Barton track and field program with forty-four All-American performances; tops in Region VI

The Barton Community College track and field team recorded a combined forty-four All-American performances recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).  The awards are earned finishing among the top eight in their events, including as a member of a relay team, accomplished at the 2017 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships held May 18-20 in Hutchinson, Kansas.  

The Cougar men had the second most amongst all the national teams with twenty-five with the Lady Cougars earning nineteen as the programs grabbed runner-up national finishes matching the accomplishments of the 2009 squads. 

The Cougars' twenty-five All-American performances accounted for 46% of the Region VI's fifty-four awards as the region hauled in 21% of the 248 national honors.  The Lady Cougars tied for third most among national competitors, accounting for 29% of Region VI's honors, leading the region to a 26.9% share of the national distinctions.

There were just three individuals on both the men's and women's side who earned four All-American statuses, with the Cougars earning two of those distinctions in sprinters Chedlin Sagesse and McKinely West.  The sophomores battled each other in both the 100m and 200m, with Sagesse getting the edge just ahead of West, as the duo went 2-3 in the 100m and 3-4 in the 200m.  Joining forces with freshmen Samson Colebrooke and Christian Lyon, the tandem placed third in the 4x100m relay before claiming their fourth All-American award in the final race of the Championships and last as a Cougar, teaming with Colebrooke and Kemarni Mighty for a third place 4x400m relay finish.

Barton also had five additional athletes collect three All-American performances each, one coming from the men's side with four coming from their female counterparts.  On the men's side, standout Ricky Nelson, Jr., closed out his Barton career with a national title in the discus throw after having begun the Championships with a fourth place finish in the hammer throw with a seventh place shot put placing sandwiched between.

On the women's side, the four Lady Cougars were amongst the twenty-one nationwide earning a trio of awards, with two coming from the sophomore class and two from the first year collegiate athletes.

Closing out her Barton career as owner of multiple school records and one of the most decorated athletes to don the Cougar uniform, Ayesha Champagnie dominated for two individual titles coming in the heptathlon and javelin before finishing her career with a seventh place in the 100m hurdles.

Chenelle Ricketts grabbed two runner-up finishes in the 400m and 4x100m relay before teaming up with fellow sophomore 400m standout Rian Robinson and freshmen Asjah Wallace and Keosha Sanders to walk out of Gowans Stadium with a national title in the 4x400m relay.

Sanders and Wallace were the remaining two individuals garnering the trio of awards as Sanders placed third in the 100m and Wallace fourth in the 400m hurdles, while adding a runner-up distinction with Ricketts and freshman Mahendra McWhite in the 4x100m relay to go along with the 4x4 title.

The freshman class of Lady Cougars earned eleven of the nineteen awards, while on the men's side, the sophomore class won the intrasquad battle earning fourteen of the twenty-five awards.

The awards and double runner-up finish close out a banner season for the Barton track and field program consisting of regional and national individual awards to go along with multiple school record breaking performances.  Nelson shattered the discus throw early in the outdoor season before breaking the hammer throw mark at the Region VI Championships while freshman Sanjae Lawrence continued his climb up the school chart before breaking the shot put record.   

Men: (Name, Yr, Event, Placing):
Samson Colebrooke (FR) – 4x100m Relay (3) and 4x400m Relay (3)
Stevon Crooks (SO) - Shot Put (5)
Denroc Dixon (SO) - Long Jump (4)
Bradley Fleurinord (FR) - Long Jump (6)
Jermaine Jones, Jr. (SO) - 110 Meter Hurdles (4)
Sanjae Lawrence (FR) - Shot Put (1) and Discus Throw (3)
Christian Lyon (FR) - 100 Meters (6) and 4x100m Relay (3)
Enrique Martinez (FR) – Hammer Throw (5)
Alvin McCray (FR) - High Jump (7)
Kemarni Mighty (FR) – 4x400m Relay (3)
Ricky Nelson, Jr. (SO) - Shot Put (7), Discus Throw (1), and Hammer Throw (4)
Chedlin Sagesse (SO) - 100 Meters (2), 200 Meters (3), 4x100m Relay (3), and 4x400m Relay (3)
Kevin Turner (SO) - 110 Meter Hurdles (7)
McKinely West (SO) - 100 Meters (3), 200 Meters (4), 4x100m Relay (3), and 4x400m Relay (3)

Women: (Name, Yr, Event, Placing):
Ed'Quisha Alvin (FR) - High Jump (8) and Heptathlon (3)
Ayesha Champagnie (SO) - 100 Meter Hurdles (7), Javelin (1), and Heptathlon (1)
Mirena Goncalves (FR) - 10,000 Meters (4)
Mahendra McWhite (FR) - 100 Meter Hurdles (2) and 4x100m Relay (2)
Chenelle Ricketts (SO) - 400 Meters (2), 4x100m Relay (2), and 4x400m Relay (1)
Rian Robinson (SO) - 400 Meters (4) and 4x400m Relay (1)
Keosha Sanders (FR) - 100 Meters (3), 4x100m Relay (2), 4x400m Relay (1)
Asjah Wallace (FR) - 400 Meter Hurdles (4), 4x100m Relay (2), 4x400m Relay (1)

A total of 178 men claimed the 248 All-American honors from 34 different institutions. South Plains (Texas) racked up a total of 31 to lead the way, followed by Barton's 25.  On the women's side, 160 different women earned 242 All-American honors from 28 different institutions with National champion New Mexico JC led by former Barton coach Keith Blackwill owning a nation-high 26 honors.

For more information regarding the All-American awards, visit the USTFCCCA website.