THIBODAUX - After a 40-day layoff, the Nicholls State University women's track and field team will return to action on Friday when the Colonels head to the University of Houston for the Leonard Hilton Invitational.

The meet will be the first competition for the Colonels since Nicholls opened the 2010-11 season at the Arkansas State Kickoff Klassic in Jonesboro on Dec. 4.  Nicholls will look to repeat the performances they saw at the season opener where the Colonels turned in three school records and saw Nicholls turn in eight performances that qualified for the 2011 Southland Conference Indoor Championships.

"We opened up in Arkansas, and really got above and beyond what we expected from our team in the first meet of the season," head coach Scott Williamson said.  "We set a couple school records and everyone else posted some good marks.  That really gave us some momentum heading into the winter break."

Junior sprinter Samantha Calhoun led the way for Nicholls in the Colonels' last outing, breaking her own records in the 55 m (7.57) and 200 m (25.09).  Meanwhile, senior distance runner Kadi Whisnant bettered her previous school record in the 3K with a time of 10:12.20. 

Calhoun and Whisnant were joined by senior distance runner Lauren Jones (3K), freshman distance runners Emily Charlesworth (3K) and Jackie White (800 m), freshman sprinter Katrina Bettard and freshman thrower Kerri Simmons (shot put) in giving Nicholls seven athletes that met qualifying standards for eight events at the 2011 Southland Conference Championships.

The Hilton Invitational features a realtively small field but makes up for it in quality as the 11-team field includes national power Texas, defending WAC Champion Louisiana Tech, defending Southland Conference Champion Stephen F. Austin and league rivals Lamar and Texas-San Antonio.

"We're going up against a really good field," Williamson said.  "But, especially, some of our top girls that we are expecting to compete for conference championships in their events, we are expecting them to be in pretty good shape right now and compete well against some really good schools.  Sam is a girl that should be competing for a conference title this year, so I'm hoping she stacks up well against the other schools.  Hopefully, she can get through to the finals and do well.  Some of our distance girls could compete for titles at the conference meet, and we hope they can do well this weekend.  If some of the younger athletes can step up and qualify for the conference championship this week, that would make for a very successful weekend as well."

Following the Hilton Invitational, the Colonels will return to Houston after a two week break for the Houston Indoor Invitational Jan. 28-29.