As most competitive meets go, Sunday was no exception as the 2023 Region VI Indoor Championship team title came down to the final event as an untimely injury left the 6th ranked Barton Community College men's track and field team settling for a third place overall team standing.
The two-day competition boiled down to the 4x400m relay event at Pittsburg State University's Robert W. Plaster Center, Fort Scott edging Cloud County by .33 seconds in grabbing the team title accumulating 117 total points, just .50 points ahead of the T-Birds' runner-up.
Barton, who was leading the team total going into the final event, was dealt an unfortunate injury during the first leg of the race to fall behind the pack. Continuing to fight back through the remaining three baton handoffs, Barton crossed in the 6th overall position of the fourteen grouping race in sliding to the 3rd team overall placing with 114 points.
The Cougars posted 14 season or personal bests during the weekend and 20 scoring performances while making a pair of impacts in the program record book.
Fabian Campbell was the lone Cougar to grab an individual time, winning the 600m in 1:18.91 and nearly pulling off another title in the meet's second-to-last-event of the 1000m by clocking a 2:28.41 in coming up .29 seconds shy.
A pair of the personal bests occurred in the weight throw, the first coming from Brandon Lloyd's second place 19.12m (62-09.00) mark to tie Max Alonso' 2010 toss for 4th best in program history. Christopher Young's best placed 6th in the event at 16.93m (55-07.00).
In the grueling seven-event heptathlon stretching across two days, Jalen McGee set personal or season bests in three of the events, capturing three other events in scoring a program 3rd best 4369 to finish 5th overall. McGee would also set a new personal best long jump mark on his then fifth event of Saturday, marking a 7.30m (21-11.50) dent in the sand for a 3rd place. Returning Sunday for the final three events of the heptathlon, McGee would also later add a 4th place in the high jump before winding up his weekend on the 4x400m relay team.
Barton had a pair of 2-3-4 placings on Sunday, the first coming in the shot put with Young' 17.50m (57-05.00) bettering Christopher Crawford's 17.28m (56-08.25) and Lloyd's 16.37m (53-08.50).
Later in the day the feat occurred again in the 60m hurdles with Daqwon Wilson's 8.12 time edging out Jeramiah Martin's 8.15 and Devoy Pinnock's 8.17.
Elijah Mosley's bid for his second straight 400m indoor title was snatched at the finish line resulting in a .01 second loss by clocking a 47.27.
The Cougars conclude the indoor season in a couple of weeks competing at the 2023 NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships held March 3-4 at Washburn University's Athletic Facility in Topeka, Kansas.
Barton's Region VI Indoor Championship Results (Complete Results) (PR/PB = Personal record/best; NQ = Nationally Qualified; ANQ = Already Nationally Qualified)
60m: 5th Almond Small (6.87 *PB 6.79 in prelims **ANQ), 11th Aaron Charles (6.91 *ANQ)
60m Hurdles: 2nd Daqwon Wilson (8.12 *ANQ), 3rd Jeramiah Martin (8.15 *ANQ), 4th Devoy Pinnock (8.17 *8.13 in prelims **ANQ)
200m: 2nd Aaron Charles (21.17 *PB 21.14 in prelims **ANQ), 7th Elijah Mosley (21.67 *21.57 in prelims **ANQ), 8th Almond Small (21.69 *21.65 in prelims **ANQ)
400m: 2nd Elijah Mosley (47.27 *ANQ), 6th Jaden Howell (PB 48.73), 21st Manjot Singh (PB 50.02)
600m: CHAMPION Fabian Campbell (PB 1:18.91 *ANQ)
3000m: 6th Theo Leveque (8:46.10 *ANQ)
4x400m Relay: 6th 3:17.74 (Jalen McGee, Almond Small, Fabian Campbell, Elijah Mosley)
High Jump: 4th Jalen McGee (1.89m 6-02.50 *ANQ)
Long Jump: 3rd Jalen McGee (PB 7.30m, 21-11.50 *ANQ), 16th Massee Lindaye (SB 6.21m, 20-04.50)
Triple Jump: 16th Massee Lindaye (PB 12.94m, 42-05.50)
Weight Throw: 2nd Brandon Lloyd (PB 19.12m, 62-09.00 *T-4th program best **ANQ), 6th Christopher Young (PB 16.93m, 55-07.00 *ANQ), 10th Christopher Crawford (15.59m, 51-02.00 *ANQ)
Shot Put: 2nd Christopher Young (17.50m, 57-05.00 *ANQ), 3rd Christopher Crawford (17.28m, 56-08.25 *ANQ), 4th Brandon Lloyd (16.37m, 53-08.50 *ANQ)
Heptathlon:
5th Jalen McGee (PB 4369 points, 3rd program best)
- 2nd in 60m (PB 7.20, 813 points)
- 1st in Long Jump (6.69m, 741 points *ANQ)
- 10th in Shot Put (PB 9.81m, 474 points)
- 1st in High Jump (1.96m, 767 points *ANQ)
- 1st in 60m Hurdles (8.38, 888 points *ANQ)
- NH in Pole Vault (0 points)
- 6th in 1000m (SB 2:57.77, 686 points)