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Assistant Coach De’Shalyn Jones

northwestern state De’Shalyn Jones (Northwestern State, 2018)

Assistant Coach • Distance • 2nd Season

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After a remarkable career as a Northwestern State sprinter, De’Shalyn Jones will begin her second season on the NSU staff as an assistant coach in charge of distance and cross country.

Jones has helped restock the men’s and women’s cross country rosters, ending the 2019 season with 16 student-athletes.

Under Jones’ guidance, Isabella Hudson posted NSU’s third-best time in program history in the steeplechase in 2019.

As a sprinter, Jones restocked NSU’s trophy cases.

The Tyler, Texas, native captured nine Southland Conference gold medals and set program records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Jones, the 2017 SLC, Athlete of the Year was a USTFCCCA honorable mention All-American as part of NSU’s 4X100 relay that finished 22nd in 2018.

NSU head coach Mike Heimerman believes Jones’ competitive nature as a student-athlete will translate well to coaching distance runners.

“De’Shalyn is a heckuva competitor, and she gave 100 percent any time that she stepped on the track,” Heimerman said. “She was out of track for a bit, and this is a way for her to get involved in coaching and get back into track.”

Jones, a four-time All-Louisiana honoree, has a psychology degree received in 2018 and will pursue her master’s in sports administration while coaching.

Hannah Morales (UL Lafayette, 2019)

Athletics Trainer • 2nd Season

Hannah Morales enters her second year as a graduate assistant on the Northwestern State athletic training staff. She serves as the primary athletic trainer for men’s and women’s cross country during the fall and Demons and Lady Demons indoor and outdoor track and field. She also assists with the Demon football team during summer conditioning. Morales is an athletic training graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While with the Ragin’ Cajuns she worked with the track and field, women’s basketball, softball, football and tennis programs. In those sports she evaluated athletes with injuries, created and implemented rehabilitation programs, and performed observations with various specialists. She gained additional clinical experience working various tournaments and camps across all levels of competition from high school to the college, including three Sun Belt Conference Tournaments and a Louisiana state track and field meet. Morales is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, BOC Athletic Training certified, and is CPR/ AED certified. She is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the Louisiana, Southeast and National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

Elizabeth Holloway

Administrative Assistant • 24th Season

Elizabeth Holloway -- known to the NSU athletic department as Ms. E -- handles administrative duties for Demon Football, Baseball and Track. For the last 19 years, she has gotten to work with the best coaches, staff and student-athletes an administrative assistant could ever ask for. Ms. E and her husband Ted settled in Natchitoches 28 years ago. For 5 years, she worked in the Athletic Compliance Office, then briefly worked at her husband’s jewelry store. She came back to Northwestern State in 2001. She considers her time here one of the greatest blessings in her life. Ms. E is a great grandmother to Leo Mercer, 3, her grandson Jacob’s first son. Jacob lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife Karla, and works while attending UAB. Ms. E’s granddaughter Kate, 18, also lives in Birmingham, with their mom, Amy Bickers. Kate attends Birmingham- Southern College where her mother Amy works as the director of communication. Ms. E’s son, Tim Bickers, works for Amazon in Indianapolis, Indiana. When Ms. E is not cleaning the house, mowing the four acres that she and Ted live on out in the country or cooking and caring for her husband, she likes to read, play with her dogs, Sophie and Paco, and float in her pool.