To open the 2013 season, the Nicholls State track team competed in the McNeese Indoor I meet, where they rewrote the Colonel’s record book while three athletes took home first place titles.
Both junior Jackie White and sophomore Kryshell Rolle set personal records while eclipsing the previous school mark in the 600 meter run and the 55 meter hurdles.
This event is new to White, considering it was her first time ever running the 600 meter.
“Since it was my first time competing in the 600, I did not know what to expect,” White said. “When my coach told me I was running it, I looked up the school record to use that as motivation. Initially, I was not concerned with placing; instead, I was more focused with my time. During the race, I realized I could win, which motivated me to push harder and break the record.”
White was one of the three who placed first in her event, alongside sophomore Ashley Johnson, who took home the 800 meter title and sophomore Tessni Carruthers, who won the 3000 meter run.
Carruthers, who is no stranger to success, already has a number of titles under her belt at this early point in her flourishing career. Since it was the first meet of the new year, she hoped this race would gauge where her conditioning is at.
“I didn’t really have any expectations for this meet because it was my first race back,” Carruthers said. “I used it to see where my fitness level was at and to give me a starting point for the indoor season. My performance was a good start for the beginning of the season, but I hope to bring the time down a bit once conference rolls around.”
As a whole, White is proud of her team’s performance and is looking forward to see what the rest of the season has in store for them.
“It was a great way for us to open up our season.  I was really impressed with a lot of my teammates’ performances,” White said. “It showed that there was some hard work put in during the break. We may not have the size and depth to really compete as a team, but we have at least one or two ladies in a handful of events that can really show up and compete.”
Carruthers is also proud of Nicholls’ showing in Lake Charles; however, she has used this competition to motivate herself even more for the future.
“I think our team definitely has some work to do. We can always improve and lower our times. But it was a great meet to see where everyone was at and what we need to work on.”
Other notable results of the Colonels track team were sophomore Quadri Newson, who earned a top five finish in the 200-meter dash. Redshirt sophomore Emily Charlesworth finished eighth in the 3000-meter run, while sophomore Victoria Williams finished 10th in the 800-meter event.
Next action for the Colonels track team will be January 25th at the Arkansas State University Invitational.