2011 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships Through Day Two

NATCHITOCHES, La. - Senior high jumper Chelsea Dockrey won a jump off in school record fashion to win the high jump and senior distance runner Kadi Whisnant became just the second Colonel athlete ever to repeat as a conference champion with a successful defense of her 3K steeplechase crown to highlight a successful second day of the three-day Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the Nicholls State University women's track and field team on Saturday.

Dockrey got things started for the Colonels by advancing to a jump-off against Texas State's Katherine Evans.  Dockrey cleared her first attempt at 1.76 m (5 ft. 9.25 in.) while Evans clipped the bar to give Dockrey the 2011 conference championship and a new school record that bettered her previous record by 0.01 m.

Whisnant gave the Colonels their second individual championship of the day by clocking in at 10:47.15 in the 3K steeplechase, winning her second consecutive conference steeple crown by more than four seconds.  Whisnant set a new season record and now owns three of the top seven times in Southland Conference history in the event.  Whisnant joins former teammate and current coach Leslie Bourgeois (winner of three consecutive Southland Conference javelin championships) as the only Colonel athletes to win consecutive conference titles.

However, Dockrey and Whisnant weren't the only Colonels providing highlights on Saturday.  The Nicholls javelin crew placed three Colonels in the top eight, netting 13 points for the Nicholls cause.  Freshman Jaimee Springer led the way by claiming All-Southland Conference honors with a second place mark of 44.27 m (145 ft. 3 in.) that gave Nicholls eight points.  Sophomore Aja Scott added a fifth place finish of 40.83 m (133 ft. 11 in.) for four more points, and junior Danielle Daigle added a point with an eighth place throw of 38.67 m (126 ft. 10 in.).

Combined with a three-point sixth-place finish by Lauren Jones on Friday night, the Colonels have racked up 36 points through day two of the three day meet.  Nicholls enters the final day of competition on Sunday looking to add to their point total with several Colonel runners advancing to Sunday's finals.

Junior sprinter Samantha Calhoun turned in a pair of impressive performances in the 100 m and 200 m on Saturday.  The Morgan City, La. native recorded the fastest time in the 100 m prelims with a time of 11.67, Calhoun returned later in the day with a time of 24.11 in the 200 m, the fourth fastest showing of Saturday's prelims.  Calhoun will be joined in Sunday's finals of the 100 m by freshman Katrina Bettard who placed fourth in Saturday's prelims.

Meanwhile, senior distance runner Jessica McLeod advanced to the finals of both the 800 m and 1500 m and freshman distance runner Jackie White advanced to Sunday's finals of the 800 m.