NATCHITOCHES—For the second time in three meets, Northwestern State flexed its muscles with a Southland Conference weekly award.

After the first meet, it was William Achee, and now Keontae Gaines takes the SLC Indoor Male Track Athlete of the Week, the conference announced Wednesday.

At the Woo Pig Classic, Gaines earned a pair of top-two finishes, one each in the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash.

He began his day in the 60, where he finished eighth in the prelims with a 6.80 before clocking a season-best 6.70 to finish second in the finals.

Gaines followed that up with a sensational run in the 200, running a 20.90 to take the top spot in the event. He beat out teammate Elijah Rowe, who clocked a 21.18 to place second.

It was his first 200 race of the season and he made the most of it.

His time of 6.70 in the 60 was the best time in the conference this past weekend and it ranks tied for second in the indoor season in the Southland and is tied for 11^th in the South Central Region.

The 200 time is eighth in the South Central Region and second in the Southland, only behind Oguz Uyar's 20.81 for East Texas A&M.

This is his third SLC Male Track Athlete of the Week award won, also doing so in both the indoor and the outdoor season with the Demons in 2024.

Achee won the first weekly track honor this season after breaking a pair of indoor school records, one in the 400-meter dash and the other as a part of the men's 4x400 relay team.

Gaines and his teammates wrap up the pre-SLC meets at the Jarvis Scott Invite at Texas Tech, a two-day meet that begins Friday. The Demons and Lady Demons then turn their attention to the conference indoor championships, which begin Feb. 25 in Birmingham, Ala.