Nicholls track and field nears end of regular season

The Nicholls State University women’s track and field team competed at the Southeastern Strawberry Relays last Friday at Southeastern Louisiana University where multiple Colonels succeeded in improving their race times.

RACE RECAP
The Colonels ran against Southland Conference (SLC) competitors in Southeastern and Houston Baptist University, along with other competition at the meet. The Colonels performed well in a variety of events, and some were able to reach new personal bests, showing that their training regimen has helped them to improve.

In the women’s 5000 meter, senior Lucija Barac and redshirt junior Taylor Douglas both reached new personal bests with times of 22:34.53 and 20:55.54 respectively.

Freshman Eleana Callejas and senior Emily Werenskiold both achieved personal bests in the women’s 800 meter, putting Callejas in third place for the Colonels for her race heat, and with Werenskiold shaving three seconds off her previous race time.

The runners who competed in the women’s 4 x 400-meter relay, which included Alondriah Brown, Emily Sauce, Iesha Taylor and Maerys Joseph, were able to reach a season’s best time in second place with the anchor runner, Joseph, also earning a new personal best in the women’s 200 meter.

The Colonels saw success in the field events as well when sophomore Maegan Brook set a new personal best in the shot put and when senior Ciera Eugene impressed in the javelin, throwing a season’s best that was only 0.1 meter off her career best throw.

COLONELS ADAPT
For athletes of any sport, being able to adapt to situations as they arise is crucial. When inclement weather was forecasted for the meet which was scheduled to take place last Saturday, the meet was moved up a day to Friday, April 13.

Not only did the Nicholls track and field team have to adjust their race day, but they realized that a few absences in their personnel would force them to bring an extra runner along to ensure they had enough athletes to compete in the meet.

When head track coach Stefanie Slekis reached out to head soccer coach Mac McBride and said she was in need of an extra runner, junior Francesca Curteis of the Nicholls soccer team stepped up to the challenge to help the Colonels.

“I have always wanted to run track, and when the opportunity came up I took it,” Curteis said. “I am also hoping to do it after I finish soccer, so it was a great opportunity to get started early.”

After proving her amateurism in the sport to the National Collegiate Athletic Association online, Curteis said she was all set to compete with the team. She said her past years in track and her current training

with the soccer team prepared her for the race she ran, which was the women’s 1500 meter. Curteis finished first in her heat.

“I used to run cross country for my high school back home, but the level wasn’t very high. But other than that, soccer was my only background in running,” Curteis said. “And to be honest, soccer requires a decent amount of aerobic and anaerobic endurance; you aren’t too far off when it comes to track. That being said, however, track is still a big step up from soccer in regards to speed endurance.”

LOOKING AHEAD
The Colonels have only one regular season meet remaining before the SLC Championships. Their last meet, the Louisiana State University Invitational, is scheduled to take place next Saturday in Baton Rouge. Between the LSU Invitational and the SLC Championships, the Colonels will have a little over a week to rest up and prepare for their journey to San Antonio, TX, where the championship is slated to take place.