NATCHITOCHES – "I just want to run until I can't run anymore." 

That's senior Kie'Ave Harry's approach to track, and he and 11 Northwestern State seniors will compete for the final time at the Walter P. Ledet Track & Field Complex on Saturday at the annual Leon Johnson Invitational. 

The sprinter ran a personal best 10.16 in the 100 meters this past season at the NSU home meet, and he would love to put on another show Saturday after the running events start at 1 p.m. 

Field events begin at 10 a.m. Admission is free.

"It'd be a great feeling to run a 10.1 or faster in my last home meet, but I'm just happy to be home and ready to take the track again," Harry said. "The journey I've had to get here made me what I am today, and I'll always look back at everything I went through. 

"I certainly appreciate the journey." 

The latest chapter in Harry's has taken place the last two weeks. 

Two weeks ago at LSU, Harry led an elite 100 meters field through 70 meters only to finish fifth with a 10.23. He was part of a 4x100 relay along with fellow senior Tre'Darius Carr that nearly won in a national field with a 49.35, beating LSU, Alabama and Ohio State while finishing a hundredth of a second behind Houston (49.33) and Kentucky (49.34). 

A week later, Harry turned in the Southland Conference's fastest 200 meters time at Texas State with a 20.82, making him an instant gold-medal threat in a different event that could loom large as the Demons chase a team title. 

"I felt good, and my start was good (in the 100 at LSU)," Harry said. "My start had been a little rocky, but I got it together. 

"Now I have to put the whole race together with the end of the season coming. Our relay is so deep, and we have the speed. Now we're just working on chemistry and getting the stick off at the right time." 

The right time. 

Harry wasn't exactly running those in high school at West St. John, clocking an 11.03 in the Class 2A state championship, finishing one spot behind future teammate Carr.  

Fast enough for bronze and a spot on the Texas College track and football team. 

But NSU assistant coach Adam Pennington found an email in his inbox with Harry asking to walk-on at the Division I level. 

"He found us. I guess he had seen us run at McNeese and shot me an email," Pennington said. "He was running 10.9s and 11s in high school and his first year of college. 

"Now he's a 10.1 guy that just went 20.80 in the 200. Yeah, he's had a great career." 

Harry made an immediate impact along with Carr, both running legs of a 4x100 relay that finished seventh in the NCAA Championship finals in 2018. 

The relay punched through to the finals with an NSU record 38.92 before clocking a 39.34 in those finals. 

"We talk about the experience in Eugene, (Oregon,) everyday, and I wouldn't mind experiencing that one more time before ending my college career. 

"Everything about the national meet is who wants it more that day. I wouldn't mind bringing my guys there because have about eight guys that can run 39 low. It's a great feeling that we can push each other and make it better." 

That finals time? This year's relay is already beat that mark, and Pennington hasn't even settled on a final quartet. 

"We have so much depth, and we're able to rotate fresh bodies in and out," Pennington said. "There's a pressure to get times every week because we have a lot of impressive guys, but it also means we're able to get guys rest, too. 

"We're going to run three 4x100 relay teams Saturday, so it'll be fun to see who can do what." 

Seniors like Javin Arrington, Evan Nafe, Austin Simoneaux and Junior Charles can run fast 100 legs.  

Arrington has scored in four SLC Championships with a fourth-place finish in the 100 in 2019. Arrington and Charles ran legs of a relay this past week that went 39.60, two of three new guys who weren't part of the 39.35. 

Nafe has run a 10.48 in the open 100 along with a leg of that 39.35 relay. 

Other seniors being honored on the women's side include three-time 4x400 gold medalists Erin Wilson and Janiel Moore, pole vaulter Parish Kitto and sprinter Taylor Shaw. 

For Harry, after overcoming multiple hamstring injuries along with a COVID-19 pandemic in his career, he's just happy to return to and surpass his 2018 form in these last 12 months. 

"He's locked in, and he's looked as good overall as he has in a long time," Pennington said. "He's progressed week by week, which isn't always the case in seasons. 

"He's moving in the right direction, and he'll be a threat for us." 

Threats is what NSU will be trying to produce at the NCAA East Prelims level, and the times/marks required to make the regionals are becoming better and better. 

A home meet in which student-athletes don't travel and can compete in a familiar venue can be advantageous when trying to record a regional-qualifying mark. 

"It's very competitive in the East region as marks that normally shoe-ins are at the tail end of entries – it's a little nerve-racking," said NSU head track coach Mike Heimerman. "But our kids have something left in the tank, and even though the training is geared toward the conference championships, everybody likes to defend the home turf and show out here. 

"It's a hard surface, so people will run fast and jump far. Throwers practice well here, and everybody will have the comfort of sleeping in their own bed." 

Other teams making the trip include McNeese, Southeastern and Stephen F. Austin to go with multiple Arkansas Division II members and other area NAIA and junior college programs.