The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced their outdoor awards with the Barton Community College track and field team earning a haul of top distinctions along with the nation's second most 41 All-America merits.
National Athletes and Coaches of the Year are voted on by member coaches after the championship meet while the Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year were voted on prior to the championship meet.
Student-athletes earned USTFCCCA All-America honors by virtue of finishing among the top-8 of their respective individual events, including as a member of a relay, at the 2021 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships held May 11-13 in Levelland, Texas.
Shakwon Coke - National Men's Field Athlete of the Year and Central Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year
A two-time USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week, Coke was named not just the Central Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year but also was named the National award winner following a phenomenal season going down as arguably one of the best horizontal jumpers in Barton history.
The native of Kingston, Jamaica, was a two event outdoor champion, winning the long jump at 7.58m (24-10.25) and the triple jump at 15.51m (50-10.75).
During the regular season, Coke recorded the third-best long jump effort in NJCAA history of 8.16m (26-9.25), second all-time on the Barton program list behind Olympian Walter Davis' effort in 2000.
On the triple jump runway, Coke hit the fourth-best, all-conditions triple jump mark in NJCAA history at 16.70m (54-9.50). The mark is also fourth on the program's all-time list and again behind a host of talented Olympians Leevan Sands, LeJuan Simon, and Davis.
Head Coach David Schenek - National Men's Coach of the Year and Central Region Men's Coach of the Year
In his 14th year as head coach, Schenek led his team to a share of the 2021 NJCAA Division I Outdoor national title earning the College's 58th overall team championship. The Cougars progressed throughout the season, moving up the national charts in taking the Region VI title along the way in setting eight facility records and winning ten of the events to take over the nation's top spot in the rankings prior to the national championships. Schenek's Cougars then claimed a trio of titles in Levelland amongst its fourteen scoring performances, including four national runner-up placings, to share the title with host South Plains.
Trent Edgerton - National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year and Central Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year
Edgerton's second season as an assistant coach again produced big results helping Barton obtain the men's program 9th national title. Edgerton's efforts helped the Cougars produce a national champion and five runner-ups including both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams in generating 49 points towards Barton's winning team total. The performances followed up the efforts two weeks prior at the Region VI Championships where Edgerton's athletes piled up 96 points in winning every event shorter than 800 meters powering the Cougars to their 23rd region outdoor title.
Lashanna Graham – Central Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year
Graham had a tremendous spring in not only breaking the program 400m hurdle record but doing so three times in setting the top time at 57.37 to also place her at No. 3 in NJCAA history earning the April 2th USTFCCCA National Women's Athlete of the Week award.
Taking the hurdles out of the mix, the freshman from Clarendon, Jamaica, is also a blur around the oval in clocking a nation's second best time of 2021 while anchoring the nation's second-fastest 4x400m relay heading into the national championships at 3:44.37.
Nia Robinson – Central Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year
Robinson, along with fellow freshman Annia Ashley, gave Barton a dynamic 1-2 punch as the pair pushed each other throughout their long jump, triple jump, and high jump practices and performances. Robinson's accomplishments up to the national championships, including the USTFCCCA National Women's Athlete of the Week May 4th award, earned the native of Lucea, Jamaica, the Central Region field honors.
It took Robinson just her second long jump at the Region VI Championships to take the title while also soaring her way to the top of the program record chart with a No. 3 NJCAA all-time mark of 6.56m (21-6.25). Robinson also triple jumped into the program 9th spot at 12.58m (41-3.25) to rank third nationally headed to the national championships while her 1.66m (5-5.25) high jump ranked fourth best in 2021 spring performances.
Jason Martin – Central Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year
It's not often a third assistant for a program gets the recognition they deserve but the performances from Martin's Cougars were hard to overlook. In just his second year coaching the jumps and combined events, Martin's athletes combined to sweep three top spots on the national leaderboard headed in to the national championships. Nia Robinson led both the long jump and triple jump and Annia Ashley was tied at the top of the regional high jump list and tied for No. 2 nationally. Martin's jumpers were dominant at the Region VI meet, going 1-2-3 in long jump, 1-2 in the triple jump and 1-2 in the high jump in piling up 60 points in just those three events.
All-America Merits (Women)
Eleven Barton women compiled a nation third most 21 All-America performances at the National meet, led by Nia Robinson's four while Lashanna Graham and Jada Sewell produced three each.
Annia Ashley: High Jump (6th)
Sasha Brown: 4x400m Relay (5th)
Ana da Silva: Shot Put (Champion)
Jayda Dillon: 4x100m Relay (5th), 4x400m Relay (5th)
Lashanna Graham: 400m (3rd), 400m Hurdles (Champion), 4x400m Relay (5th)
Kayan Green: 800m (Champion), 4x400m Relay (5th)
Ashanti Harvey: 100m Hurdles (8th)
Ayesha Nelson: 100m Hurdles (5th), 4x100m Relay (5th)
Shemia Odaine: 4x100m Relay (5th)
Nia Robinson: High Jump (2nd), Long Jump (2nd), Triple Jump (4th), 4x100m Relay (5th)
Jada Sewell: Shot Put (7th), Discus Throw (6th), Hammer Throw (8th)
All-America Merits (Men)
Thirteen Barton men compiled a nation second most 20 All-America performances at the National meet, led by Caleb Boger's four with fellow sprinter Denzel Feagin earning three behind an individual championship and two national runner-up placings.
Caleb Boger: 100m (4th), 200m (2nd), 4x100m Relay (2nd), 4x400m Relay (2nd)
Telron Bradford Jr.: 4x400m Relay (2nd)
Glenith Calvin III: Long Jump (6th)
Shakwon Coke: Long Jump (Champion), Triple Jump (Champion)
Denzel Feagin: 100m (2nd), 200m (Champion), 4x100m Relay (2nd)
Gamali Felix: 4x400m Relay (2nd)
Giovanni Gutierrez: Shot Put (4th)
Ja'Kwan Hale: 4x400m Relay (2nd)
Fabio Hessling: Hammer Throw (2nd)
Fred Moudani: Shot Put (2nd)
Jevon O'Bryant: 4x100m Relay (2nd), 4x400m Relay (2nd)
Tyrese Reid: 800m (2nd)
Almighty Williamson: 110m Hurdles (7th), 4x100m Relay (2nd)