The Real News Louisiana

NATCHITOCHES—A strong showing at the Pelican Relays earned a trio of Northwestern State weekly Southland Conference awards, the league announced Wednesday.

Justin Craft, Elijah Rowe and Samari Finney all earned weekly awards in the conference, claiming the SLC Male Field, Male Track and Female Field Athletes of the Week.

It is the first weekly award for all of them.

Finney, a junior from Detroit, posted a 19-8 in the long jump, which not only won the event at the Pelican Relays, but is also the top mark in the SLC so far this season.

If that wasn’t enough, she also was a part of the 4×100 relay that won the event with a time of 45.28. She also ran a 24.43 in the 200-meter dash, which ranks eighth in the conference, as well as clocking a personal-best 11.94 in Baton Rouge, which is tied for 10th in the league.

On the men’s side, Craft and Rowe, swept the conference weekly awards on the men’s side. Rowe finished in the top two in three events, including earning the top spot in both the 100-meter dash and 4×100 relay.

Rowe clocked a 10.22 in the 100-meter dash to win the event, which is also the top mark in the conference. He finished second in the 200-meter dash at the meet with a time of 21.09, which is the fourth-best time in the league.

Craft earned his first conference weekly award with a first-place finish in the men’s shot put, tossing a personal-best 55-3.5. That distance not only won the Pelican Relays by nearly three feet, but also is the third-furthest mark in the league this outdoor season.

The trio returns to competition Saturday when them and the rest of Northwestern State competes in its only home meet of the season, the Leon Johnson Invitational.