The Barton Community College track and field program hauled in a number of post-season awards following the conclusion of the indoor season distributed by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
On the women's side Barton swept the National awards, three-time All-America performer Sanae Hassnaoui name the Track Athlete of the Year, shot put national champion Treneese Hamilton earning the Field Athlete of the Year, and Head Coach of the Cougars' 2024 NJCAA Indoor Title David Schenek being named the Women's Co-Coach of the Year.
The Cougars posted 28 All-America combined performances at the National Indoor Championships, the women capturing the College's 59th team title while the men placed 4th overall.
Prior to the indoor championships, USTFCCCA member coaches cast their votes for region awards with three Cougars receiving Central Region honors. Hassnaoui and Hamilton were named the Track and Field Athlete of the Year respectively on the women's side with men's thrower Christopher Young named the Central Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year.
Schenek's Cougars scored in eleven events with six national titles enroute to the 19th indoor championship crown in the women's program history. On the men's side the Cougars gave chase to national hardware behind the titles from Young and jumper Trevon Hamer, to go along with a trio of program all-time impacts but was outpointed down the stretch in its 4th placing.
A big part of the women's success was the thirty points from Hassnaoui with another eighteen points from Hamilton, along with the national titles from Chloe Perryman (Long Jump) and Keliza Smith (60m).
Hassnaoui won all three events entered at the national meet in Gainesville, Florida, the first coming in the 3000m by fifteen seconds on a 9:39.57 clock stoppage to record the NJCAA's 4th fastest time ever while breaking the program record by twelve seconds set in 1993 by Janice Turner.
In day two of the championships, Hassnaoui reset her Mile Run program top charter in a meet record 4:47.32 to win by nearly five seconds and the NJCAA's 2nd fastest all-time clocking.
Ninety minutes later the freshman was back on the track posting a 2:52.63 time in the 1000m for her third gold in moving up two spots on the program all-time best to 3rd place.
While Hassnaoui was dominating on the track, Hamilton was also making impacts in the throw events. On Friday the sophomore not only won the shot put competition but did so with a NJCAA second furthest all-time mark of 16.39m (53-9.25) to also break the program best heave by 3.5" over Kelsie Murrell-Ross' mark in 2003. Despite being overtaken in the third round of the weight throw, Hamilton posted another personal best in her final indoor competition as a junior college athlete with a 18.73m (61-05.50) spin-n-toss in moving up three spots on the program list to 3rd all-time.
At the Region VI Championships two weeks prior, Hassnaoui and Hamilton won both their events. Hassnaoui setting the 1000m meet record and capturing the 3000m in a then-program top-ten time while Hamilton's pair of personal bests took the shot put crown with a then-program 4th best throw and weight throw on a then-6th best toss.
Young earned his Central Region Field Athlete honor following a spectacular indoor season as the Region shot put runner-up and placing 4th in the weight throw. In the first meet of the year Young marked a program 2nd best shot put heave, set the Washburn Rust Buster meet record the next week, broke the school record in his third meet, and set personal bests throughout the year in the weight throw to finish in the program's top ten.
All-Americans (Women)
The Barton women accumulated fourteen All-America performances between seven Cougars at the Indoor Nationals led by Hassnaoui and Kay-Lagay Clarke's three national titles each.
Kay-Lagay Clarke: 60m Hurdles (3rd), Long Jump (6th), Triple Jump (3rd) – 15pts
Treneese Hamilton: Shot Put (1st), Weight Throw (2nd) – 18pts
Sanae Hassnaoui: 1000m (1st), 3000m (1st), Mile Run (1st) – 30pts
Chloe Perryman: Long Jump (1st) – 10pts
Keliza Smith: 60m (1st), 200m (2nd) – 18pts
Cedricka Williams: Weight Throw (6th) – 3rd
Jazmine Williamson: High Jump (2nd), Long Jump (5th) – 12pts
All-Americans (Men)
The Barton men totaled twenty All-America award performances between thirteen Cougars led by Adrian Nethersole's three honors and five additional multiple event placers.
Marshae McDonald: 4x400m Relay (6th) – 3pts
Hamza Belkhalfi: Distance Medley Relay (7th), 1000m (4th) – 7pts
Corlando Chambers: Distance Medley Relay (7th) – 2pts
Aaron Charles: 60m (6th), 200m (3rd) – 9pts
Jasiah Clapp: Distance Medley Relay (7th) – 2pts
Christopher Crawford: Weight Throw (3rd) – 6pts
Trevon Hamer: Long Jump (5th), Triple Jump (1st) – 14pts
Ricardo Hayles: Shot Put (6th) – 3pts
Jaden Howell: Distance Medley Relay (7th), 4x400m Relay (6th) – 5pts
Jeramiah Martin: 60m Hurdles (2nd) – 8pts
Adrian Nethersole: Distance Medley Relay (7th), 4x400m Relay (6th), 600m (7th) – 7pts
Christopher Young: Shot Put (2nd), Weight Throw (1st) – 18pts
Revon Williams: 4x400m Relay (6th) – 3pts