EUGENE, Oregon—The stellar 2024 season for the Northwestern State women's 4x400 relay team came to an end, but it didn't end without a fight.

Or without a spot on the All-American team.

NSU ran a 3:32.24 in the relay to come in 16^th place out of 24 teams Thursday on the second day of nationals and first day for the women on the campus of the University of Oregon.

While the top nine advance to Saturday's finals, the top 16 earn All-American spots.

The Lady Demons quartet of Sanaria Butler, Maygan Shaw, Tranasia Jones and Vanessa Balde originally finished 17^th, but a disqualification of Penn moved NSU up one to slide in as a Second Team All-American.

It is the first relay team at NSU to do that since 2018.

"They ran pretty well," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "Unfortunately, they just didn't have the same spark like at regionals. It wasn't from lack of effort or heart. They showed they belonged to be here competing with the best.

"These ladies have been running times never seen in the SLC. They are a special group of talented, smart and strong young ladies. They will be in the record books for a while and I am very proud of them."

The time is the second-best mark in program history, out-done only by the Southland Conference-record 3:29.22 clocked at the NCAA East Regionals at the University of Kentucky.

This group of four has each of the top five times in program history in the event, all of which occurred in 2024.

NSU rounds out its trip to Eugene and nationals with a pair of finals on the men's side. First up is Diamante Gumbs in the men's discus at 7:35 p.m. and Zachaeus Beard is one of nine finalists in the men's 100-meter dash, which runs at 8:52 p.m.