LUBBOCK, TEXAS —The Barton Community College women’s track and field team took ninth at the NJCAA National Indoor Championships this past weekend.
The Cougars did crown a pair of national champions, winning both throwing events. Barton Janee Mickens won the shot put then took second to teammate Marcela Solano in the weight throw as those events totaled 28 of the Cougars 36 points. South Plains won the NJCAA Indoor title with 180.5 points, well ahead of runner-up Central Arizona. The Cougars were the highest placing team from the Jayhawk Conference in the meet. Butler, Cowley, and Cloud County were all right behind at 10th, 11th, and 13th.
Highlights
The Cougars scored nearly all the points in the field — mainly in those two throwing events. Mickens won the shot put by more than a full foot with her toss of 47-9 —14.25 inches ahead of second-place Elizabeth Ross of Hagerstown (Md). Mickens hit her big throw on her final attempt sitting fourth at the time behind Ross and two other throwers all bunched up tightly in the mid 46-foot range.
Mickens did likewise in the weight throw as well, passing two competitors on her final throw of 51-1 on the way to second place but it was enough to match the next to last throw of her teammate. Solano busted a 53-9 throw on her next-to-last effort taking her from a tie for the lead to at 50-11 to a huge lead on the rest of the field.
Sametra Kelly had a good meet for the Cougars jumping as she took third in the triple jump at 38-9, edging out four other jumpers with 38-foot jumps.
Barton’s 4x400m relay team of Asia Goodwin-Williams, Aarian Tipton, Melissa Groce, and Alese Forbes rounded out Barton’s scoring with a seventh-place effort in 3:55.83.
NJCAA NATIONAL INDOOR
TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Lubbock, Texas
Barton Community College results
WOMEN
4x400-meter relay — 7. 3:55.83 (Goodwin-Williams, Tipton, Groce, Forbes)
Triple jump — 3. Sametra Kelly 38-9
Shot put — 1. Janee Mickens 47-9
Weight throw —1. Marcela Solano 53-9; 2. Janee Mickens 51-1
Stats can be found at www.bartonsports.com
