Earning praise in the heptathlon for the Barton women’s track team takes some doing. After all, Olympic silver medalist Hyleas Fountain is among the alumni for the Cougars. And she doesn’t even have the school record.
But Jamaican freshman Ayesha Champagnie is earning that praise. After breaking the NJCAA record in the pentathlon indoors, Champagnie competed in her first heptathlon of the outdoor season this past weekend and definitely left her mark.
In fact, a stadium mark. She set the record at the West Texas A&M Track and Field Complex with her gold medal total of 5397 points at the West Texas A&M Classic and Multi. That was more than 800 points ahead of second place. That is the third best mark in the history of Barton.
Lisa Wright holds that record at 5687 set in 1996, just ahead of the 5673 by Fountain in 2002. Champagnie’s mark is the highest total ever for a freshman at the school.
Champagnie started Friday in dominate fashion – winning all four events. She captured the 100m hurdles in a time of 14.12 for 961 points. That was followed by a leap of 5-3.75 in the high jump for first and a total of 759 points.
She won the shot put by five feet with a toss of 44-8.75 for another 769 points. The day ended with a 25.32 to win the 200m for 858 points.
Saturday started with a runner-up effort in the long jump at 18-5.75 for 738 points then followed with her fifth win – a 140-10 throw of the javelin for 724 points. She finished the day in her weakest event – a third place finish in the 800m at 2:38.69 worth 588 points.
Michelle Tomlin also had a good meet with a second place finish in the hammer throw at 164-6 and a third place showing in the shot put at 45-1.5. Tomlin is qualified in both for the NJCAA Championships.
Tasha Frazier had a silver in the field as well, taking second in the long jump at 19-5.25 – an NJCAA qualifying mark. Tasha Lawrence was sixth in the triple jump at 32-8.25.
On the track, Brianna Payne took third in a both hurdles races and punched her ticket to the NJCAA Championships in the process. Payne ran a 14.85 in the 100m hurdles and a 1:06.33 in the 400m.
O’Neisha Glover became the third Cougar to cement a spot at the NJCAA’s with her 24.48 time in the 200m for 7th. Chenelle Rickets joined a large group qualified in the 400m with her fifth place time of 56.8. Widline Lageroy was seventh in 57.67.
Rian Robinson placed sixth in the 100m with a 12.17 but that was just short of the 12.08 needed for to qualify for the NJCAA meet.
The 4x100m relay team finished fourth and qualified as Robinson, Frazier, Sabrina Mason and Tamara Style ran a 46.75.
The Cougars are back to work this weekend with the KT Woodman in Wichita and the Red Raider Open in Lubbock, Texas.