Six NCAA qualifiers lead NSU into LSU Relays

BATON ROUGE – Some of the nation’s top teams are lining up for the LSU Relays track and field meet involving Northwestern State and several other state schools Friday and Saturday at the Bernie Moore Track Complex.

Three-time Demon All-America javelin thrower Cody Fillinich headlines the Northwestern entries in the two-day meet, held concurrently with a prep competition at the same venue. The men’s hammer begins competition Friday morning at 10, involving NSU record-holder Daniel Yarbrough, while Fillinich is the top-ranked entry in his event that wraps up the field event schedule with a  4 o’clock start Saturday.

Running  starts at 3 on Friday with the women’s 4x100 meter relay, continuing through 8:30 Friday night and resuming Saturday at 11. The men’s 4x400 relay wraps up the meet Saturday at 5.

Host LSU, Baylor and TCU headline the entries, along with Memphis, Akron, Furman and Arkansas State among other out-of-state teams competing. The in-state teams entered also include McNeese State, Grambling, Southeastern Louisiana, Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette.

Northwestern has five athletes who have posted six NCAA Regional qualifying marks, led by Fillinich, whose 235-7 debut last week at Stephen F. Austin came in his first competition in two years.

Yarbrough has a pair of qualifiers with his record 187-5 hammer throw at the Northwestern Relays March 7 and a 171-2 discus toss. Fellow senior Corey Jones punched his ticket to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships with a 171-4 discus mark.

Fillinich was one of three Demons to qualify last week, and all three posted 2009 Southland Conference best marks. Mike Hill had a personal best 14.23 to win the 110 meter hurdles at SFA’s Dogwood Invitational, while Mike Green blazed to a personal record 47.02 while taking the 400 meter dash.

No national rankings have been compiled by the NCAA so far through three weeks of outdoor competition.

The Demons have 12 competitors whose season bests rank in the top four in the conference. Three Lady Demons have top four marks, led by DeJon Griffin’s school record 176-4 in the hammer.