Antonio, Bartholomew to represent NSU at Southland Media Day

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KALB) - The Northwestern State Demons will be the sixth school to take the stage on Wednesday, July 20 at the Southland Conference Media Day.

The Demons will be represented by Head Coach Brad Laird, redshirt junior receiver Javon Antonio and senior defensive back Shemar Bartholomew.

Coach Laird is entering his fifth season as the Demons head coach but has yet to produce a winning record in any of those seasons. Since 2018, Coach Laird has a 12-28 overall record and an 11-21 record in Southland Conference play. His best season with the Demons came in his first year as head coach in 2018 when the team went 5-6.

Coach Laird will be joined on stage by one of the most explosive targets in the Demons’ offense in Antonio. The redshirt junior did not play in the Fall 2021 season, but broke out just a couple of months prior in the Spring 2021 season. In five games, Antonio led the team with 521 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

His 104.2 receiving yards per game ranked sixth in the nation that season which earned his Second-Team All-Southland Conference honors.

Defensive back Shemar Bartholomew will also represent the Demons down in Lake Charles for media day. The preseason All-Southland first-team selection joins his teammate and fellow defensive back PJ Herrington on the first-team list. Last season, Bartholomew earned second-team conference honors after picking off two passes and recording six breakups.

Going into his final season in Natchitoches, Bartholomew has racked up nine career interceptions ranking him 27th overall among active FCS players.

The Demons will be speaking to the media beginning at 1 p.m. on June 20 at the L’Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles. The event will also air live on ESPN+.

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