WICHITA— It isn’t often superstar Lydia Mato doesn’t cross the finish line first. But it did happen Friday at Cessna Stadium in Wichita. Mato took second in the 5000m at a very competitive KT Woodman Classic on the campus of Wichita State University.

Mato ran a very good time in the meet. Her time of 16:51.75 was the fourth best time in the NJCAA this season and her best time – although she has run the event just twice. But Oklahoma Baptist senior Hannah Fields ran a sterling 16:30.37 to beat her. No one else ran under 17:41.

Barton’s Katelynn Tuey was 20th overall in the 5000m with a 20:11.08.

Mato headlined a small group of Cougars to compete in Wichita over the weekend. In all Barton had 13 entrants with eight of them taking Top 10 finishes.

Both hurdlers brought home top five efforts with Tamara Style placing fourth in the 400m in 1:04.9 and Tasha Frazier finishing fifth in the 100m hurdles in 14.42. Barton’s other entrant jumping obstacles took seventh as Holly Pierce ran a 12:48.33 in the 3000m steeplechase for that placing.

Both field event competitors in the KT Woodman finished in the Top 10 as well. Bethany Bowman, still playing catch-up after her basketball season for the Cougars, took seventh in the high jump with a leap of 5-1. Trenna Cox was ninth in the javelin at 91-11.

O’Neisha Glover paced the sprinters for the Cougars, taking fifth in the 400m dash. Glover ran a 58.13 to medal. Widline Lageroy also had a top 10 effort, placing 10th in 58.88.

Elsewhere Danashka Lawrence was the only runner in the 100m and 200m where she ran 12.79 and 26.38. Julee McAtee ran a 2:38.62 in the 800m while Yazmin Rendon ran 6:04.73 in the 1500m.

The Cougars have one more meet before the Region VI Championships. Barton will get this weekend off before heading to the West Texas A&M Open April 24-25.