THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University women's cross country team will open up the 2011 season this weekend when the squad heads to Lake Charles, La. on Friday, Sept. 2 for the McNeese Distance Relay.

This weekend's meet will be the first of four events in the fall that the cross county program will participate in.

The Colonels, who finished last season with a No. 13 ranking in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll for the South Central region, was ranked No. 14 in the USTFCCCA regional preseason poll, which was announced earlier this week.

"We are really excited about this year's team,” said head coach Scott Williamson. “We are a very young team right now but we have added some very talented girls that work hard and want to win. We start this year ranked 14th and I think it is a good starting point for us as we go through the season, but I think we can move up.”

The 2011 women's roster includes three returnees from last season that includes senior Jessica McCleod and sophomores Emily Charlesworth and Jackie White.

“We return three of our top five girls from last year's team that finished sixth in the Southland Conference and tied with TCU for 13th in the South Central Region,” said Coach Williamson. “We have one senior on the team in Jessica McCleod, who just finished fourth at the Jamaican National Championships in June.”

After losing Lauren Jones and Katie Whisnant to graduation, Coach Williamson went out and signed five runners for the 2011 season. Making their debuts for the Colonels are freshmen Emily Carrere, Tessni Carruthers , Ashley Johnson , Sarah Pressley and Ingvild Vedde.

“We bring in Ingvild Vedde, who had a great senior year of track and should make an immediate impact on our team once she starts racing,” stated Williamson. “We also have Tessni Carruthers, who I feel should make an immediate impact on this year's team as well.”