RUSTON – Northwestern State sophomore Payten Vidourek logged a top-10 finish, and the Demons crowded in the 20s and 30s to carry NSU to a fourth-place finish Saturday at Louisiana Tech's Mook 4 Invitational.

Vidourek clocked a 21:27.80 to place seventh in the 53-runner field. He averaged under a 5:22 mile in the four-mile race. He shaved two minutes off his 2019 time in Ruston, the last season in which NSU cross country competed.

The Sanger, Texas, native was less than a minute off top eligible collegiate runner Brian Koringo of Jackson State.

Xavier Wilson, Beau Melancon and Blake Glorioso finished 27^th, 28^th and 30^th, respectively, to provide NSU (110 points) enough ammunition to edge Grambling (112) and Nicholls (115) in the team standings.

Wilson (23:05.80), Melancon (23:11.10) and Glorioso (23:20.40) packed close together in a five-runner group that finished within 15 seconds of each other.

Sprinter Ebenezer Aggrey finished the four-mile race to allow the Demons to calculate a team score.

On the women's side, Olivia Sipes finished 26^th with an 18:14.90 in the four-kilometer race as NSU finished fifth in the five-team field.

Fellow sophomores Jazz Rasouliyan (29^th, 18:33.40) and Leah Thompson (40^th, 19:42.60) placed in the top 40 while sprinters Erin Wilson (43^rd) and Diana Granados (44^th) completed the four-kilometer race.

Both teams continue their season on Sept. 25 at the Lake Charles Toyota Cowboy Stampede, the third meet of the five-meet season.