The JCCC men's and women's track and field team were back in action last Friday and Saturday in Warrensburg, MO for the UCM Mule Relays. The teams had another good outing, with numerous athletes scoring event wins and top-5 JCCC performances.
In the first events of the meet, the multi-events, Garrett Smith and Braxton Quelle completed their first ever combined event competition with scores of 4250 and 3748 respectively, and Smith's performance ranks as the 4th best in JCCC history. These marks currently rank them 4th and 8th in the NJCAA, with the top 16 ranked individuals in the final ranking moving on to the national championship meet.
The UCM Mule Relays are a unique track and field competitive environment in that the women's teams and men's teams compete on seperate days. Friday saw the JCCC women's team in action, and it didn't take long for them to impress. In the 60m dash, Chelsey Borders clocked a time of 7.62 seconds on her way to a first place finish, which ranks as the 2nd best performance in JCCC history. Although Borders had already qualified for the national meet, this mark was a nice improvement from her previous season best and has her sitting as the 8th ranked 60m runner in the NJCAA. In the women's 200m and 400m races, JCCC's top finisher was Maisha Mitchell, registering times of 26.90 seconds and 1:00.68 to finish 7th and 4th in those events. In the women's 600 yard run, Justine Podvin continued to outdistance the field with a winning time of 1:28.64. In the women's 800m run, Michelle Smith was the top JCCC runner, registering a time of 2:29.23. In the final track event, the 4x440yd relay, the women's squad composed of Podvin, Borders, Mitchell, and Brittany Parks raced to victory with a time of 4:06.33.
The women's field event squad also finished with some good marks among the field of D-II, NAIA, and NJCAA schools. Macy Ebert earned her spot at the national championship meet in the high jump with a clearance of 1.56m, good enough for a 2nd place finish. In the women's shot put, Vanessa Levy registered a season best performance of 12.13m, finishing in 6th place and just 2 cm shy of the national qualifying mark. Makayla Vette also had a season best performance with a throw of 11.85m to finish 10th. In the women's weight throw, Monet Jackson recorded a 5th place performance with a throw of 15.67m which is also the 4th best performance all-time at JCCC.
On Saturday the JCCC men's team got its chance to compete, and several athletes had a good showing. Alex Sanders continued to show why he will be running in the SEC next year, capturing the win in the men's 60m dash with a time of 6.81 seconds. Kenny Lightner also had a good showing with a 5th place finish and time of 7.04 seconds. In the 200m race, Mark Sitek, Joe Turner, and Peter Rogers finished 2nd, 7th and 8th, recording times of 22.56, 23.15, and 23.18. In the men's 400m Marquel Nickens continued to impress with a time of 51.13 seconds on his way to victory in the event, while Peter Rogers showed his versatility by finishing in 7th place with a time of 52.61 seconds. In the 600 yard run, JCCC's top finisher Kurt Vukas placed 10th with a time of 1:17.51. In the men's 3000m run, sophomore Addis Kenea ran to a 5th place finish with a time of 9:22.18. In the men's 60m hurdles, freshman Josh Shirmer ran to a 4th place finish with a time of 8.48 seconds. The men's relays had a banner day at UCM, with wins in both the 4x440 yd and Distance Medley relays. James Bowlin, Nickson Baselle, Cooper Bell and Javier Segura finished with a time of 3:28.54 in the 4x440 yd, while Brooks Ballou, Baselle, Segura, and Bell combined to run 10:44.18 in the medley.
Field eventers also had some good marks at the UCM Mule Relays. In the men's pole vault, sophomore Luke Arnold cleared 4.60m to claim a 3rd place finish. In the throws, Caniggia Raynor continued to impress with a throw of 15.04m in the shot for 12th place, and a huge personal best in the weight throw with a distance of 17.02m to finish 8th overall in a field that included 3 post-collegiate weight throwers. This mark is the 3rd best in JCCC history and also ranks Raynor as the number 2 performer all-time at JCCC.
The JCCC men's and women's track teams continue to roll on through the indoor season with split squad action this weekend. JCCC athletes will compete at the Arkansas Tyson Invitational, the Iowa State Classic, and the Highland Community College Scottie Classic in the final weekend of competition before the Conference and Regional Championship Meet.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Cavalier Night Relays
Last Friday night the JCCC track and field teams continued their stellar 2012 campaign by hosting the 2012 Cavalier Night Relays at the JCCC Fieldhouse. With a mix of NJCAA and NAIA schools present, JCCC continued to make its presence felt across the country as a number of performances left their mark on the JCCC record book, as well as the national ranking list.
