The first meet of the season is always a bit of a nervous time. Just seeing how each individual reacts to finally getting on the track and field and performing. That was the case for the Barton Community College men’s track and field team as it opened up its indoor season at the Air Force Collegiate Open in Colorado Springs.
With most of the competition 4-year schools, the Cougars were as focused on who could put up a time or distance that would qualify them for the NJCAA Indoor Championships to end the indoor season.
“We has several kids that were qualifiers this weekend,” Coach Dave Schenek said. “It was a good start for us but I feel like we left quite a few qualifying times on the table as well.”
Deron Gordon was the highest individual placer for the Cougars on the day with a third place finish in the 60m hurdles. The Florida freshman ran an 8.27 just missing second place. Zodani Francis also placed in the 60m hurdles for Barton with an 8.4.
The lone Cougars to earn a pair of top five efforts was Alex Richmond. The freshman from Georgia was fifth in both the 60m and long jump. Richmond ran a 6.93, edging out teammate Shadrack Adu-Gyamfi who was sixth in 9.95. Richmond also took fifth in the long jump with a leap of 21-5 1/4.
Mike Simmons had a good day sprinting as well as the sophomore from Alabama ran a 22.07 good for fourth in the 200m. He was joined in the top 10 by Quick Stokes, who took eighth in 22.26.
Also on the track Barton was first and second in the Mile Relay with the ‘A’ quartet winning in a time of 3:23.47 the ‘B’ group taking second in 3:26.25.
Rounding out Top10 efforts on the track for Barton was Tony Perez seventh in the 800m in 2:00.4 and Anthony Forrest ninth in 2:03.13. Kennedy Mayweather was ninth in the 400m with a time of 50.56.
In the field freshman Alireza Rafiei took seventh in the shot put with a 49-10.5 effort. Donald Daley had a pair of 10th place finishes in the throws. Daley was 10th in shot at 47-1 as well as in the weight throw with a toss of 45-5.
Barton will head to the Holiday Inn Invitational on the campus of the University of Nebraska next weekend in Lincoln.