Barton women with thirteen national qualifying track and field performances at Arkansas Spring Invitational
The Barton Community College women's track and field team had a great second outdoor performance weekend competing in the Arkansas Spring Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Held at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas, the Lady Cougars recorded thirteen national qualifying performances with seven top ten performances competing amongst eleven major universities including the No. 3 ranked host Razorbacks and two other top community colleges.
The Barton Community College women's track and field team had a great second outdoor performance weekend competing in the Arkansas Spring Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Held at John McDonnell Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas, the Lady Cougars recorded thirteen national qualifying performances with seven top ten performances competing amongst eleven major universities including the No. 3 ranked host Razorbacks and two other top community colleges.
The Lady Cougars were led by the top Javelin Throw of the day from multi-event super star Ayesha Champagnie throwing a nation leading 47.11m to win the event by over two meters while also placing fourth in the school record books behind her third place 47.57m set last week. Fellow freshman Michelle Tomlin also popped onto the school record book list at seventh place in setting the early national distance to beat in the Discus throwing a personal best 48.36m finishing third in the event.
Having six entered in the 400m, the Lady Cougars timed three national qualifying times with two personal bests coming from its sophomores. Rian Robinson led the way with a second place 54.65 joining Champagnie with the nation's best performance thus far in the early season while sophomore O'neisha Glover's personal best 56.12 finished fifth. Chenelle Ricketts finished just outside the top ten with a 56.80 national qualifying eleventh place. Sophomores Widline Lageroy legged out a 57.81 for seventeenth with Brooklyn Polk one spot behind clocking a personal best 57.88. Olivian Jackson rounded out the entries in twenty-third crossing the line in 1:02.46.
Also in the sprints, Sabrina Mason timed two national qualifying times finishing in fifteenth place in both the 100m and 200m clocking an 11.97 and 24.58 respectively.
Barton was also tough in the hurdles with four national qualifying performances. Barton went nine and sixteen in the 100m hurdles led by sophomore Tasha Frazier's personal best and nation leading 13.99 with Champagnie clocking a 14.87. In the 400m hurdles Tamara Style placed fifteenth in 1:04.20 while Brianna Payne was nineteenth in 1:06.88.
Sophomore Holly Pierce also had a good day not only enduring the grueling 3000m Steeplechase in a national qualifying time of 12:09.22 but also set a new personal best while recording the second best time in school history in the process.
The Lady Cougars also showed they are early hands down favorite to capture the 400m relay title as the tandem of Mason, Robinson, Glover, and Style set the national time to beat at 3.:43.85 finishing fourth in the event.
Having begun the season in Alabama and Arkansas, the Lady Cougars will stay in the state of Kansas for its next meet competing Friday at the Tiger Invite in Arkansas City.