HUMBLE, Texas -- Underscored by a powerhouse effort from Amiya Matthews along with a podium-worthy finish out of Elsa Rijpstra, the Nicholls State University track & field program solidified a successful performance at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, closing out the three-day affair early Sunday afternoon at George Turner Stadium in Humble, Texas.

According to head track & field coach Stefanie Slekis, the Colonels contributed a strong overall showing as the team continues to display consistent improvements both during and away from competition, particularly in terms of general development and action-oriented leadership.

"Looking at the whole weekend, our top performers had great days," Slekis said. "We're proud of Chelsea Harrington in the long jump outperforming where she was ranked, and especially Amiya Matthews in the multis coming through in her first heptathlon and setting the school record. Elsa Rijpstra ran a really tactically smart 10k to earn a podium spot and then, over in the 5k, she fought really hard trying to score that point. I'm really proud of those women and the leadership that we have coming back for next year. I can't speak highly enough about Amiya and Elsa really stepping up and putting in such a high volume of work to lead the team. Overall, just a fantastic weekend as we feel like we're moving in the direction we want to be and really looking forward to a more normal next year next season."
 
KEY STORYLINES & FINISHES
-- Boasting nine total events across the three-day span, Matthews exemplified an all-around approach in virtually every conceivalbe manner, wrapping up the women's heptathlon with a program record 4810 points en route to a fifth-place overall finish in the competition. Throughout the heptathlon specifically, the sophomore set new personal bests in five of the seven events -- shot put, long jump, javelin throw, 200m Dash and the 800m -- while completely blowing the previous school mark (Dominique Harris -- 3785 pts, 2007) out of the water by over 1,000 points. Further, the Humble native also competed in the high jump in addition to serving as a late replacement on the women's 4x400m Relay team.
-- Meanwhile, Rijpstra locked down the Red & Gray's lone podium finish for the meet as the sophomore captured third overall in the women's 10,000m late on the first day of competition. Notably, the sophomore distance specialist executed a well-timed surge deep into the race, moving up from sixth to third during the final nine laps to secure the bronze medal. Additionally, the Dutch import also impressed during her other event, the women's 5,000m, as she managed a 10th-place showing, set a new personal outdoor mark and moved up to second overall on the school's all-time top 10 list.
-- Notably, freshman Megan Nevlud contributed two excellent performances in the long distance races as well, collecting 10th overall in the 1500m before -- later that same day -- notching ninth on the program's all-time top 10 list for the women's 5000m.
-- Over in the women's long jump, junior Chelsea Harrington managed to register some valuable points for the Colonels as she logged fifth overall for the event, vaulting a solid 5.87m.
-- On the men's side, senior Donnell Adair fought his way into the discus final by a slim margin, closing out the day with a top throw of 45.24m for a ninth-place finish.

UP NEXT
With the SLC Outdoor Championships concluded, the Red & Gray officially retire to offseason activities as preparations for next fall's cross country campaign begin in earnest.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Track & Field, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_XCTF), Instagram (@geauxcolonels) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls Athletics).