COFFEYVILLE — The Barton Community College men’s track and field team placed second over the weekend at the National Junior College Athletic Association Region VI Championship in Coffeyville.
Barton’s Everett Walker again proved himself the top sprinter in the region with first-place finishes in the 100-and 200-meter dashes to go with a pair of relay gold medals as Barton won seven events during the competition.
BCC had won the last two Region VI titles, including 11 of the past 13.
The Lady Cougars finished in seventh place overall and brought home three gold medals.
Barton will be back on the track in two weeks as the Cougars head to Hutchinson for the NJCAA Championship on May 19-21.
In the 100 dash, Walker won with a time of 10.44 seconds, followed by Markquis Frazier in third place at 10.57 and Akeem Haynes sixth at 10.67.
Walker doubled up with a 20.82 in the 200 dash with Frazier again in third, crossing the finish line at 21.04. Walker ran the third legs in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays that won gold medals as well.
The 4x100 relay team that took first consisted of Bradley Hines, Frazier, Walker, and Haynes, winning in 39.92 —  a full second head of second place. The 4x400 team of Andre Peart, Ren Edwards, Walker and Frazier closed out the meet with a 3:13.23.
Peart took first place in the 400 hurdles, winning with a time of 52.84. Alonzo Allen finished in eighth place in the 400.
In the field events, Barton won a pair of jumping events with Carmetrick Ross winning the long jump, and Hines winning the triple jump.
Ross placed in three jumping events during the meet. He won the long jump with a leap of 25 feet, 3/4 inches with Hines taking fifth place and Chris Toombs finished in sixth.
Hines then won the triple jump with a jump of 52-1 and Ross was fifth at 48-4 3/4. Ross took third in the high jump, clearing 6-9.
Frank Afriyie took second place in the discus at 165-3, followed by Charith Kapukotuwa in third (156-5) and Tyler Rathke in fourth (154-9).
Matt Marcoccia placed second in the shot put with a heave of 50-7 1/4, with Kapukotuwa taking sixth at 46-10 1/4. Marcoccia also finished in eighth place in the hammer.
The Lady Cougars won a pair of throwing events as well as the 4x100 relay.
Marcela Solano won the hammer throw with a toss of 179-2, besting the field by more than 20 feet. She will be the favorite at the NJCAA Outdoor Championship in Hutchinson.
Janee Mickens was nearly a double winner for the women in throws, capturing the shot put with a throw of 48-8 1/4 to win by nearly eight feet. Mickens also finished in second place in the discus for the Cougars at 140-3. The winning throw was 141-9.
Brittiany Hughes was seventh in the javelin.
Also in the field, Sametra Kelly placed in a pair of events, taking fourth place in the triple jump (36-6 3/4) and sixth place in the long jump at 16-8.
Kelly also paced the Lady Cougar sprinters with a pair of third-place efforts. She was third in the 100 dash in 12.04 as well as the 200 dash in 24.82.
Aarian Tipton was sixth in both events.
On the track, Barton won the 4x100 relay in a time of 47.60. Alese Forbes, Tipton, Dana Gates, and Kelly edged Butler for the gold.
Forbes and Tipton also ran on BCC’s 4x400 relay which took fifth. The duo was joined by Melissa Groce and Asia Goodwin-Williams.