Northwestern State University of Louisiana is investing in a brand new $1.7 million track for the track and field team.
Kevin Bostian, athletic director at NSU, explained that the track has not been updated since 2011. NSU aims to finish construction by mid-October.
“They need 18 rain-free days to get the whole thing done, so our goal is to have it done for the Southland Conference (SLC) cross country meet,” Bostian said.
The old track is currently being torn up in preparation to put down a new Mondo track. “It’s the top alignment—it’s what most of the power schools like Louisiana State University, Arkansas State University and Tennessee State University have,” Bostian said.
NSU is working to upgrade the track for the university from the recent success of the track team in the SLC. In the last three years alone the women’s team has won five titles, with three indoor and two outdoor championships.
“We needed to upgrade the facility to get to a Division 1 standard, that’s been my deal here for the last three years, to evolve the facilities. The track is the only one we hadn’t touched since I’ve been here and I came in February 2022,” Bostian said. “We’re working with the university president and Rodney Wilson, our chief financial officer, to file the funds to help get the new track in.”
In addition to the Mondo track, NSU will be adding brand new Light-Emitting Diode lights to the venue, a feature that NSU’s track has never had before. GEO Lightings, a company out of Baton Rouge, will be installing the lights.
The new track’s design will also display a purple and white pattern that represents the school’s colors.
“I’m very thrilled,” Mike Heimerman, head track and field coach, said. “It’s going to be breathtaking when they see the color scheme that we ended up going with for the track.”
With the new track, NSU will be better equipped to host home track events.
“For our home track meets, we’re going to try and move it up from three or four teams to between 10 and 15 teams. With the new track design and lights, we can start meets a little later, so teams that are four or five hours away aren’t going to have to worry about waking up too early to make the trip,” Heimerman said.
The new track will offer a much smoother and faster surface to help the athletes do their best. Sileena Farrell, senior sprinter, is currently practicing on grass until the track is complete but looks forward to getting the upgrade.
“I’m very excited for the track. It’s a long time coming for us for sure, and it will also help prevent injuries,” Farrell said.
With the construction of the track already underway, the Demons will soon be outfitted with a modern edition to campus, giving the team a better venue to practice and compete for NSU.
