Northwestern State junior Micah Larkins, a former Haughton star, and Southeastern Louisiana junior Rodney Ruffin are the Southland Conference Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced Tuesday. Southland Athletes of the Week are presented by UniversalCoin.com.
This marks the second consecutive week that Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana won the respective awards.
Both teams next head to Austin this week for the Texas Relays from Wednesday to Saturday.
Larkins ran the nation’s fifth-fastest time (10.26) and the fastest legal time (1.8) to take gold in the 100-meter dash at UT Arlington’s Bobby Lane Invitational.
Larkins’ time is third in the East region and first in the Southland Conference this year. He took another gold in the 200 with the seventh fastest time in the nation (20.83) and the third fastest in the region. The Princeton native’s time is second in the conference.
Ruffin broke a 41-year-old program record with a winning jump of 26 feet, 7 inches at the Southeastern-Southern Dual Meet on Friday. He eclipsed the old mark, the third-oldest in the Lions’ record book, by 4.5 inches. The distance ranks first in the country this season. He also helped the Lions to a win in the 4×100 in 41.07.
— Featured photo by Jameria Smith, NSU Track and Field
— Travis Day, Southland Conference
