Late points drop Barton men out of trophy race, Cougars place 4th at NJCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships #GoBarton

In the running for a top three trophy until the final two of twenty-two events, the Barton Community College men's track and field team had to settle for 4th place overall Saturday at the conclusion of the 2024 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Championships held at the University of University of Louisiana Monroe.

Trying to hold on down the stretch heading into the 5000m, Iowa Western leaped over the Cougars by putting thirteen points on the scoreboard with Barton sliding to the fourth position despite earning two points in the Championships' final 4x400m relay.

Barton captured three individual national championships among their 14 scoring performances for a 76 total, 2.5 points ahead of Indian Hills but twelve behind the Reivers for a top three trophy. South Plains took the title with 116 points in being followed by New Mexico Junior College's runner-up 107 points.

Christopher Young led all male and female performers with 34 total points, twelve ahead of the nearest competitor, by winning two of his four events along with a runner-up and third place finish.

Arguably one of the, if not the, most versatile and top throwers in Barton program history, Young popped into the program's hammer throw top ten at No. 9 by unleashing a personal best 56.61m (185-08) mark on his third attempt to win Thursday's event by ten inches. Christopher Crawford, who also had a decorated and program impact two-year career, returned from a mid-season injury and nearly two months away from competition, tallied another four points for the Cougars in placing 5th with a personal best 52.49m (172-02.00) throw.

On Friday, Young led another 14-point outburst by the Cougars' throwing crew in the shot put by marking a personal best 18.76m (61-06.75) in the fifth round to just miss the program record by 1 inch in posting the NJCAA's 7th all-time furthest throw. Crawford, who owns the fifth best throw in program history, placed 6th on the day (17.17m, 56-04.00) with freshman Ricardo Hayles earning the Cougars another point with an 8th place personal best mark of 16.97m (55-08.25).

Moved up a day due to Thursday's heavy rain, Young and all discus competitors were the last in action Friday evening at the historic Brown Stadium/Groseclose Track. Piling up another 13 points in the event, Young led the program's top-four all-time trio with a 3rd place (57.42m, 188-04.00) with Hayles placing 5th (55.73m, 182-10.00) and Crawford in 6th (54.81m, 179-10.00).

Young began Saturday's final day of competition with a runner-up placing in the javelin, twelve feet short of his program 3rd best mark, recording a season best 63.23m (207-05) stab in the ground.

As Young piled up points to lead all male and female competitors, Trevon Hamer made a name for himself placing third in the Field MVP race with 15 points. The first five points came on a 4th place in Thursday's long jump on a personal best 7.47m (24-06.25) leap before concluding with an individual national championship in Saturday's triple jump on a 15.90m (52-02.00) mark to move into 9th on the program all-time best achievement list.

Overall the Cougars compiled 64 points in the field events with the other twelve coming in the relays.

Two of the relays placed 4th, the 4x800m squad, who clocked a program second best time earlier of the season, comprised of Hamza Belkhalfi, Adrian Nethersole, Corlando Chambers, and Jasiah Clapp clocked a 7:36.48 on Thursday with Saturday's 4x100m relay squad of Jayden Singleton, Revon Williams, Malachi Carter, and Wanyae Belle clocking a 40.41 time.

Earning Barton's final two points across the three days of competition, Nethersole, Williams, Manjot Singh, and Chambers placed 7th in the concluding 4x400m relay in a time of 3:15.39.

Barton also had a pair of near misses to earn points, Belle coming up .01 seconds shy of the 200m finals with a 9th place 21.01 time as Singh crossed .33 seconds out of the 400m hurdle placings on a personal best 53.84 clocking.

Barton's NJCAA Division I Outdoor Championship Results (Complete Results): (PR/PB = Personal record/best; SB = Season Best)
100m: 15th Wanyae Belle (10.67)
110m Hurdles: 10th Bryce Southerland (14.34), DNF Jeramiah Martin
200m: 9th Wanyae Belle (21.01 * Missed finals by .01 secs), DNF Aaron Charles
400m: 20th Revon Williams (48.01), DQ Jaden Howell
400m Hurdles: 9th Manjot Singh (PB 53.84 *Missed finals by .31secs), 17th Jayden Singleton (55.91)
800m: 10th Hamza Belkhalfi (SB 1:52.08), 22nd Corlando Chambers (1:53.40), DQ Adrian Nethersole (*Already has 10th Program Best)
Long Jump: 4th Trevon Hamer (PB 7.47m, 24-06.25)
Triple Jump: CHAMPION Trevon Hamer (PB 15.90m, 52-02.00 *9th Program Best)
4x100m Relay: 4th 40.41 (*40.27 Prelims) (Jayden Singleton, Revon Williams, Malachi Carter, Wanyae Belle)
4x400m Relay: 7th 3:15.39 *3:12.07 Prelims (Adrian Nethersole, Revon Williams, Manjot Singh, Corlando Chambers)
4x800m Relay: 4th 7.36.48 (Hamza Belkhalfi, Adrian Nethersole, Corlando Chambers, and Jasiah Clapp *Already has 2nd Program Best)
Hammer Throw: CHAMPION Christopher Young (PB 56.61m, 185-08.00 *9th Program All-Time Best), 5th Christopher Crawford (PB 52.49m, 172-02.00), DNP Boris Peranovic (Foul)
Shot Put: *14pts earned CHAMPION Christopher Young (PB 18.76m, 61-06.75 *Misses program record by 1 inch, 7th #NJCAA All-Time), 6th Christopher Crawford (17.17m, 56-04.00), 8th Ricardo Hayles (PB 16.97m, 55-08.25)
Discus Throw: 3rd Christopher Young (57.42m, 188-04.00), 5th Ricardo Hayles (55.73m, 182-10.00), 6th Christopher Crawford (54.81m, 179-10.00)
Javelin: Runner-Up Christopher Young (SB 63.23m, 207-05)