EUGENE, Oregon—Northwestern State has had a long line of talented sprinters in the last decade.
Rushana Dwyer has bested every one of them in the women’s 400-meter dash.
And now she has a chance to do what no other Lady Demon has ever done in an open sprint event—become a First Team All-American.
That journey at nationals on the campus of the University of Oregon begins Thursday at 8:41 p.m.
Fans can watch her compete on ESPN2.
Last season, Maygan Shaw became the first-ever Lady Demon sprinter to become an All-American, earning a spot on the second team. Up until Dwyer, she had the 400 records too.
Prior to Dwyer and Shaw, NSU had a sensational relay team that included Sanaria Butler and Vanessa Balde, both of whom are competing in nationals this season.
The quartet of Butler, Balde, Shaw and Tranasia Jones clocked a school record 3:29.22 at the NCAA East First Round and ended up with a spot as a Second Team All-American in 2024.
Starting the recent stretch of standout women’s sprinters was Natashia Jackson.
Jackson didn’t accidentally earn the nickname ‘Speedy,’ as she collected 19 career gold medals at the conference championships, the second-most in Southland history.
“Speedy was the first of those girls, and she has more medals than anyone in Southland Conference history,” associate head coach Adam Pennington said. “As soon as that was up, we’ve had Sanaria, who has run 49 seconds at Arkansas and is at the NCAA Championships, and Vanessa, who ran 52 seconds in the 400 and ran 55 seconds in the 400 hurdles to make the national championships.
“After them was Maygan, who made the national championships and became an All-American, and now we have Rushana. The tradition in the last four to five years here in the 400-meter group has been very strong, and we continue to keep that alive and hopefully keep that going for the next few years.”
Even with the long line of talented 400 sprinters at NSU, Dwyer came in and made her mark in a big way, specifically in her signature 400-meter dash, where she has broken the school record in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
She has saved her best for last in her final season in Natchitoches, breaking the school record in the 400 in two straight races and nearly three.
Dwyer ran a 51.20 to win the gold medal at the Southland Conference Championships, just .01 shy of Shaw’s then-record set last season.
After coming so close at the conference meet, she left no doubt at regionals. In the first round, she clocked a blistering 51.03 before running a 50.81 in the quarterfinals to earn the trip to Oregon.
“In the prelims, I never went in with the mindset that I am going to go and break the school record,” Dwyer said. “I just went there with the mindset of making it to the second round so I can make it to nationals. The record just came by itself. I am talented and work hard, and God blesses you when you’re talented and work hard.”
It is one of four school records she has set during her tenure, including a pair of Southland records.
“She has continued to get better every meet,” Pennington said. “Every meet, she has either had a season best or personal best. That is hard to do, but that is what you want to do, trying to progress throughout the year. I have to give her a lot of credit for how she handles the pressure, and she gives you everything she can give you.”
Entering the season, she came in with high expectations after winning the American in the 400 last year and nearly making nationals.
She didn’t disappoint.
During the indoor season, she broke three program records, including clocking a Southland record 52.88 in the 400-meter dash to once again edge out Southeastern Louisiana’s Onyah Favour to claim gold, just like she did during the outdoor season.
She also broke the conference record as a member of the 4×400 relay with a 3:32.47 at the Jarvis Scott Invitational, as well as a program record in the 800-meter run at the Woo Pig Classic with a time of 2:11.85.
After entering the transfer portal last offseason with one year remaining, Dwyer was drawn to the family atmosphere NSU provides in addition to the legacy of NSU sprinters.
“NSU is a good program,” Dwyer said. “Everybody is like family here. The coaches here don’t look at you as somebody who makes up numbers. They take care of you like you are one of them or one of their children. They take good care of you here.”
Dwyer has an opportunity to cement her place in NSU lore even further with a First Team All-American spot. The Lady Demons have had a flurry of uber-talented sprinters in the last decade, but Dwyer can become 1-of-1 at the national meet.
No Lady Demon athlete has ever been a First Team All-American, but ranked No. 16 in the nation going into the nationals, Dwyer has a chance to do just that.
That journey begins Thursday in the semifinals in the 400.
In a long line of talented Northwestern State sprinters, Rushana Dwyer (left) has a chance to become the first Lady Demon sprinter to become a First Team All-American, as she runs in the 400-meter dash, starting on Thursday at nationals.
CREDIT: Southland Conference
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