Alencar Pereira of the Barton Community College men's track and field team has been named the NJCAA Division I National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Opening the outdoor season with his fellow thrower teammates this past Saturday at the Texas Christian University Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, Pereira not only shattered the program hammer throw record but marked the second-best performance in NJCAA history with a ground denting 65.71m (215-7) throw.

Exceeding the 61.13m (200-07) record set last season by Enrique Martinez on each of his six times in the ring, Pereira inked the program's top spot on his fourth throw of the day in going on to capture the meet by over six yards.

Overall the freshman's performance ranks as the fifth best this season across all levels of collegiate competition while coming just a few centimeters shy of his personal all-time best.

Pereira joins Ricky Nelson's 2017 honor in just the second Barton male to be recognized in the national weekly outdoor honor with Lydia Mato's 2015 achievement the lone female.

The throwing crew with Pereira and the rest of his male and female teammates will next head to Emporia on Saturday for the Emporia State University's Spring Invite set to begin at noon.