BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Competing solo with the support assistant coach Courtney Lord, Nicholls State University freshman Amiya Matthews successfully concluded her collegiate debut in the pentathlon, wrapping up the day's five-event competition with a cumulative 2,941 points -- good for No. 3 on the Colonels's all-time top ten performance list -- and an 11th-place finish at the Samford Invite in the Birmingham CrossPlex.

Following the strong outing, head coach Stefanie Slekis spoke highly of the Texas native's goals and what this performance means for her moving deeper in the indoor season.

"This first pentathlon really helped Amiya experience the event at the collegiate level, and it comes with the added bonus of the competition being in Birmingham at the same facility she will compete at in six weeks at the conference championship," Slekis said. "Amiya's goal this season is to be the school record holder as well as score at the conference championship, and both of those are well within her reach with this start."

UP NEXT
With the pair of early meets at LSU and Samford in the books, the the entire Colonels program will turn their attention to the final meet of the month: the McNeese Indoor Invite, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 31 in Lake Charles, La.

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