NATCHITOCHES –  The Northwestern State softball team's triumph at its newly-renovated Lady Demon Softball Complex to capture the Southland Conference Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament, the highlight of a fabulous 40-15 season, has advanced in  the “Demon Delight” contest at NSUDemons.com that will ultimately the top NSU sports highlight of 2012-13, with opening round voting nearing completion next week..
 
Voting began just past midnight Saturday morning on the seventh of eight opening pairings in the contest celebrating 16 top accomplishments from the just completed NSU sports year. Voters are choosing between a pitching gem by baseball's Robbie Baker, who twirled a two-hit shutout April 5 at Brown-Stroud Field to beat eventual NCAA Tournament entry, nationally-ranked Central Arkansas 1-0; or the Lady Demon tennis team's run through the Southland Conference Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament.
 
In the opening vote of the contest, fans picked Janae Allen's stunning 10th-place finish in the women's discus at the NCAA meet, earning her All-America honors. The second round decision went to Andrea Nedorostova winning the women's tennis Student-Athlete of the Year honor after breaking the Lady Demons' career doubles wins record and captaining NSU to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
The Demon basketball team accounted for the next two quarterfinalists. The first highlight advancing was the Demons scoring the game's last 11 points in the final 2:14 in front of a rabid Prather Coliseum crowd of 2,533 on Jan. 26, with a go-ahead 3-point basket from James Hulbin with 14 seconds left in a 61-57 victory over Stephen F. Austin, ending the nation's second-longest winning streak at 11.  The next was another win over SFA, when the Demons reached the 2013 NCAA Tournament with a Southland Conference Tournament championship win over SFA, 68-66, as this time, the Demons held off a Lumberjacks rally in the closing minutes.

The fifth achievement to advance to the quarterfinals:  the Demons' 4x100 meter relay foursome of Gabe White, Hanoj Carter, Kendal Taylor and Justin Walker earning All-America honors with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, while running the fastest time (39.57) in the event at NSU since 1982. The Lady Demon softball team's conference tournament victory and NCAA appearance is the sixth quarterfinal event selected by fans at NSUDemons.com.
 
Sixteen top achievements, dubbed “Demon Delights,” have been paired in eight “first-round” voting matchups. In each, fans will have two days to choose their favorite, advancing it to the semifinal round, with winners there selected in a 36-hour span. The finalists will be open for voting for two days with the “2012-13 Demon Delight of the Year” selected on Aug. 1, just two days before the NSU football team reports to open preseason camp under first-year coach Jay Thomas.
 
 
The 16 “Demon Delights” of 2012-13 up for fan vote this month:
 
•             Janae Allen soars to 10th in discus at NCAA T&F meet, earns All-America honors (advanced to quarterfinals by fan vote)
•             Janelle Perez earns Southland women's basketball Freshman of Year honors
 
 
•             John Shaughnessy tabbed  Southland Football Student-Athlete of Year, wins McCarty Citizenship award
•             Andrea Nedorostova named SLC Women's Tennis Student-Athlete of Year, captains Lady Demons to NCAA Tournament, breaks school career doubles wins mark (advanced to quarterfinals by fan vote)
 
 
•             Volleyball's landmark season includes most wins (20) in program's 31 seasons, 3 All-SLC picks
•             Demon basketball beats SFA in Prather Coliseum with late 11-0 rally capped by James Hulbin's 3-pointer (advanced to quarterfinals by fan vote)
 
 
•             Demon basketball holds off SFA on ESPN2 to win Southland tourney, reach NCAA Tournament (advanced to quarterfinals by fan vote)
•             Lady Demon soccer's Jackie Strug chosen Louisiana Newcomer of the Year
 
 
 
•             4x100m team (Gabe White, Hanoj Carter, Kendal Taylor, Justin Walker) 12th at NCAA T&F, named All-Americans (advanced to quarterfinals by fan vote)
•             Lady Demon basketball scores home upsets of defending & eventual SLC champs McNeese, Sam Houston
 
 
•             Red zone sack by Lesley Deamer, Phillip Harvey's direct snap TD run key football win over  Lamar
•             Lady Demon softball wins Southland Tournament at home, reaches NCAA Tournament (advanced to quarterfinals by fan vote)
 
 
•             Lady Demon tennis captures SLC Tournament, reaches NCAA Tournament
•             Baseball gets complete-game gem from pitcher Bobby Baker to beat NCAA Tourney entry UCA
 
 
•             Donald Pickett completes softball rebuilding with 40-15 season, named Louisiana Coach of the Year
•             Basketball Centennial Celebration highlighted by Mike McConathy breaking state career coaching wins record