CLINTON, Miss.—After competing in one meet in the first three, Northwestern State freshman Tyler Newland made up for lost time by running a 27:30.0 in the men's 8K, as he and Abby Poche led the way for NSU in a strong day for the freshmen at the Watson Cross Country Classic on the campus of Mississippi Christian.

"I think today was the day of the freshmen," head coach Alex Wills said. "I was very proud of everyone's efforts, but I think the freshmen really stepped it up. I mean, Tyler racing for the first time this year and being our top guy and Jack (Pattillo) and Kurt (Kampert) made a big impact on the team score.

"Then the girls toughed through the two hard weeks of training and still performed very well for their first time ever racing this distance. I'm very excited for what these kids can do with a little rest and being healthy come conference."

Newland, a Tioga High product, ran a 27:30.0 to finish 81^st out of 246 runners, as the Demons placed 14^th out of 27 participating teams.

Finishing right behind was sophomore Andrew Kent, who clocked a 27:30.9, coming in 83^rd place, and second among the Demon runners.

The former Parkway High standout narrowly missed a personal best by a second.

Kaden Elliott clocked a personal-best 27:47.1 to come in 94^th place, defeating his previous best in the 8K by more than a minute, set at the 2024 Watson Classic as a freshman.

Freshmen Jack Pattillo (28:12.2) and Kurt Kampert (28:33.8) finished 109^th and 124^th, respectively, to finish fourth and fifth among the Demons.

To round out the Demons, Owen Rue (29:44.0) finished in 165^th place and Selton Sanders (29:50.1) placed 169^th.

On the women's side, Poche continued a sensational freshman campaign with another meet leading the Lady Demons.

Poche, a former standout at Buckeye High, finished in 29^th place out of 214 competitors, running a 23:46.3.

Shelby Burgin finished second among Lady Demon runners, clocking a 25:28.0 to finish in 77^th place.

Nala Mitchel (26:24.2) and Peyton Pirie (26:25.6) placed third and fourth, respectively, among the Lady Demons as they finished 109^th and 115^th in the race.

Andie Claire Woodhead (27:20.1) came in 130^th and Crystal Godfrey (29:21.5) in 168^th in their first 6K of their careers, as they prepare for the same distance at the conference meet.
As a team, the Lady Demons finished 15th out of 29 participating teams.

Next up is the Southland Conference Championships on Oct. 30 on the campus of McNeese, the third time the teams have competed at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex this season.