The Barton Community College men's track and field team finished placed fourteenth at the NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships wrapping up this past Saturday in Hutchinson, Kansas. Completed on a rain soaked Gowans Stadium after four hours of inclement weather delays, the Cougars finished with twenty-eight points as Barton placed in two of the relays while six athletes earned individual placings.
The Cougars grabbed eleven points in the field events led by Colby Overturf's fourth place finish in the Javelin. Still working on a new approach for the throw, Overturf marked a 55.34m (181-07) which still nearly reached his personal best set at the Region VI Championships two weeks prior. Barton also picked up two sixth place finishes in the throws, the first coming in Thursday's Hammer Throw as Donald Daley threw 52.24m (171-05) while fellow freshman Romario Antoine recorded a 45.33m (148-09) mark in the Discus.
Clemson University signee Deron Gordon picked up two All-American awards earning eight points in the hurdles. After recording a person best 14.06 in Friday's 110m Hurdle prelims, Gordon slipped one spot in the standings to seventh in finals clocking a slightly slower 14.54 in finals. Fellow hurdler Zodani Francois reached finals but ran into trouble on the second to last hurdle and was disqualified due to making contact with another hurdle. Recording the fastest prelim time in the 400m Hurdles, Gordon improved his prelim time despite the wet track conditions coming in third with a 51.27 time.
In the distance events Barton earned two sixth place finishes for six points. Freshman Devyn Brotherton looked to move up from his nation's fifth best performance in the 3000m Steeplechase but clipped a barrier late in the race. Recovering unscathed except for bruised pride, Brotherton championed out the rest of the race taking sixth in 9:47.35. Sampson Laari, a seventh place 1500m qualifier in Friday's prelims, moved up one spot in the finals taking sixth in 3:56.67. The time was four seconds slower than his school seventh best time but did record an eleventh best time in school history.
Barton got three points in the relays as the 4X400m Relay team of Anthony Adderly, Deandre Henderson, Alexander Richemond, and Francois closed out the 2015 meet being edge out at the wire for a seventh place finish of 3:14.80. Earlier in the day the Cougars earned an eight place 4X800m Relay finish as the team of Anthony Forrest, Elder Colindres, Brady Holler, and Tyler Thornton recorded a 7:56.28 time.
Complete results can be found here.