Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s cross-country teams show improvement with a new head coach and expectations for the 2024 season.
Payten Vidourek, a Sanger, Texas native, was named the new head coach for the team this summer. Vidourek was a stand-out athlete at NSU’s cross-country and track and field teams before he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in May of 2024.
During his final season on the cross-country team, he placed 24th with a personal best time of 19 minutes and 34.9 seconds in the 6k at the McNeese Season Opener and ran a personal best in the 7k at the University of Louisiana at Monroe Warhawk Invitational where he placed 17th overall.
“I ran here during undergrad and for a while I wanted to transfer over during my sophomore year, but then I got really involved in the campus and I wanted to give back,” Vidourek said. “I’ve always been in love with distance running, and I wanted to take a shot at what it would be like from a professional aspect.”
Although he doesn’t have any prior coaching experience, Vidourek spent some of his time as a Sanger High athlete training younger athletes on the side to share his love for the sport. He set an example for his trainees by earning three top-seven finishes at the Texas Class 4A state cross-country meet.
“I’ve done a little bit of personal training on the side throughout high school and college, but nothing crazy,” Vidourek said.
He believes that he was best fit for the position due to his relationship with NSU and the Natchitoches area.
“Specifically here at NSU because I earned my undergrad from here; I know in the past 10 years it hasn’t been someone who has been familiar with the campus,” Vidourek said. “I know personally the coaches before me had trouble with certain aspects of it because they didn’t know Natchitoches. I think that’s why it was perfect for me.”
With a new coach, there also comes new expectations. Vidourek explained the team’s mindset going into the new season.
“We are a young team overall, especially with new talent. I want to train them like Division I athletes,” Vidourek said. “I’ve told them a little bit, more on the guy’s side than anything, that at this level it is very difficult, and that’s something that I’m trying to push them to understand.”
With championships around the corner, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams have made significant progress, Vidourek shared.
Korbin Shumate, senior hospitality management and tourism major, set a pace for the men’s side for the Demons. He finished 24th out of 38 runners in the 4K with a time of 16 minutes and 12.80 seconds at the McNeese season opener on Aug. 30 in Lake Charles. Shumate then finished 31st out of 60 finishers in the 4-mile race with a time of 17:41.40 on Sept. 13 at the Rice Invitational at the Rice Intramural Field. He then finished 22nd out of 53 runners in the 8K with a time of 27:42.2 at the Louisiana Tech Mook 4 Invitational on Oct. 5 in Ruston.
“As far as a physical challenge goes, Rice was pretty challenging with the humidity and the rough course,” Shumate said.
With all of the meets being away, Shumate explained that it’s not always a disadvantage to the athletes.
“I think, for us, we mainly travel to schools in Louisiana and in south Texas. In doing that, I don’t feel like we’re at a disadvantage because we’re training in the same weather we’re racing in,” Shumate said. “I’ve noticed running in places like Arkansas and New Mexico, that the elevation slightly changing has a big effect on your outcome.”
The rest of the men’s team have also shown progress. In Lake Charles in the 4K, newcomers Owen Rue placed 29th with a time of 17:30.58, Landon Loyd placed 30th with a time of 17:38.08, Benjamin Brasseaux placed 34th with a time of 18:06.06, Kaden Elliot placed 35th with a time of 18:08.68 and Mason Bayne placed 37th with a time of 19:24.80 out of 38 runners.
In Houston during the 4-mile, Rue finished 46th with a time of 17:05.40, Loyd finished 53rd with a time of 19:34.30, Elliot finished 54th with a time of 19:39.30, Brasseaux finished 56th with a time of 19:52.00 and Bayne finished 60th with a time of 21:31.10 out of 60 finishers.
In Ruston in the 8K, Rue placed 30th with a time of 29:52.04, Elliot placed 35th with a time of 30:19.93, Bayne placed 40th with a time of 31:20.52 and Brasseaux placed 46th with a time of 32:50.61 out of 53 runners.
In Clinton, Mississippi, all newcomers showed out on the men’s team in the 8K at the Watson Invitational on Oct. 18. Rue finished 128th with a time of 28:21.00, Loyd finished 135th with a time of 28.31.80, Elliot finished 151st with a time of 28:50.20 and Bayne finished 166th with a time of 29:15.20 out of 221 participants.
Lalaina Wood, junior health and exercise science major, highlighted the women’s side in the first two meets. She finished 23rd out of 37 runners with a time of 11:52.16 in the 3K at McNeese and finished 32nd out of 76 runners in the 4K race in Houston.
She described the intense training process that each cross-country athlete undergoes.
“For cross-country, we start in the summer and we only get a two-week break,” Wood said. “Each week we’re pushing 30 and 40 miles a week to prepare for a race.”
Wood addressed the temperature being the biggest obstacle the team has faced so far.
“Right now it’s been the heat and everyone is getting adjusted to it, especially the new ones and the younger crew,” Wood said.
Leah Thompson, senior biology and music business major, finished right behind Wood at the first two meets and then took the lead for the women’s side in the recent meets. She finished 25th with a time of 12:32.39 in Lake Charles and finished 40th with a time of 17:05.40 at Rice. Thompson finished 46th with a time of 20:18.05 in the 5K at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede Invitational on Sept. 28 in Lake Charles and she finished 26th with a time of 21:28.86 in Ruston. She finished 66th with a time of 25:27.36 in the 6K at the Watson Invitational.
Thompson shared the challenges that come with being a student-athlete during the season.
“For me personally, I’m taking 21 hours this semester, so trying to balance being in class physically and also taking care of my body,” Thompson said. “You have to be diligent about getting to sleep on time so that you can recover. It’s been pretty difficult with school and practice at the same time.”
On the women’s side at the McNeese Season Opener in the 3K, newcomers Chesney Mathews placed 27th with a time of 13:01.75, Faith Bryant placed 29th with a time of 13:14.65, Kallie Evers placed 34th with a time of 15:00.16 and Brea Baca-White placed 35th with a time of 15:35.38 out of 37 finishers.
In the 4K at Rice, Bryant finished 50th with a time of 18:02.30, Samantha Todaro finished 57th with a time of 19:43.70, Evers finished 58th with a time of 20:03.00 and Baca-White finished 63rd with a time of 22:30.90 out of 76 participants.
At McNeese for the second time this season in the 5K, Bryant placed 54th with a time of 21:57.08, Mathews placed 56th with a time of 22:36.05, Todaro placed 58th with a time of 23:18.03, Evers placed 60th with a time of 23:43.01 and Baca-White placed 62nd with a time of 24:34.05 out of 65 runners.
At Tech in the 8K, Bryant placed 32nd with a time of 23:23.48, Mathews placed 34th with a time of 24:08.03, Todaro placed 35th with a time of 24:20.05, Evers placed 37th with a time of 25:10.07 and Baca-White placed 41st with a time of 28:52.56 out of 54 participants.
At Mississippi College in the 6K, Bryant placed 99th with a time of 2:23.19, Mathews placed 117th with a time of 27:15.06, Todaro placed 131st with a time of 28:05.31, Evers placed 137th with a time of 28:55.01 and Baca-White placed 145th with a time of 30:27.62 out of 178 runners.
With a new head coach and young talent, the team will compete in the Southland Conference Championships on Nov. 1 in New Orleans.
