NATCHITOCHES—Northwestern State is going to be well represented at the NCAA East First Round with nearly 30 athletes heading to regionals at the University of Kentucky, the second-most in program history.

On the men's side, 15 athletes—Will Achee, Charlie Bartholomew, Eddy Vu, Antoine Evans Jr., Keontae Gaines, Desmond Duncan, Kalen Beavers, Koen Beavers, Elijah Rowe, Kason Jones, Randy Kelly, Roy Morris, Tarajh Hudson, LaDarion Dudley and Dishaun Lamb—are all headed to regionals.

There are 12 on the women's side: Kahliyah Anderson, Margaret Conteh, Rushana Dwyer, Samari Finney, Eliska Zahradnickova, Shakera Kirk, Anisha Gibbons, Teodora Samac, Juvonna Cornette, Layden Jack, Ryah Dates and Shantangelo Williams.
The four-day meet begins Wednesday, with the men competing on Wednesday and Friday and the women on Thursday and Saturday.

Achee is coming off a 45.19 in the 400-meter dash at the conference meet, which puts him tied for 10^th in the NCAA East First Round list. He is joined by Bartholomew, who ran a season-best 45.65, also at the conference meet. That places him 27^th on the 400 on the NCAA East First Round list.

Those two are also a part of the 4x400 relay team that is making the trip to Kentucky, along with Kason Jones and Desmond Duncan.

Their season best run came at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays, clocking a 3:04.45, which is 19^th on the NCAA East list.

Kalen Beavers is also going to regionals in two events—the 100 and the 4x100 relay.

In the 100, Beavers heads to Kentucky on the strength of a 10.20 set at the first outdoor meet this season, the Louisiana Classic.

He also is going as a member of the 4x100 relay, which clocked a meet record 39.22 at the conference championships. On the relay, he is joined by Vu, Gaines, Evans and alternate Koen Beavers.

Rowe is also an alternate on the relay and is already there in the men's long jump, thanks to his personal best in the event at the conference meet, recording a jump of 24-9.75, which is tied for 45^th in the NCAA East.

Back in the regionals in the long jump is Morris, who earned a Second Team All-American spot a season ago. He is 23^rd in the NCAA East after he posted a personal best in the conference meet this season with a 25-4 to win the gold medal.
A pair of athletes are making their fourth appearance at regionals in Kelly and Hudson.

Kelly recorded a clearance of 7-0.5 at the home meet in March and Hudson's ranked 33 in the men's discus with a toss of 184-2, which came at the conference meet this past weekend.

Dishaun Lamb ran a school-record 13.80 in the 110-meter hurdles to earn a spot at regionals, as he set it at the conference meet this past Saturday.

Rounding out the men's regional entries, Dudley goes to Kentucky in the shot put, where he threw a 58-4.5 in the outdoor opener in the Louisiana Classic.

On the women's side, Dwyer and Conteh made it in the 400-meter dash, with Dwyer ranking 10^th in the NCAA East with a time of 51.20, which came at the conference meet.

Conteh ranked 22^nd in the NCAA East in the 400, clocking a 51.92, also set at the conference meet.

They are also on the 4x400 relay team, one that also includes Anderson and Finney, as well as Jack as the alternate.

In addition to the relay, Finney is also going in the long jump, which she earned with a 20-4.25 at the SLC meet.

Fresh off her school record in the 100-meter dash, Cornette is off to Kentucky. Her 11.31 at the conference meet earned her a spot, as she is ranked 37^th in the NCAA East.

Three discus throwers have reached regionals, led by Zahradnickova, who tossed a 172-10 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

Kirk posted her toss of 170-5 at the Alumni Muster earlier this month and Williams made her way in with a 167-8 at the Southland meet.

The women's javelin also have multiple athletes going to Kentucky, led by Gibbons, who threw a 166-9 to place 21^st in the NCAA East.

Samac, who is making her second straight appearance at regionals, ranks 35^th in the NCAA East with a throw of 162-0, which she threw at the Alumni Muster.

Rounding out the entries, Dates is going in the women's shot put, punching her ticket at the conference meet with a bronze medal-toss of 50-11.