HUTCHINSON— It wasn’t the finish the Barton Community College men’s track and field team had hoped for. The Cougars spent most of the season ranked in the Top 5 in the nation but ended up 14th at the NJCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson.

The Cougars scored 28 points during the meet led by Deron Gordon in the hurdles. South Plain College (Texas) won their ninth straight outdoor title with 162.5 points with Central Arizona coming in a distant second at 101. Iowa Central finished third with 62.

The top Jayhawk Conference school was Coffeyville in fifth with 47. Cloud County and Butler both finished in the top 10, tied for ninth at 34 points.

Gordon posted the highest finish, taking third in the 400m hurdles. Gordon came into the meet with the best time and ran the top time in the prelims. In the finals, though, Gordon, who will attend Clemson next season, took third in a close battle for the championship.

Kyle Robinson of South Plains won with a 50.97 followed by Central Arizona’s Ruebin Walters in 51.18. Gordon ran a 51.27 for third.

Gordon took seventh in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.54. Teammate Zodani Francois was disqualified on the next to last hurdle.

Barton scored points in two other individual events on the track as Sampson Laari and Devyn Brotherton both finished sixth. Laari took sixth in the 1500m with a time of 3:56.67 and Brotherton sixth in the 3000m steeplechase in 9:47.35. Brotherton took sixth despite falling during the event.

In the field Barton scored points in three events.

Colby Overturf led the throwers with a fourth place finish in the javelin. Overturf threw 181-7 for his fourth place finish. Donald Daley was sixth in the hammer throw with a toss of 171-5 and Antoine Romario was sixth in the discus at 148-9.

The Cougars were counting on big points from their relay teams but that didn’t pan out.

Both the 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams took the best time in the nation into the meet but neither could finish higher than seventh.

The 4x400m team of Anthony Adderly, Deandre Henderson, Alex Richemond, and Micah Carey took seventh in 3:14.8. The 4x800m team of Anthony Forrest, Elder Colindres, Brady Holler and Tyler Thornton was eighth in 7:56.28.

The 4x100m relay team just missed a spot in the finals with a ninth place finish in the prelims.