Nicholls, Mitchell and Hickman Supply Positive Performances At Southern Miss Open

Hattiesburg, Mississippi- Throwers Nicholas Mitchell and Emma Hickman and sophomore high hurdler Michael Nicholls were the highlighters for the University of New Orleans track and field teams at the Southern Miss Open Track and Field Meet in Hattiesburg, Mississippi last weekend.
 
Nicholls, the defending Southland Conference champion in the 110-meter high hurdles, won the event in Hattiesburg in 14.02 seconds as he prepares to defend his conference crown later this month at the Southland Conference Track and Field Meet here in New Orleans.
 
From Bridgetown, Barbados, he also finished ninth in the 200-meter dash with a clocking of 21.23, 27-hundreths of a second behind the top time in the Southland Conference this year.
 
Hickman set a school mark in the hammer throw with an effort of 142' 10", moving her among the top 12 performers in the conference.  Mitchell, a freshman from Chicago, placed second in the shot put setting a school record with a heave of 54' 8''.
 
"When you come from high school throwing 47 feet with a 12-pound ball to 54 feet with a 16-pound ball, that doesn't really happen," says Eric Flores, UNO assistant track and field coach.  "Nick is a rare young athlete who's a hard worker and really puts everything out there."
 
The Chicago native continues to recover from a dislocated index finger suffered during the indoor season.
 
"That injury took him off the cycle for throwing for about two months.  We made a slow comeback, played it safe and now we're thriving," said Flores.
 
Mitchell's performance in Hattiesburg is the seventh best performance in the Southland Conference this season.
 
The next time New Orleans will hit the track will be the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 12-15 at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park in New Orleans.  It will mark the first time UNO will host the conference track and field championships.
 
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