LAFAYETTE—Northwestern State senior pole vaulter Annemarie Broussard has accomplished nearly everything during her time in Natchitoches.

Nearly.

Broussard has five combined gold medals in the event between the Southland Conference Championships, indoor and outdoor. She also has the school record in the pole vault, clearing 13-9.75 in 2022.

But one accomplishment she does not have yet is an outdoor team title.

That one elusive goal begins when the NSU track and field teams head to Lafayette for the Louisiana Classics for a two-day event, starting Friday.

The meet starts with the discus and javelin Friday at 3 p.m. before the rest of the events take place Saturday, including the pole vault with Broussard.

In 2023, the NSU women won its first SLC Indoor Championship and was aiming for its first outdoor team title. The team had come close in recent years but could not break through.

But even before the indoor championships took place, the women's team was dealt a blow.

At the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas in Feb. 2023, Broussard tore her ACL in warm-ups. She had a bad warm-up jump and came back down on the track in front of the pit.

"Initially I knew something was wrong but didn't know how bad or what," Broussard said. "This was my first major injury, so I wasn't sure what to expect. After stepping off the runway, my trainer came and said if you can pass a few tests, I can continue to compete. I couldn't, so I shut it down, and that's when I knew that it wasn't good."

The torn ACL caused her to miss the rest of the season.

From there, she saw her squad come in second place in the outdoor meet, finishing a mere 10 points behind Lamar.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for Broussard.

To help get her through the tough times, she turned to her family and faith.

"I turned to scripture because I know that God was going to get me through this hurdle," she said. "It's hard not to stress and worry, but it is even harder to do it without Him.

"Also, my mom, who is my number one fan, is always there for me when I need her. Whether she is dealing with one of my other six siblings, or with work, she has always made time to come to my meets and was there for me my entire surgery and recovery."

Broussard also had another person she could go to in the form of friend, teammate—and roommate—Madison Brown.

Brown, a fellow pole vaulter, took the baton from her close friend and ran with it in 2023, winning the SLC Outdoor Championship in the event, clearing a personal-best 12-7.5 to grab the gold.

"Annie pushed me harder than anyone to go out and win conference," Brown said. "She knows what I'm capable of better than I know myself. I knew when she got injured that I had to step up and fill some big shoes, and that is what I did.

"She was always asking how practice was when she couldn't be there, and she would even crutch all the way across the track just to come sit at practice with us," Brown said. "I even think she was more excited when I won conference than I was. It's really our gold medal."

While Broussard was out, Brown was always supportive and keeping Broussard's head up, even during the low moments.

Brown pushed Broussard to come back in 2024 better than ever.

"I don't think I could have done it without (Madison), honestly," Broussard said. "She would take me to my physical therapy appointments when I couldn't drive, and she would wake up early and make me breakfast.

"She helped me in every way possible through those nine months. Madison always reminded me of who I was before my injury and that this won't define me. She pushed me to be better physically, mentally and spiritually and I will forever be thankful for our friendship."

Entering 2024, Broussard, who has been at NSU since 2019, had a decision to make. Despite attempting to come back from a torn ACL, she had to decide if she should come back or if her collegiate athletic career would be over.

Having to fight back from such a horrific injury, who could have blamed her if she decided to walk away?

It was a long way back for her, but associate head coach Adam Pennington knew the fight she had and knew her work ethic.

"Annemarie is the hardest-working kid I have ever coached," he said. "No matter what you tell her, she will do it 10 times harder. She is a fearless competitor and is everything you want in an athlete."

For Broussard, the decision to come back was easy.

"I knew that I had my second year of graduate school to still complete and I knew I didn't want to finish on an injury," she said. "I wanted to prove to myself that I could pole vault again."

Prove to herself, she did.

She not only proved to herself, but also the rest of the conference as well, that she was back.

Broussard finished in the top eight in six of her seven indoor meets this season, including a season-best 12-10.75 at the Jarvis Scott Open.

But that all led up to the SLC Indoor Championships.

Down to her third attempt at 12-7.5 and with the gold medal on the line, Broussard showed how clutch she is to snatch her third gold medal in her indoor career.

It was a great moment for her and the team, one that everyone will remember after what Broussard had gone through.

"It was huge for her to win the indoor title," Pennington said. "Over the last seven to eight months, Annemarie didn't know if she wanted to do it anymore. She was a little scared to get back out there due to her injury. Coming back, it was really cool to see her win it and it is re-assurance for her that she still has it, post-injury."

Now, as she embarks on one final ride with her teammates, she has one goal that has eluded her to this point: to win the outdoor team title—a goal that may have seemed far-fetched a year ago, when she was dealing with her devastating injury.

"An outdoor title would mean the world to me," Broussard said. "It would make the circle complete. I am excited to be able to compete and hopefully contribute to my team's points and be by their side, knowing we gave it our all to achieve an outdoor conference title."

After a whirlwind for the last 13 months, Broussard is back, preparing for another go of it during the outdoor season.

Her path to the indoor conference title begins in Lafayette at the Louisiana Classics.