LAKE CHARLES—In his short time with Northwestern State, Djimon Gumbs has re-written the record book in throws.

He added to that with a pair of school records, including a conference record and British Virgin Islands top mark in the discus at the Cowboy Relays to open the outdoor season.

"It was a very good day," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "Djimon was really outstanding in the discus after a great day in the shot. I am a little surprised how well the discus went because how little work we have done with it for this year. In addition to Djimon, Tarajh (Hudson) and Diamante (Gumbs) did very well also. This group will be fun to watch. It was a very impressive event."

Djimon Gumbs tossed a 205-11 in the discus, which broke his own school record of 193-3. He also shattered the Southland Conference record of 198-09, set by Abilene Christian's Kai Schmidt in 2019, and the BVI record set by Eldred Henry in 2014.

If that wasn't enough, he cracked the Southland Conference top five in shot put with a throw of 63-1.5.

In the discus, the Demons posted the top three scores, as Tarajh Hudson (182-8) came in second and Diamante Gumbs (176-0). Justin Craft (124-8) posted an eighth-place finish.

Djimon Gumbs led a strong unit in the men's shot put, as the Demons had four of the top five finishers. Diamante Gumbs came in second with a 56-2, while Hudson (51-0.5) finished in fourth and Craft rounded out the group with a fifth-place finish (46-9.5) in his first career outdoor meet.

Craft and Diamante Gumbs began the day with successful days in the hammer throw, as Gumbs (160-10) placed second, while Craft (121-0) finished fifth.

Rei Parks finished fourth in his 2023 debut, recording a 148-11 in the javelin.

On the women's side, Kaitlyn Washington was impressive in her debut, posting a 145-0 in the discus to place first, while Bernesha Knowles posted a personal-best 131-2 in her first outdoor meet for the Lady Demons after transferring from Crowley CC.

"The women had a great day," Heimerman said. "Kaitlyn Washington with a nice start to her college career and to get the win was awesome to see."

Ashley Duffus collected a personal best with a distance of 137-5 in the women's javelin, finishing second. Carnitra Mackey placed fourth in the event with a 125-0.

In the women's shot put, the Lady Demons placed four of the top eight finishers. Deanmonique Granville led NSU with a distance of 45-11.25, placing third. Right behind her was Mackey with a 44-11.25, narrowly missing a personal best.

Olivia Valliere finished fifth in the event with a 42-9.75 and Akira Philip (38-1.5) finished eighth.

On the track, Conner Mackie placed second in his first meet as a Demon in the men's 3,000-meters with a time of 9:54.09.

Knowles earned a fourth-place finish and a personal best in the women's hammer throw with a 151-2. Her best at Crowley CC was a distance of 145-0. Granville finished seventh with a 135-2.

"With the results we had today, it has given the group a lot of confidence that big things will be down the road," Heimerman said. "If they stick to the training plan, it can and should be a fun outdoor season. Almost everyone started off today better than they did last outdoor season."

NSU returns to the track when the teams head to Fort Worth for the TCU Alumni Invite for a two-day event, which begins Friday.