LAFAYETTE—A much-deserved break after the indoor season has concluded, giving way to the outdoor season, which expects another strong one for Northwestern State.
The outdoor season begins with a trip to the Louisiana Classics, a two-day meet that begins Friday.

Friday is a light day, as the women's javelin and men's discus begin at 3 p.m., while the men's javelin and women's discus follow at 5 p.m. Both events did not compete in the indoor season.

Both teams finished in the top three in the indoor season, including a second-place finish by the men.

"The outdoor season is what we are probably a little better suited for," head coach Mike Heimerman said. "This is what we look forward to. Nothing beats being outside unless it gets too too hot. We are just excited to get back and doing some competition and it being such hard travel."

The women have won the past two outdoor Southland Conference crowns and aim for a third after not winning an outdoor crown prior to that.

After not competing in the indoor season, Tarajh Hudson and Tavis Wilson are back for the NSU men.

Wilson made the NCAA East First Round as a member of the 4x100 relay team and reached the podium in both the 4x100 relay and the 100-meter dash at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships last season and now joins an impressive group of short sprinters that also includes Kalen Beavers, Koen Beavers, Eddy Vu, Keontae Gaines and Mikkel Johansson.

Beavers is coming off a fantastic indoor season to start his NSU career, winning two conference championships at the Southland indoor meet, earning men's meet MVP, men's athlete of the year and men's track athlete of the year.

After not competing since last season's indoor season, Hudson is aiming to finish his career off on a high note.

Hudson has made the NCAA East First Round in each of his first three outdoor seasons in the discus.

The senior from The Bahamas is excited to be back competing in meets for the Demons.

"I am really looking forward to going out and competing, especially with this being my final year," Hudson said. "I just want to put forth a good performance and hopefully help the team win. It was difficult to sit and watch the last outdoor season and indoor season and outdoor has some of my strongest events. Not competing in the indoor this season was a blessing because it helped me more be able to concentrate on outdoor."
The women have a chance to do something special as well, winning three straight conference team titles.

Like most years, the Lady Demons have a standout sprints unit, led by school record-breaker Rushana Dwyer.

Dwyer, a transfer from South Florida, wasted little time making an impact with NSU. At the SLC Championships, she broke not only the program record, but also the conference mark in the 400 with a 52.88.

She continues a long line of talented Lady Demons sprinters, as she broke the records set by a former Lady Demons legendary sprinter, Maygan Shaw.

In her first and only season at NSU, it didn't take long for the senior to feel right at home. When looking for a school to finish her career at, she knew where she wanted to be.

"Being closer to my family means a lot to me, so the transition felt right," Dwyer said. "It's a different environment but in a good way and it's helped me stay more focused. The biggest thing for me was being closer to my family that was really important in my decision.

"Also, NSU has a strong program and Coach Adam really stood out to me. I could tell he truly cares about his athletes and knows how to develop us so that made me feel confident this was the right place for me."

Following an in-state trip to Lafayette, NSU comes home for its home meet March 28 for the first Leon Johnson NSU Invitational with the new track and scoreboard.