4x100 men's relay (10^th with a 39.80), the 4x400 men's relay (25^th with a 3:10.73), sprinter Natashia Jackson (16^th in the 400 meters with a 53.86), the 4x400 women's relay (19^th with a 3:38.54), jumper Lauren-Ashley Clarke (12^th in the high jump with a 5-9.25, 11^th in the long jump with a 20-10.75 and 11^th in the triple jump with a 42-4) and jumper Jasmyn Steels (third in the long jump with a 21-5.25),  
 
While NSU is used to sending a cadre of men and women to the regionals, sometimes it's the new faces looking for their first appearance that mean the most.
 
Freshman pole vaulter Hayden Barrios sits in 29^th in the regional with a 16-6.75, which is the second-best mark in school history and less than two inches from the record.
 
On his first mark of the outdoor season, Barrios also vaulted over his father Chad Barrios, who cleared 16 feet in his time at NSU.
 
"My dad had a huge effect in me getting into the pole vault, so yeah, I absolutely have the bragging rights," said Barrios, who will have his dad front and center on April 24 at the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational. "He's coached me throughout high school and basically shaped me into the vaulter that I am today.
 
"I'll definitely try to break the record at the home meet. As for LSU, it's nice competition that will push me to be better. I look forward to competing with the big boys.
 
After heading to LSU, NSU closes its season out with its home meet April 24 and its second trip to Texas A&M on May 1 before the Southland Conference Championships take place starting May 14 in Humble, Texas.