2011 NCAA National Championship East Preliminary Results (First Two Days)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Facing windy and rainy conditions the largest postseason contingent in program history concluded its season on Saturday as junior sprinter Samantha Calhoun and senior high jumper Chelsea Dockrey notched top-30 finishes in their events, and all four members of the Nicholls State University women's track and field team finished at or near their regional rankings in their respective events at the 2011 NCAA National Championship East Preliminaries hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington on Friday.

The day began with the Colonels' two-woman contingent in the javelin: sophomore Aja Scott and freshman Jaimee Springer taking to the runway at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex at noon.

Scott returned to the NCAA postseason for the second time in as many seasons.  Scott joins former teammate Leslie Bourgeois as the only multiple NCAA postseason qualifier in school history.  Scott entered competition ranked 41st in the region among declared competitors with a season best throw of 44.05 m (144 ft. 6 in.).  Scott wound up taking home 46th with a toss of 35.36 m.

Joining Scott, and giving the Colonels multiple qualifiers in the javelin for the second straight year, was Springer.  In her first collegiate season, Springer earned All-Southland Conference honors by finishing second at the 2011 Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.  Springer was ranked 31st among her regional competitors heading into the day with a season best  mark of 44.71 m (146 ft. 8 in.).  Springer ended the day by taking home 36th with a throw of 41.18 m.

Senior high jumper Chelsea Dockrey was up next.  The 2011 Southland Conference high jump champion was the highest ranked Nicholls athlete in Bloomington, as Dockrey's school record mark of 1.76 m (5 ft. 9.25 in), recorded in a jump off to win the Southland Conference crown, ranked her 23rd among competitors at the regional meet.  Dockrey cleared 1.70 m, and nearly made a pass at 1.75 m, but finished 27th and just 0.08 m away from a top-12 mark that would have advanced her to the NCAA National Championship finals next week.

Junior sprinter Samantha Calhoun finished the day for the Colonels.  Calhoun, who became the first athlete in school history to qualify for multiple events in national postseason competition, rank 37th in the 100 m and 41st in the 200 m in Bloomington.  On day one of the meet, Calhoun clocked in at 11.90 in the 100 m, taking 37th place and holding her regional ranking.  The Morgan City, La. native backed that up with a strong showing in the 200 m, clocking in at 24.31to vault her 11 places on the regional list into 30th place.

With only the top-12 performers in each event advancing to the NCAA National Championship Finals at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa next week, Friday marks the end of the 2010-11 campaign for Nicholls which set 22 new school records through the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track seasons, recorded its first ever indoor conference event champions, produced multiple outdoor conference champions for the first time ever and sent its largest ever contingent to the NCAA National Championship meet.