LEXINGTON, Kent.—One night after a relay punched its ticket to nationals, Rushana Dwyer once again showed why the Northwestern State sprints teams are nicknamed the 'Speed Demons' by once again breaking the school record in the 400-meter dash and punching her ticket to nationals.

After breaking the school record with a 51.03 in the first round, Dwyer showed she had plenty left in the tank, clocking a 50.81 to break the NSU record for the second time in three days.

This time it punched her ticket to nationals at the University of Oregon, highlighting the final day of competition at the NCAA East First Round on Saturday at the University of Kentucky.

"It felt amazing," Dwyer said. "Getting another school record and qualifying for nationals means a lot. First, I have to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity, and Coach for believing in me and preparing me for moments like this. The plan was pretty much the same as Thursday: stay relaxed, trust the work we've put in, and finish strong. I just focused on executing the race and letting everything come together."

Dwyer, a senior from St. Eliizabeth, Jamaica, had a strong final 100 meters to hold off LSU's Skyler Franklin for second place in the first of three heats, which earned her an automatic spot in Oregon, as the top three finishers from each heat go, as well as the next top three times.

"It was a really special moment for her," associate head coach Adam Pennington said. "You could see it all week how locked in and prepared she was. To see all the work she's put in pay off on that stage was exciting for the entire team. I'm proud of her. There's not a more deserving person. She is special to me."

She wasn't the only one from the Southland Conference who made it in the 400, either, as Southeastern Louisiana's Onyah Favour came in second with a conference-record 50.25 after winning the first round Thursday with a then-SLC record 50.56.

While the 4x400 relay did not make nationals, the group of Kahliyah Anderson, Margaret Conteh, Samari Finney and Dwyer clocked a season best time of 3:31.95 to finish 13^th, just one spot shy of a berth at nationals.

NSU finished 0.77 seconds behind 12^th-place Vanderbilt, as six of the 12 spots were occupied by teams from the SEC.

"Obviously it hurts to come up just short and finish 13th when you're that close to advancing," Pennington said. "But at the same time, we're proud of the way we competed. We went out there and ran our season best when it mattered most. That's all you can really ask for, putting together your best performance of the year on one of the biggest stages."

To begin the day, Shakera Kirk placed 31^st to lead the Lady Demons in the discus, tossing a 165-0. That is her best mark and place of three appearances at regionals, never throwing further than 154-5 or placing better than 36^th, both came last season.

Making her debut at regionals, Shantangelo Williams threw a 160-0 to finish 37^th in the event, despite being ranked No. 48 in the NCAA East going in.

Next up is a bit of a break before nationals start June 10 in Oregon, as Dwyer joins Roy Morris and the men's 4x400 relay as NSU athletes headed to nationals.