The Indoor track season continues to produce NJCAA qualifiers for the Barton Community College men’s track team with another dozen earning a spot this past weekend at the Masked Rider Open on the campus of Texas Tech University.
The Barton men now have more than 30 spots secured at the NJCAA Championship in one month.
The Masked Rider provided another quality field of competitors as the Cougars highest placing was sixth. And despite putting 12 more into the NJCAA only eight were Top 10 efforts at the meet.
Deandre Henderson, a sophomore from South Broward High School in Florida, placed in a pair of events. Henderson took sixth in the 55m dash in a time of 6.48. Henderson had to qualify through and opening round and the semifinal to earn a spot in the finals Friday.
Henderson was back on the track Saturday to take eighth in the 400m making the two trips around the oval in 48.38.
Also in sprints, Alex Richemond, a freshman from Georgia, placed ninth in the 200m in 22.04.
Deron Gordon took seventh in the 55m hurdles, going through the same grueling first round and semifinals as Henderson did in the 55m dash to earn a spot in the finals. Gordon ran a 7.57 in the finals.
Sampson Laari and Quick Stokes also earned top eight efforts on the track. Laari ran a 2:33.09 for seventh in the 1000m while Stokes ran 1:12.43 in the 600y run.
Donald Daley was the lone to eight finisher in the field for the Cougars as the freshman threw 53-01.75 for sixth in the shot put.
Barton still has two more meets before the Cougars turn focus to the Region VI and NJCAA meets. Barton will head to the University of Nebraska this upcoming weekend for the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at the Devaney Center. That is followed by a trip to the University of Arkansas and the always tough Tyson Invitational.
The Cougars will take place in the Region VI meet Feb. 19-21, then off to the NJCAA Indoor Championships the first week of March.