Anytime a program record falls it's a special occasion. Last Thursday at the ESU relays, the program discus record fell twice with Cedricka Williams standing on top leading the Barton track and field team's highlights from the one-day meet hosted by Emporia State University.

Fellow freshman Ivanilda Semedo was the first to break the 2019 record of 53.15m (174-04) set by Fiona Richards, eclipsing the mark on her first toss by fourteen inches to lead the 33-competitor field at 53.49m (175-06).

The record would last two rounds in falling to second place on the program chart and at the day's meet as Williams flew past the mark by over six feet to set the new program standard at 55.39m (181-09) and mark the NJCAA's third furthest throw in history. Williams followed with another 55-meter mark (55.03m, 180-06).

Overall the women posted five personal bests with five top ten placers including adding four national qualifiers for the outdoor end of the year meet. On the men's side the Cougars posted six new bests with four top ten placers while adding a pair to its national qualifying lists.

Barton punched two of their national tickets in the 800m, three-time indoor national champion Sanae Hassnaoui beginning her outdoor season with an event winning time of 2:13.03 as Hamza Belkhalfi winning the men's with a time of 1:53.01.

Joining the trio of women qualifiers at the meet, the 4x100m tandem Chloe Perryman, Ashley Shaw, Keliza Smith, and Kay-Lagay Clarke punched their relay ticket with a 46.74 time in placing second by .08 seconds to Indian Hills.

The Cougar men's other qualifier came from the defending javelin national title holder Christopher Young in posting a 59.70m (195-10) stab in the ground to place 5th in the 28-man field.

Barton's next meet comes Friday and Saturday in Tuscaloosa competing in the Crimson Tide Invitational hosted by the University of Alabama.