EL DORADO— Handing off the baton and jumping obstacles has worked really well for the Barton Community College men’s track team at the Region VI meet.

It was on the strength of three relay gold medals and three hurdle races (including the steeplechase) that propelled the Cougars to a third place effort at the meet. The Cougars were in a battle for first place but came up short as Coffeyville won the meet with 134 points, edging out Colby with 132.

Barton came in third with 121 points and Butler fourth at 110. It was a ways back to fifth where Cloud County finished with 80.

The Cougars won four events and took second in three more.

The lone individual gold was won by Deron Gordon in the 400m hurdles, winning in 51.65. Teammate Zodani Francois was third in 53.98. Gordon came in second in the 110m hurdles in 14.21 with Francois once again third in 14.47.

Devyn Brotherton also earned eight points for the Cougars with a second place effort in the 3000m steeplechase in 9:35.27.

The Cougars swept through the relays closing out the meet Saturday with a win in the 4x400m. Anthony Adderly, Deandre Henderson, Quick Stukes, and Micah Carey won the race in a time of 3:12.39. Earlier in the day Barton’s 4x100m team of Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi, Henderson, Mike Simmons, and Alex Richemond won their event in 40.36.

On Friday, the opening day of the meet, Anthony Forrest, Tyler Thornton, Stukes, and Sampson Laari won the 4x800m race in 7:37.22.

The Cougars other runner-up effort came in the javelin where Colby Overturf came in second with a throw of 183-9. He headlined a group of throwers that earned Barton 26 points during the meet.

Donald Daley was third in the hammer throw with a toss of 176-10. He joined Romario Antoine in scoring in the discus with Antoine taking fourth at 154-3 and Daley seventh at 150-9. Alireza Rafiei finished sixth in the shot with a put of 50-7.25 and Antoine was seventh at the same distance. Rafiei had a better second longest distance to break the tie and finish one spot ahead.

In the sprints Barton placed two in the 100m with a third missing out due to a disqualification. Richemond paced the Cougars with a third place effort in the finals at 10.467 to edge out Simmons who ran a 10.470 to place fourth. Adu-Gyamfi had the best qualifying time for Barton but was a DQ in the finals.

Richemond and Simmons also earned points in the 200m with Richemond finishing third in 21.02 and Simmons eighth in 21.46. Stukes placed fourth in the 400m in 47.59.

Barton also got points in the 1500m from Elder Colindres and Laari. Colindres was fifth in 4:06.79 and Laari seventh in 4:09.09.