Hang another banner, Barton Men's Track and Field team captures National title; Lady Cougars with fourth place national placing #GoBarton

The Barton Community College men's track and field team captured the 2018 NJCAA Outdoor Championship Saturday, earning the College's 56th national title with a 15.5 point victory at the BG Products Veterans Sports Complex in El Dorado, Kansas. Like the men's pre-championship ranking of No. 2, the Lady Cougars also bettered their No. 5 ranking by finishing tied for fourth.

Having lost the indoor title on the final race of the day back in March, Saturday's final event was a four lap victory stroll as the Cougars had the title wrapped up with the completion of the three-day event's second to last race in the 5000m.

Barton had built a 19.5 point margin headed to the 5k with national runner-up South Plains College having three competitors in the race. As each of the thirteen laps were completed, the roar from the Barton contingent grew as South Plains would score just two points in sending the Cougars to its first outdoor national crown since 2004 and its first national title since the 2010 indoor championship. The victory also snapped an impressive eleven straight titles for the Texans beginning in 2006 season as Barton finished with 128 points to South Plains 112.5.

The Lady Cougars had more suspense going into their final 4x400m relay race, trailing South Plains for the fourth spot by two points. Getting off to a two second lead from Nijah Roberson and Latoya Stewart's laps, Azan Sargusingh and Cadeebra Calcote held off the Texans for the final two in clocking a one second margin at 3:39.19 for the national runner-up placing for eight points to move into the fourth place overall tie.

Men's Coach of the Year David Schenek saw his two squads capture four gold medals to go along with two new school records.

The Jamaican sophomore duo of Amanda Carty and Fiona Barnes won the Lady Cougars' two national championships, with Carty getting Barton off to a ten point start on Thursday. Voted Barton's most inspirational female athlete at the 2018 Athletic Banquet earlier in the month, Carty led from the beginning uncorking a solid 5.89m first leap before shattering her career best on her next run with a 6.25m (20-06.25) winning jump.

Barnes led after the first day of competition, matching a season best 1.60m in the high jump, before concluding the four event day with career bests in winning the shot put with a 10.80m (35-05.25) mark and a third place 25.35 in the 200m. Winning the long jump to begin Friday's three events, Barnes chalked up another career best effort with a 24.15m (79-03) javelin throw before falling .08 seconds shy of a personal best in the 800m to win the title accumulating a 4366 for a new career high total.

The shot put provided multiple highlights for Coach Schenek's throwing squad, including a national championship and school record by Sanjae Lawrence. Already the school record holder, the Florida State University signee solidified his name atop the chart with an 18.55m (60-10.50) mark. Fellow Jamaican Kevin Nedrick gave Barton six more points with a 17.17m (56-04.00) throw.

On the women's side, 1.25 inches separated Illinois freshman Latavia Maines from a national title but the Illinois freshman left the ring with a big smile in breaking the school record of Cassandra Lee set in 2003 by over a foot and a half with a new chart topping 16.46m (54-00.00).

In one of the most exciting races of the weekend, the men's 4x100m relay team of Christian Lyon, Terence Ware, Samson Colebrooke, and anchorman Dartez Hamlin seized the title on the final leg as Hamlin brought the Cougars from behind to edge out the field in a winning season best 39.78 time.

Complete 2018 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Championship results

Men's Standings and Points:
1 Barton County CC 128
2 South Plains 112.5
3 Cloud County CC 67
4 Western Texas College 63
5 Central Arizona 51
6 Hinds CC 49
7 Iowa Central CC 48
8 Trinidad State JC 32
9 Hutchinson CC 28
10 Meridian CC 25
10 Iowa Western CC 25
12 Coffeyville CC 23.5
13 Paradise Valley 21
13 Allen County CC 21
15 Cowley College 20
16 Gillette 18
16 Asa Miami 18
18 Colby CC 16
18 Mesa CC 16
20 Arkansas Baptist 11
21 Coahoma CC 9
22 Monroe College 8
22 Pima CC 8
24 Vincennes 7
25 Butler CC 6.5
26 Indian Hills CC 5
26 Louisburg College 5
28 Glendale CC 4.5
29 Southwestern CC 4
30 DuPage 2
30 Highland CC 2
32 Hagerstown CC 1
32 Hawkeye CC 1

Women's Standings and Points:
1 New Mexico JC 139
2 Central Arizona 98
3 Iowa Central CC 95
4 Barton County CC 67
4 South Plains 67
6 Cloud County CC 48
7 Western Texas College 45
8 Asa Miami 44
9 Butler CC 28
10 Cowley College 25
11 Highland CC 23
12 Vincennes 21
13 Essex CC 20
14 Hinds CC 18
15 Arkansas Baptist 16
16 Iowa Western CC 12
16 Meridian CC 12
18 Southern Idaho 11
19 Monroe College 10
19 Allen County CC 10
21 Coffeyville CC 9
22 Pima CC 8
23 Colby CC 7
24 Mesa CC 5
25 Hutchinson CC 4
26 Garden City CC 3
27 Hagerstown CC 2
27 Indian Hills CC 2
27 Trinidad State JC 2
30 Cuyahoga CC 1
30 Paradise Valley 1
30 Dodge City CC 1