McLeod Finishes Fifth, Springer 12th at National Championships

Candaian National Championship Meet Results

Jamaican National Championship Meet Results

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada and KINGSTON, Jamaica - 
Nicholls State University senior distance runnerJessica McLeod placed fifth in the 1500 m at the Jamaican National Track and Field Championships in Kingston, meanwhile, nearly 5,000 miles away in Calgary, sophomore javelin thrower Jaimee Springer placed 12th in the javelin at the Canadian National Track and Field Championships on Friday.

McLeod and Springer became the first Nicholls track and field athletes to qualify for national championship meets outside the United States.  Former Colonel Leslie Bourgeois qualified for the 2010 USATF national championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

Springer started the day for the the Colonels, recording a throw of 37.19 m, finishing 12th.  The Lloydminster, Alberta native qualified for the national meet by recording a personal record throw of 44.71 m (146 ft. 8.0 in.) at the Cole Lancoln Twilight meet at UL-Lafayette in April.  Springer's throw met the qualifying standard for the Canadian national meet and ranked her second in the javelin among all Canadian juniors.  Springer finished just under six feet shy of recording a top-ten finish at the senior national meet.

Springer went into the meet having qualified to represent Team Alberta at the 2011 Western Canada Summer Games after winning the 2011 CALTAF Track Classic in Calgary with a throw of 43.62 m (143 ft. 1.25 in) to take first place in the women's 21 and under javelin competition.

Her victory qualified her to represent Team Alberta for the presitigious Western Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, British Columbia Aug. 4-6.  The event features the top athletes aged 16-22 in the Canada's seven most western provinces and territories (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut).  However, before competing in the Western Canada Summer Games, Sprigner will compete in the Canadian Junior National Championships in July.

McLeod concluded things for the Colonels by clocking a time of 4:42.96 in the 1500 m at the National Stadium in Kingston, finishing fifth.  The Clarendon, Jamaica native finished just 20 seconds shy of a top-three finish that would have qualified her to represent Jamaica at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and the 2011 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

The Colonels' middle-distance specialist owns the school record in the 1500 m with a time of 4:33.54, set at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays this past April and meeting Jamaica's qualifying stadards for the national championship meet.