NATCHITOCHES—Over the decades, Northwestern State has produced many of the Southland Conference's best sprinters.

Maygan Shaw is on the short list of best sprinters in the illustrious history of the program.

In this day-and-age where athletes change schools almost as much as they change their clothes, Shaw has been one of the rare athletes to stick around at one school for her entire collegiate career.

On Saturday, she'll make her final appearance in competition at the Walter P. Ledet Track & Field Complex, as she will be one of the six female seniors being introduced at the annual Leon Johnson Invitational on the campus of Northwestern State.

"I am super excited," Shaw said. "I am actually not really nervous since it is a home meet. You're back home and you know what the track feels like, and you know the competition. I am just super excited."

Coming from Pineville, she had a choice to make, as to what college to attend, but for her, she was set on making the short trek up I-49 to carry on the sprinting legacy with the Lady Demons as well as taking part of a nursing program almost as storied as its legacy of sprinters.

"Nursing was the reason for coming to Northwestern State and track was a means of funding," she said. "It is close to home as well, being from Pineville. All the things were lining up and God was like 'This is where you need to be.'

"My parents come up every single year to watch me, even for conference. They go all the way to Alabama or all the way to who knows where just to see me run at conference. They are very supportive and they'll be here again this weekend."

As soon as she arrived on campus, she made an impact. In her first indoor SLC meet, she earned the 400-meter dash gold medal as a freshman, running a 55.96 after winning the prelims as well.

From there, she did not let up, accumulating 17 overall medals so far, including 10 golds.

She was able to learn from some of the school's very best sprinters as well during her career.

"It feels great to meet so many different people and learning so many different techniques through everybody's craft," Shaw said. "It has been great, and I am glad I got to meet and learn from a number of amazing athletes while I was here."
 

As part of the 4x400 relay teams throughout her time at Northwestern State, she was a part of the relay teams that clinched both the first women's indoor and outdoor championships in program history.

Back during the 2023 indoor championships, the Lady Demons were tied with Lamar going into the final event of the day—the 4x400 relay. Northwestern State finished second in the relay but finished ahead of Lamar to win the indoor title.

Flash forward to the 2024 outdoor conference meet, as Shaw and Northwestern State were trailing rival McNeese by a slim margin going into the 4x400 relay. Shaw ran the first leg, helping lead the Lady Demons to not only the victory in the event, but earning Northwestern State its first ever outdoor team title.

"It was super crazy," Shaw said. "I seriously didn't know we were breaking history until we broke history. I was just like 'What? Are you kidding me?' You see all the great athletes who have competed here and wonder how this only happened just now. I am so lucky that it happened while I was here, and I am so glad to be a part of that."

With one elusive item out of the way, she knocked the other one out at the NCAA Championships, as she and her three relay teammates earned a spot as a Second Team All-American.

"Maygan is a coach's dream," associate head coach Adam Pennington said. "She's done it on the track and she's done it in the classroom and you never have to worry about student-athletes like that. In my opinion, she is the best overall sprinter, I think, I have ever coached when it comes to the 100-400 meters. We've had some better single-eventers, but when you talk about great well-rounded sprinters, she is right up there with De'Shalyn Jones in the best true sprinters of all-time here."

However, with all she has accomplished at Northwestern State, from gold medals to All-American spots, there is still one item she'd like to accomplish—one goal she calls her biggest.

"Everything that has happened has happened and I am really happy about everything I have accomplished here so far," she said. "But I am not still at my biggest goal, which is running a 51.00 in the 400-meter dash. My grandpa ran that and I just want to do what he did. Anything that happened prior, I am grateful for, but my goal is to still get that 51.00."

Pennington is convinced she can run it, and is impressed with her attitude through her entire career. Whether she runs well or doesn't run as well as she would have liked, she always does it with a smile on her face.

"Maygan's demeanor and attitude separates her from other sprinters in the way she just approaches this sport. She is a very calm, fun young lady who is just ready to get better. There is never a blame game. Run good, run bad, she always has a smile on her face. When you have kids like that, they are always going to be successful and I think she has proven that."

She has a chance to run that time Saturday in front of the home crowd, as her decorated career winds down.