THIBODAUX - The Nicholls State University women's track and field team will look to fine-tune their program for the 2011 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships as the Colonels head into the final weekend of the regular season this Saturday.

The Colonels enter the final week of the regular season holding 16 of the conference's top ten marks in 11 different events and 12 of the conference's top five marks in ten different events this season.  After racking up 20 school records this season and recording 21 conference championship qualifying marks, the Colonels hope their final regular season weekend will allow Nicholls' eltie athletes to fine-tune in their events heading into the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, slated for May 13-15 at Northwestern State.

Nicholls will be taking a split squad approach to their final week of regualr season of competition.  While most of the team heads to UL-Lafayette for the Cole Lancoln Invitational, senior distance runners Kadi Whisnant and Lauren Jones will head to the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa looking to solidify their chances of qualifying for the 2011 NCAA National Championship East Preliminary.

Whisnant begins the week ranked atop the Southland Conference with the best 3K steeplechase time in the league this season, but the Baton Rouge native's time of 10:49.11 ranks 60th in the NCAA East Region this season, six seconds shy of one of the top-48 spots that qualify for the NCAA championships. 

Meanwhile, Jones will look to improve on her school record and season best time of 36:03.32 in the 10K.  Jones currently ranks 45th in the NCAA East Region, and will look to continue to climb the regional lists and solidify her chances of remaining one of the top 48 qualifiers for the national meet.