Colonel Track and Field will compete at Bayou Bengal Invitational

The Nicholls State University women’s track and field team will travel to Baton Rouge this Friday to compete in their third meet of the spring season, the Bayou Bengal Invitational, hosted by Louisiana State University.

Heading into the meet, the Colonels currently carry three top-ranked athletes for track and field in the Southland Conference in seniors Hannah Naquin and Courtney Crawford, and freshman Eleana Calejas. Naquin holds the 10th best mile time in the Southland, while Crawford is ranked 29th in the long jump. Calejas and Naquin both remain in the top 20 of the SLC with their 800 meter times.

COMPETITION CLOSE TO HOME

According to head coach Stefanie Slekis, getting to compete at a great venue against strong competition is always an ideal situation, and that it becomes even better when the team gets to compete close to home. Slekis said the team is appreciative of friends and family who get to come support when they compete close to home.

“We’re coming off another hard training block, so having our competition close allows us to have less travel time and get back to recovery and training Saturday,” Slekis said. “We also love competing close to home so our student-athletes can have friends and family come support them.”

METHOD TO THE MADNESS

Track and field athletes, like any other athletes, have their strengths and their weaknesses. With a multitude of events to compete in at meets such as the Bayou Bengal, Slekis explained how each athlete is chosen to compete in each specific event. Slekis said athletes might compete in different events depending on what point they are at in their season, and on their fitness levels.

“At earlier meets in the season, we often have student-athletes drop down in race distance to work on their speed. This is why Maerys Joseph ran the 200 meter at the Samford January Open and why Hannah and Eleana will race the 800 meter this weekend at LSU,” Slekis said. “

Later in the season, we also might race the longest race someone will compete in because that is when they will be at their best fitness and have the best opportunity to run a personal best or competitive mark in that event.”

RACE EXPECTATIONS

Although a few members of the track and field squad remain in the top 20 of the conference, the team seeks to obtain even more of those spots. According to Slekis, the group has been training hard with the Southland Conference Championships in mind, and will be ready to compete this weekend at LSU.

“Our expectations for Friday’s meet are to be competitive and race aggressively,” Slekis said. “I think we’re ready for some personal bests even on tired legs based on how well workouts have gone the past two weeks and based on how we competed at the first two meets. We have a few people who have been pushed out of the top 20 on the conference performance list, so we’re looking to reclaim those spots and continue to move up the list as we prepare to compete at the championship.”