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Cougars grab third straight national runner-up trophy behind five event winners and three program records at NJCAA Indoor Championships #GoBarton

Barton men's track and field's Shakwon Coke with the national title triple jump at 2020 NJCAA Indoor Nationals in Lynchburg, VA.
Photo by KJ Jugar - NJCAA

Five event winners came from the Barton Community College men's track and field team over this past weekend as the Cougars finished runner-up at the 2020 NJCAA Indoor Championships held at the Liberty Indoor Track Complex in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Bringing home its third straight national runner-up trophy, the Cougars compiled 99.5 points as Iowa Central Community College's 118 points won the Triton's fourth title in five seasons with South Plains coming in third with 72.5 points.

The weekend not only produced the team accomplishment, the Cougars also had sixteen scoring performances highlighted by breaking three program records among its twenty-personal best with seven total record book adjustments.

Men's Field Athlete of the Meet Shakwon Coke won two of Barton's individual titles, launching program fifth best leaps in both the long jump (7.78m, 25-06.25) and triple jump (16.19m, 53-01.50).

The Cougars also earned three more championship performances on the track, highlighted by school record zipping around the curve effort from Caleb Boger in clocking a 200m time of 20.68 breaking the 2009 record from Olympian Alonso Edward by .01 seconds set at the 2009 indoor nationals.

Another Barton record fell by the wayside in the heptathlon event as Kaleb Ambrose continued his two-year career progression accumulating 4674 points in placing 5tth overall. The sophomore endured the seven events in two days posting personal or season bests in all but one including a 3.7m (12-01.50) pole vault climbing into the third slot of the Cougars' record book.

Earlier in the Saturday events, Davonte Burnett, who placed 4th in the 200m with a 21.05 clocking, added the 60m title to his resume with a winning time of 6.63, just .01 seconds off his program third best. Jhonny Renteria took 5th with a 6.79.

The Cougars' second title on Saturday following Coke's triple jump performance, was the continued dominance of 60m hurdler Phillip Lemonious. The program's third best all-time performer came shy of his 7.75 best but a 7.80 crossing the line was good enough for the title. Deshaun Jones wasn't far behind in 3rd place, cracking the program top ten list with identical 7.89 times in each of the preliminary and final rounds.

Heartbreak city occurred in Saturday morning's weight throw with Phillipe Barnett not only breaking his own school record on his first throw of 20.89 (68-06.50) but also broke the meet record in the process. Leading the field for five of the six rounds, a final toss from Andrei Romanov of 21.44m to better the mark pushed Barnett to the runner-up spot. Fabio Hessling also had a great event, moving into the program's seventh best spot with a personal best 18.61m (61-00.75) to place third behind Barnett.

Barton begins its outdoor season Saturday, March 21, at the TCU Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas.

Complete Barton Men Results:
60m: 1st Davonte Burnett (6.63) 3rd, 5th Jhonny Renteria (6.79, *6.76 in Prelims), 18th Caleb Boger (6.85)
200m: 1st Caleb Boger (SR/PB 20.68 *Program Record), 4th Davonte Burnett (21.05), 14th Denzel Feagin (PB 21.52)
400m: 15th Gamali Felix (PB 48.75), 18th Jevon O'Bryant (48.88), 23rd Ajani Murdaugh (49.83)
600m: 7th Tyrese Reid (1:20.81, *PB 1:20.59 in Prelims)
800m: 9th Tyrese Reid (2:03.96, *PB 1:55.58 in Prelims)
60m Hurdles: 1st Phillip Lemonious (7.80), 3rd Deshaun Jones (PB 7.89 in both Finals and Prelims *Program 10th best)
4x400m Relay: 3rd (3:12.93, Caleb Boger, Jevon O'Bryant, Denzel Feagin, and Gamali Felix)
Long Jump: 1st Shakwon Coke (PB 7.78m, 25-06.25 *Program 5th best), 7th Tyrone Treadwell (7.21m, 23-08.00), 12th Anderson Greaves (6.94m, 22-09.25)
Triple Jump: 1st Shakwon Coke (PB 16.19m, 53-01.50 *Program 5th best), 10th Tyrone Treadwell (14.01m, 45-11.75), 13th Colin James (13.52m, 44-04.25)
Shot Put: 3rd Fred Moudani (PB 16.85m, 55-03.50 *Program 9th best), 8th Logan Carroll (PB 15.86m, 52-00.50), 11th Alan de Falchi (PB 15.17m, 49-09.25)
Weight Throw: 2nd Phillipe Barnett (SR/PB 20.89m 1st throw….lost on last throw, 68-06.50 *Program Record), 3rd Fabio Hessling (PB 18.61m, 61-00.75 *Program 7th best), 11th Tyler Nelson (14.34m, 47-00.75)
Heptathlon: 5th Kaleb Ambrose (SR/PB 4673 *Program Record)
      60m: 3rd (T-SB 7.31), Long Jump: 5th (PB 6.51m, 21-04.25), Shot Put: 5th (PB 11.12m, 36-05.75); High Jump: 10th (1.73m, 5-8.00); 60m Hurdles: 4th (PB 8.54); Pole Vault: 8th (PB 3.70m, 12-01.50 *Program 3rd best); 1000m: 8th (PB 2:57.37)