PITTSBURG, Kan.—Following a much-deserved week off, the Northwestern State track and field teams make the journey to Kansas for the Pittsburg State Invitational on Saturday.

It is the third time in four seasons NSU has traveled to Pittsburg State in the indoor season.

The field events start at 10 a.m. with the women's long jump and the running events begin at 11 a.m. with the 5000-meter run.

"We're excited to go up there and get some work in," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "We've had a really rough last week with the weather, so we're excited to go up there on Friday and have a shakeout day and getting competition in on Saturday. We've got to get more work in because we've missed out on some stuff. We're going up there to get work in, evolving and learning more and gaining more meet experience in an indoor setting."

Fans can watch on the MIAA Network for a fee.

Not everyone participated in the first meet at Texas Tech, so look for more athletes to make their 2026 debut in this one.

There are 32 teams competing in the meet, which includes some of the best colleges in various levels, including homestanding Pittsburg State, which is ranked first nationally in Division II for the women and second on the men's side.

Heimerman is pleased with some of what he saw in the first meet two weeks ago at the Corky Classic.

"At Texas Tech, we saw where we were at," he said. "There was a lot of good stuff, but we're not where we need to be in many areas. We came back this week, and we've been putting in a lot of work, working through some of the horrible weather we've had."

Coming over after transferring from fellow Southland school McNeese, twin brothers Koen Beavers and Kalen Beavers both had nice Demons debuts.

Eddy Vu also made a good impression for the Demons, nearly making the finals in the 60-meter dash. He ran a 6.72 in the first round before clocking a 6.71 in the semifinals to finish 12th.

While Will Achee is not a freshman or a transfer, he stole the show for the Demons, earning himself the SLC Male Track Athlete of the Week after breaking two school indoor records, doing so in the 400-meter dash and as well as a member of the 4x400 relay.

On day one of the Corky Classic, Achee made his presence felt in the 400-meter dash, running a 46.84, before clocking a 3:08.14 on day two as a member of the 4x400 relay.

"It was a great performance for Will to start the season," Heimerman said. "The crazy thing is he still has more left in the tank. There were some things he could have done differently in the race, but he's a special young man. Coach Adam (Pennington) saw his potential in high school and said, 'This kid is going to be special' and here is as a sophomore, doing some special things. He is a hard worker and is a sponge, working with Coach Adam."

On the women's side, its 4x400 relay also left an impression. While it wasn't a school record, the quartet ran a 3:36.98, which nearly set the record.

Kalen Beavers (200) and fellow transfers Rushana Dwyer (800), Donroy Brown (shot put), as well as Roy Morris (long jump), Abner Johnson (weight throw) and both 4x400 relays lead the Southland Conference in the events after one meet.

In addition to the ones leading the Southland, 13 more athletes rank in the top five in various events heading into the Pittsburg State Invitational.

Freshman Marquis Butler had a standout performance in his first collegiate meet in the triple jump. His jump of 23-1.75 ranks seventh in the conference and is one of two freshmen in the top 10 in that event.

Following the meet, NSU is back on Feb. 7 for the Woo Pig Classic on the campus of the University of Arkansas for the third meet of four indoor meets prior to the SLC Indoor Championships, beginning on Feb. 25.