The Barton Community College track and field team recorded a combined thirty-five All-American performances recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) by virtue of finishing among the top eight in their events, including as a member of a relay team, at the 2016 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships held May 17-19 in Levelland, Texas. The Cougar men had the third most amongst the teams with nineteen finishing in eight place with forty-two points while the Lady Cougars ranked sixth most with sixteen honors leading to a fifty-two point sixth place national finish.
In earning 23% of the Region VI's eighty-two All-American performances, the Cougars' nineteen was tops within the region leading to 35% of Region VI's haul of the 232 awards. Barton's top award winner was sophomore Alex Richemond with three distinctions as the University of Southern Mississippi signee placed eighth in the 200m while helping the 4x100m relay team to a fourth place finish and the 4x400m relay team to a seventh place.
Eight of the nineteen Cougar honors went to freshman athletes led by the third place finishes from Jermaine Jones in the long jump, Adama Mbye in the triple jump, and Ricky Nelson in the discus throw.
The Lady Cougars were even more impressive compared to their Region VI counterparts taking 28.5% of the region's fifty-six All-American performances. As a whole the region didn't have quite the success as the men's side accumulating only 23.5% of the 238 awards.
Leading the sophomore women was the long jump national championship by Tasha Frazier. The Iowa State University signee just missed her second national championship by .31 seconds in her runner-up 100m hurdle placing after having led off the 4x100m relay team to a fifth place finish just an hour earlier in the day.
Ayesha Champagnie earned four of the freshman All-American performances including two national championships. The Kingston, Jamaica, native began the 2016 Championships capturing the heptathlon before beginning final day of action with a gold in the javelin. Champagnie also went on to take eighth in both the shot put and 100m hurdles earning a team high twenty-two points.
Men: (name, year, event, placing)
Anthony Adderly (SO) – 4x100m Relay (4) and 4x400 Relay (7)
Romario Antoine (SO) – Discus Throw (5)
Leon Boyd (SO) - Long Jump (7) and Triple Jump (7)
Stevon Crooks (FR) - Shot Put (8)
Donald Daley (SO) – Hammer Throw (6)
Jermaine Jones (FR) - 110 Meter Hurdles (3)
Adama Mbye (FR) - Triple Jump (3)
Ricky Nelson (FR) – Discus Throw (3) and Hammer Throw (7)
Alexander Richemond (SO) - 200 Meters (8), 4x100m Relay (4), and 4x400m Relay (7)
Chedlin Sagesse (FR) – 4x100m Relay (4)
McKinely West (FR) - 200 Meters (7) and 4x100m Relay (4)
Paul Willis (FR) – 4x400m Relay (7)
Jaquez Wilson (SO) - 4x400m Relay (7)
Women: (name, year, event, placing)
Ayesha Champagnie (FR) - 100 Meter Hurdles (8), Shot Put (8), Javelin (1), and Heptathlon (1)
Tasha Frazier (SO) - 100 Meter Hurdles (2), 4x100m Relay (5), and Long Jump (1)
O'neisha Glover (SO) – 4x100m Relay (5) and 4x400m Relay (6)
Widline Lageroy (SO) – 4x400m Relay (6)
Sabrina Mason (FR) – 4x100m Relay (5)
Brooklyn Polk (SO) – 4x400m Relay (6)
Chenelle Ricketts (FR) - 400 Meters (7)
Rian Robinson (FR) – 4x400m Relay (6)
Tamara Style (SO) – 4x100m Relay (5)
Michelle Tomlin (FR) – Hammer Throw (6)
Men's team national champion and host South Plains College led the All-American performances taking twenty-seven of the awards, four better than runner-up Iowa Central Community College, and eight ahead of Barton and Hinds Community College's nineteen.
Two former Barton coaches helped lead their teams to the top two women's performers. Nigel Bigbee, who is now an assistant coach at Iowa Central, saw his Triton women capture the national championship with twenty-nine All-American performances while head coach Keith Blackwill's New Mexico Junior College team finished runner-up with twenty-four All-American performances.
For a complete list of All-American performances, visit the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) website at www.ustfccca.org.