LEXINGTON, Kentucky—The Northwestern State sprint teams are nicknamed the Speed Demons and they proved why in emphatic fashion on the first day of the women's track and field regionals.

Sprinters Vanessa Balde, Sanaria Butler and Maygan Shaw all earned spots to Saturday's regional final on its first day of competition at the NCAA East Regionals on Thursday.

Balde, a sophomore from Hamburg, Germany, began the day for NSU by earning a spot in the finals, running a 13.26 in the 100-meter hurdles.

She finished fourth in her heat, as the top three in all six heats earned automatic berths to Saturday's final as well as the next top six times. Balde's time was the second best among non-automatic times, finishing 18^th out of the 48 participants.

The top 24 make Saturday's final and the top 12 in the final advance to the nationals in Eugene, Oregon.

Butler and Shaw each earned a spot in the regional finals in the 400-meter dash, solidifying a strong day for the Northwestern State women's track and field team.

In the second heat, Butler clocked a 52.79, coming in third in her heat to earn an automatic spot in the finals. She finished 14^th overall out of 48 runners.

"It was another great day," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "Sanaria and Maygan did exactly what they needed to do to advance. Vanessa ran a great time and advanced with not a very clean race."
Shaw joined Butler in the finals on the sixth and final heat, which she ran a 52.88 to finish right behind her teammate in 15^th place.

The junior from Pineville did not earn an automatic spot by finishing in the top three in her heat, but she clocked the second-best time among non-automatic qualifiers to earn her spot in the 400 finals.
Only one non-power conference school finished ahead of the NSU duo.

In the women's 100-meter dash, Lynell Washington fought to finish 41^st in the event, racing an 11.62, capping off an incredible NSU career.

Georgia's Kaila Jackson posted a facility record, running a blazing 10.95 to win the event. The SEC showed its strength once again, as the top five came from that conference, including a pair from LSU.

"Lynell had a good race," Heimerman said. "She wasn't quite 100 percent but gave it all she had. I hate that she ends her career that way, but I am very grateful for everything she has done for this program.

"She leaves NSU as one of the most decorated sprinters in school history and a college graduate, which is the first in her family, which I'm so proud of."

To round out the day, Samari Finney placed 35^th in the long jump, posting a 19-0.5 in her regional debut.

"Samari had a good day in the long jump," Heimerman said. "To make it to this meet is a big deal. Last year she wasn't here. She will be back."

The men's competition finishes Friday, as the Demon competitors aim to earn a spot at nationals. Before the men start, the women's pole vault with Madison Brown will kick off the day at 9 a.m., rescheduled from Thursday at noon.