Lady Cougar track and field add four more national championships, place fifth overall at NJCAA Outdoor Championships

The Barton Community College women's track and field team placed fifth at the NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field National Championships held the past three days in Mesa, Arizona.  The fifth place finish follows a fourth place finish for Barton at the NJCAA Indoor Championships held in March.  The Lady Cougars scored 51 points as Female Athlete of the Meet Lydia Mato and Agnes Abu won a combined four events with Mato also picking up a second place finish, along with Elizabeth Evans placing sixth to earn Barton an additional three points.  

Winning every award possible in the indoor season, Lydia Mato added two more titles and a second place finish in the national outdoor season winning both the 10,000m and 5000m.  On Thursday Mato displayed her dominance in the long runs recording the third best time in school history winning the 10000m in 39:08.93.   Less than three hours after her epic 1500m race against Abu on Saturday, Mato blew away the field in winning the 5000m in 17:19.59, second in school history to her own 17:15.36 record set this season at the Kansas Relays.  Mato's impressive national championship resume now includes a 10000m outdoor title, both indoor and outdoor 5000m title, an indoor 3000m title, and an indoor 1 Mile Run title.  Additionally, Mato not only was voted the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Meet, but the freshman from Ghana also earned the honor for the outdoor season as well.

Just like at the NJCAA Indoor National Championships, Agnes Abu won both her races adding the outdoor 800m and 1500m titles to her impressive season.  Abu and teammate Mato controlled the 1500m race from the start with Abu pulling away for the title in eight best school history time of 4:39.62.  Mato's second place also made a dent in the school 1500m charts recording Barton's twelfth best time in 4:41.45.  

The performance of the meet for the Lady Cougars came in the 800m.  Returning to the track less than two hours from her 1500m title in the near hundred degree temperature, Abu wasn't expected to challenge for the 800m title.  Instead Abu controlled the race and despite being passed by South Plains in the last 70m, found a second gear to overtake for the victory.  Abu not only surpasses her personal best time by over two seconds, her 2:09.92 winning time was also the tenth fastest time in school history.

Adding to the Barton All-American list, Elizabeth Evans reached the podium placing sixth in the Discus Throw with a 42.25m throw.  Evans also competed in the Shot Put recording a personal collegiate best throw of 11.92 to place seventeenth.

Trenna Cox, who has improved each week as she continues to learn the event, posted another consecutive personal best throwing 29.05m to place seventeenth.

Shay-Ann Holness led the Lady Cougars in the 400m Hurdles edging out teammate Kiana Winston for seventeenth place, crossing the line in 1:05.01 with Winston coming in at 1:05.62.  Winston was the lone entry in the 100m Hurdles but a false start in the prelims eliminated her from competition.

In the jumps N'Kia Jones placed twelfth in the Triple Jump in 11.07m but did not compete in the scheduled long jump due to injury.

Modesty Lorick began the national championships on Thursday competing in the Heptathlon.  However Lorick suffered an injury in the event's first event and subsequently had to withdraw from the event, as well as, the 400m Hurdles on Friday.