Five NSU wins, five more medals at SLC meet

ARLINGTON, Texas - Northwestern State's prime-time performers shined brightly Sunday as NSU broke two school records, a meet record, and won five events while adding five other silver or bronze-medal finishes on the last day of the 2010 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.


Lady Demon junior Trecey Rew topped her own school discus record and broke a 5-year-old meet mark with a 176-8 throw that ranks 11th nationally. It completed her goal of sweeping the discus and shot put titles and with a third place Friday night in the hammer throw, gave her 26 points to make her the meet's high point scorer among all female athletes from 11 teams.


Demon freshman sprinter Justin Walker turned his frustration into a 200 meter conference title with a school-record 20.49 clocking, the nation's fifth-fastest 200 this spring. It erased a 29-year-old school record by All-American Joe Delaney (20.61 in 1981).  Walker admittedly motivated by his frustration after a second-place finish an hour earlier in a 100-meter dash title featuring three of the nation's top six times this spring, led by a national best 10.03 by Texas-San Antonio's Teddy Williams, then Walker with 10.15, and Texas-Arlington's Cordero Gray at 10.16.


NSU junior Michael Green was on the award stand three times Sunday, twice as a winner. After anchoring the Demons' third-place 4x100 relay team (40.53), he won the 400 meter dash (46.66) with teammate Kendal Taylor second (47.07), and then anchored the 4x400 relay team to a winning 3:07.68 performance in the meet-ending 4x400 relay. Taylor, a freshman, ran the second leg on the 4x100 and the third leg on the 4x400 team.


The Lady Demons' only senior, Anna Forest, anchored NSU's 4x100 women's team to first with a 45.52 clocking. She was a close second in the 100 (11.67, third fastest in school history) and fourth in the 200 (24.12, third fastest in school history) before anchoring the third-place 4x400 relay (3:42.74, the second-fastest time in school history).


The Lady Demons finished tied for fifth in the 12-team women's standings, their best SLC Outdoor showing in seven years, since a fifth-place showing in 2003. The Demons were sixth overall in the 11-team men's race, their best finish since fourth in 2005.

"It's been an amazing day, not only for Northwestern, but for the Southland Conference," said veteran Demons' head coach Leon Johnson. "I'm very proud of our team, mostly freshmen, several more sophomores, and a handful of upperclassmen.  We had an outstanding meet. We just need to add some kids who can help us in the events we didn't score in, like we did last year, and we can be in the hunt for the championship in 2011."

Walker's blazing times in the 100 and 200 came after he ran the second leg on the third-place 4x100 relay to open the evening's card. He had tied the NSU record in the 100 with a 10.13 two weeks ago at the NSU Invitational, so the 10.15 time wasn't surprising, but his season's best in the 200 coming in was 20.93 a night earlier, and Johnson didn't see the school record coming.

"I didn't, but he's been telling me all year he could run run 20-low. I believe him now," said Johnson. "Some of the best sprinters in the country, no doubt, were in those two races today and Justin showed he belongs. It was very impressive."

Green's team-first attitude shone through.

"Any success we have as a team begins with Michael Green," said Johnson. "He is a great leader, a great competitor, a great teammate. That was easy to see again this weekend."

Green was more pleased with the 1-2 finish in the 400 final than he was with his win.

"I didn't care if I won or Kendal won, I just wanted to go 1-2 and get 18 points," he said. "Winning the 4x400, that's one that's been a long time coming for us. We didn't get it done last year like we thought we should, but this time it all came together and it feels great."

The 4x400 win was the first for the Demons at the conference meet since 1998.

Lady Demon coach Mike Heimerman was proud of Rew, Forest and his young team.

"We didn't meet our team goals overall with a fifth place, but we did show a lot of progress. Anna is our only senior and she's going to be tough to replace. She competed so hard and ran extremely well today," he said. "Trecey was just outstanding. She did exactly what we planned, went out and got the event wins secured right off the bat both days with her first throws, and then had very impressive series. Today in the disc, she hit a big throw to get the school and meet record, and she's got room to improve."

Rew was pleased to complete her first shot-discus sweep at the SLC meet.

"That's a relief after missing it two years ago and being redshirted last year," she said. "Today my best throw was exciting so far as the mark, but it was really my worst throw as far as technique. That tells me what can happen if I can put it all together."

Walker clearly didn't like finishing second in the 100 and used it to his benefit in the 200.

"I was really upset. I guess I run better when I'm mad. I had a slow start, but once I got to the straightaway, I picked it up and was able to win. I didn't have any idea I ran that fast. Now I guess I've got to show up at regionals and nationals," he said.