Track and field is all about marks. Most important at this time of the year for the Barton men’s track are marks to earn a spot at the NJCAA Championships. The earlier you can hit those marks the better.
In the first meet out this past weekend, several of those marks were hit at the Bill Easton Classic at the Anschutz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Kansas. The Cougars qualified nine for the NJCAA Championships in March.
Eight different individuals hit the qualifying standards in six events. In addition the 4x400m relay earned a spot.
Barton had two qualifiers in the triple jump and weight throw. Leon Boyd and Adama Mbye both finished in the top four the triple jump with qualifying marks. Boyd hit the 50-foot plateau at 50-8 for second place while Mbye jumped 47-3 for fourth. Boyd’s jump was just 1/4 inch from the winning leap and well past the 45-5.25 mark needed.
In the weight throw Donald Daley and Ricky Nelson both easily topped the required mark of 48-5. Daley was third with a throw of 54-11.5 and Nelson fifth at 51-4.5.
The highest finish in the throws belonged to Stevon Crooks. Crooks took second in the shot put with an effort of 52-2.25 – also a qualifying mark. Nelson took fifth (47-11.25) and Daley eighth in the shot (44-11) but under the needed mark of 48-2.
Barton added four qualifying marks on the track – three individuals and the relay team. Freshman sprinter McKinley West was third in the 60m in 6.84. That was faster than the 6.87 needed. Also placing but not qualifying for the national meet yet for Barton in the 60m was Chedlin Sageese at 6.95 (6th) and Paul Kinney at 6.96 (7th).
Jermaine Jones finished fifth in the 60m with an 8.41 to earn his spot at the NJCAA meet. It just beat the 8.54 needed.
Devyn Brotherton earned a spot at the NCJAA meet with an 8:54.55 in the 3000m.
Barton capped off the meet with the 4x400m team qualifying with its runner-up finish to Kansas. KU won the last event of the day with a 3:18.54 while the Cougars’ Anthony Adderly, Alex Richemond, West, and Micah Carey were second in 3:19.44.
Several Cougars had top eight finishes at the meet but didn’t get a qualifying mark. In the field, Sageese was third in the long jump at 22-7.75. He needs to reach 22-9.
On the track, Tyler Thornton ran a 1:59.72 in the 800m for third while Anthony Forrest was seventh in 2:02.4. The mark needed is 1:57.83. Barton also placed two in the 600y with Jaquez Wilson third (1:12.65) and Shakoy Burton fifth (1:14.56).
In the 400m Paul Willis was fourth in 50.49 and in the 200m Kinney ran a 22.42 for fourth.
Barton will head to the Holiday Inn Invitational on the campus of the University of Nebraska this weekend in Lincoln.