BIRMINGHAM, Alabama—In the 2023 Southland Conference Indoor Championships, the Northwestern State men's and women's track teams nearly posted a sweep of the team titles.

The women came away with its first team title in program history, while the men nearly did the same, placing second.

NSU's women's team aims to make it two in a row, while the men try to win their first team title since 2001, as the teams head into the 2024 SLC Indoor Championships.

The two-day event begins Sunday at the Birmingham CrossPlex. It will be televised on ESPN+.

The first event takes place at 8:30 a.m. with the 60-meters heptathlon. The running events begin at noon with the women's 5000-meters with the field events starting at 1 p.m. with the women's weight throw.

"In the conference meet, everyone is going to push us and we have to come with our best," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "We have to go out there and be mentally prepared. We can't do anything between now and then, physically, other than rest and stay hydrated so we don't get hurt.

"It's always about the mental preparation. This is a very mentally strong group, even though most of them are very young. I'd take them against anyone, anywhere."

In last year's conference meet, the NSU women went into the final event tied for first with Lamar and UIW. That final event was a signature one for the Lady Demons: the 4x400 relay.

While NSU did not win the event, coming in second, it did finish ahead of Lamar and UIW to take home the title.

A good nucleus of that team is back, including the four members of the relay team that clinched the title.

The group of relay runners, made up of Sian Weller, Sanaria Butler, Maygan Shaw and Vanessa Balde, were all either freshmen or sophomores a year ago and are back and better than ever.

Butler has built on a sensational freshman season with a strong indoor season to begin her sophomore campaign, including smashing the Southland Conference record in the 400-meters.

Last time out at the Jarvis Scott Open, she ran a 52.92 in the 400, breaking the school and the conference record, breaking the mark set by former NSU athlete Natashia Jackson.

She will also participate in the 200, the relay, as well as the long jump and triple jump. Butler ranks in the top three in each event, ranking first as a member of the 4x400 relay team (3:41.77) and third in the 200 (24.10), long jump (19-5.25) and triple jump (39-6.5).

Newcomers are trying to make an impact to make it two in a row for the Lady Demons.

"It would be exciting to make it back-to-back championships for us," thrower Ianna Roach said. "I have never won a team title, even at Iowa. It is a great group of women, so it would be so exciting to be a part of another championship-winning team."

Competing in her final conference meet, Lynell Washington is aiming for her third consecutive gold medal in the indoor 60-meter dash. She is also trying to win her second consecutive gold in the 200. Overall, she has found the podium in all five of her races in her three years, including the three golds.

On the men's side, sprinter Keontae Gaines has had a strong indoor season. Gaines leads the SLC in the 60-meter dash, running a 6.62 at the Jarvis Scott Open.

"I am more comfortable now," Gaines said. "When I was at South Plains, I was far away from home, but now that I have come back close to home, I feel a lot more comfortable.

"Coach Adam (Pennington) and I have been working on sprint mechanics, which helps me run faster. It also helps being paired up with Zach (Beard) every day. Going up against him helps bring out my full potential."

Gaines also ranks third in the SLC in the 200-meters, running a 21.16 in Boston earlier in February.

UIW has come out on top in each of the last two SLC men's indoor championships.

The sprinters may garner much of the praise, but the throwers are out to earn a team title for their respective teams, starting with the twins, Djimon Gumbs and Diamante Gumbs.

The pair are two of the most decorated throwers the school has seen.

Djimon Gumbs is the two-time Most Outstanding Male Performer at the SLC Outdoor Championships. He also holds the men's indoor shot put record for NSU, which he set in last year's conference meet.

He has the top 11 distances in program history in the shot put.

As for Diamante, his name is all around the record book in the weight throw.

While the tremendous duo aims to bring home the indoor title for the men, they also helped bring Roach to NSU.

"Having the Gumbs twins around is really fun," Roach said. "They are one of the reasons I came here. I have known them for years and when I was looking for a new school, Djimon raved about Coach Mike (Heimerman) and believes in him come hell or high water.

"Coming here has been really good for my mental health and I feel a lot more relaxed. I have now seen me do things I haven't done in years and am having a lot more fun."

A transfer from Iowa, Roach has made her presence felt during the indoor season for the Lady Demons.

Like Djimon Gumbs, Roach leads the conference with the furthest distance in the shot put, which she tossed in Birmingham at the Samford Invitational, a 48-2.75, more than a foot ahead of second place.

In the weight throw, Roach has the fourth-best toss with a 52-8.25.

In the pole vault, NSU has two of the best in the conference, Annemarie Broussard and Madison Brown.

Broussard is coming off a conference-leading mark at Texas Tech. She did not compete at last season's conference indoor meet due to injury.

The two are great friends and each benefits from being around and competing with each other.

"They definitely bring the best out in each other," Heimerman said. "They are roommates and each other's biggest supporters, and I don't think either one of them would be where they are at without the other. They keep each other level. It is fun to watch those two."

If any NSU athlete reaches nationals, they head to Boston for the NCAA Indoor Championships, which begin March 8. Zachaeus Beard made nationals from NSU in the 60-meters in 2023, placing 16^th.