Colonels Tie Best Ever Finish at Southland Indoor Meet

NORMAN, Okla. - The Colonels totaled a school record 20 points and tied their best ever team finish, and five Nicholls runners earned All-Southland honors as the Nicholls State University women's track and field team capped off its most successful campaign in recent memory at the 2010 Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday.

"We had some great things happen," head coach Scott Williamson said. "Kadi scored in the mile and set a school record. Sam was all-conference in the 60 and finished fifth in the 200. It's disappointing, because we should have beaten Lamar. But, we still scored more points at this meet than we ever have before, we had our first all-conference indoor honorees since I've been here, and it bodes well for us heading into the outdoor season, where we add a lot of events where we are very strong."

The Colonels were on pace to pass Lamar in the team standings in the final event of the day, however, dropping the baton in the 4x400 m relay proved costly as the Colonels settled for 20 team points (their best ever total at the league indoor meet) and a tenth place team finish (tied 2009's showing for best finish in school history).

Sophomore sprinter Samantha Calhoun got things started by becoming the first individual indoor all-conference honoree in school history by finishing third in the 60 m finals. After clocking the third fastest time in the prelims with a school record of 7.60 on Friday, Calhoun held her ground with a 7.66 showing to finish third.

Calhoun's all-conference accolades came on the heels of the Colonels distance medley relay team claiming All-Southland honors on Friday night, and added six more points to the Colonel cause.

However, Calhoun wasn't done yet as the Morgan City native came back to clock in at 25.18 in the 200 m and net four more points.

Calhoun's ten individual points was backed up by Kadi Whisnant in the mile. One day after helping Nicholls rewrite the school record in the DMR, Whisnant set a new school mark in the indoor mile. The Baton Rouge native's time of 5:05.18 added three more points to Nicholls' total, and marked the fourth school record set by the Colonels at the league meet.

Nicholls will now get set for the 2010 outdoor season, which will open at Southern Miss on March 13.