The women's weight throw kicked off the night with 3 athletes registering personal bests and sweeping the top 3 places. Monet Jackson threw a nation-leading mark of 16.47m, which is 9 cm farther than last year's national championship throw and also set a new JCCC Fieldhouse record. Vanessa Levy improved her personal best throw by more than 2 feet to finish second with a mark of 14.92m, which also ranks her as the 2nd best performer in JCCC history next to Jackson. Finally, Cortney Wilkerson threw a personal best mark of 14.41m, good enough for a 3rd place finish, and ranking her as the 3rd best performer in JCCC history behind Levy and Jackson. In the men's weight throw, Caniggia Raynor set a JCCC Fieldhouse record, ranking him as the 2nd best performer in JCCC history and also set the 3rd best throw in school history with a winning mark of 16.69m. In the shot put competition, JCCC athletes also fared well, with Monet Jackson and Vanessa Levy placing 2nd and 3rd with marks of 12.92m and 11.91m respectively. On the men's side, Caniggia Raynor extended his personal best in the shot put by 10 cm and won the event with a throw of 15.09m.
JCCC jumpers also finished with some great performances. In the women's high jump Ashley Reid set a fieldhouse record and narrowly missed the JCCC school record finishing with a final clearance of 1.73m, which currently ranks as the top NJCAA performance in the nation. Reid also won the women's long jump with a jump of 5.42m, narrowly missing the national championship qualifying mark. In the pole vault Luke Arnold set a new fieldhouse record and captured the win with a height of 4.90m, while teammate Garrett Smith earned himself a trip to the indoor national championship meet with a clearance of 4.35m. In the women's pole vault, Jessica Tingle tied a fieldhouse record with a jump of 3.20m on her way to a 1st place finish.
On the track, the JCCC runners continued to impress. In the men's 60m hurdles Josh Schirmer registered the win with a time of 8.58 seconds, while fellow Cavalier Garrett Smith came in 2nd with a time of 9.24 seconds. In the men's 60m dash, Mark Sitek ran 7.06 seconds, good enough for a 3rd place finish. In the long sprints, JCCC athletes also found great success. In the men's 300m run Kenny Lightner, Peter Rogers, and Marquel Nickens swept the top 3 places in the event, finishing with times of 35.20, 35.63, and 36.08 seconds respectively. Additionally, the times of Lightner, Rogers and Nickens rank as the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th best JCCC performances ever in the event. On the women's side, Maisha Mitchell and Brittney Parks finished 1-2 in the 300m run with times of 42.89 and 43.30 seconds, which also ranked as the 2nd and 3rd best JCCC performances ever in the event. In the men's 400m run, Nickson Baselle finished 2nd with a time of 52.83 seconds to finish in 2nd place and in the women's 500m, lone runner Justine Podvin posted a new fieldhouse and school record time of 1:20.61 seconds.
In the mid-distance and distance events, JCCC athletes also found good success against their competition. In the women's 800m run, Kirstie Sanders and Michelle Smith swept the top 2 finishes with times of 2:28.05 and 2:29.27 seconds, while James Bowlin ran to a 3rd place finish in the men's event with a time of 2:01.68 seconds. Cooper Bell ran to a 2nd place finish and a time of 2:41.96 in the men's 1000m run, while in the men's mile Javier Segura and Brooks Ballou finished 1st and 3rd with respective times of 4:34.02 and 4:38.15. In the women's mile race, Liliana Lira charged to a 2nd place finish with a time of 5:50.46, and the men's 3000m run saw Addis Kenea race to a 2nd place finish with a time of 9:27.00.
In the final events of the evening, the men's and women's 4x400m teams both registered impressive wins. The women's team of Justine Podvin, Maisha Mitchell, Kirstie Sanders and Brittany Parks raced the baton around the track in a new fieldhouse record time of 4:10.56 seconds. The men's team of Marquel Nickens, Nickson Baselle, Peter Rogers, and Mark Sitek turned in the winning effort of 3:31.01 seconds to close out the meet.
While this meet saw some good performances, JCCC athletes and coaches feel that there is plenty of work left to be done, and that even better performances lie ahead. JCCC will be competing once again this weekend at the UCM Mule Relays, with women competing on Friday and the men's competition on Saturday.
The women's weight throw kicked off the night with 3 athletes registering personal bests and sweeping the top 3 places. Monet Jackson threw a nation-leading mark of 16.47m, which is 9 cm farther than last year's national championship throw and also set a new JCCC Fieldhouse record. Vanessa Levy improved her personal best throw by more than 2 feet to finish second with a mark of 14.92m, which also ranks her as the 2nd best performer in JCCC history next to Jackson. Finally, Cortney Wilkerson threw a personal best mark of 14.41m, good enough for a 3rd place finish, and ranking her as the 3rd best performer in JCCC history behind Levy and Jackson. In the men's weight throw, Caniggia Raynor set a JCCC Fieldhouse record, ranking him as the 2nd best performer in JCCC history and also set the 3rd best throw in school history with a winning mark of 16.69m. In the shot put competition, JCCC athletes also fared well, with Monet Jackson and Vanessa Levy placing 2nd and 3rd with marks of 12.92m and 11.91m respectively. On the men's side, Caniggia Raynor extended his personal best in the shot put by 10 cm and won the event with a throw of 15.09m.
JCCC jumpers also finished with some great performances. In the women's high jump Ashley Reid set a fieldhouse record and narrowly missed the JCCC school record finishing with a final clearance of 1.73m, which currently ranks as the top NJCAA performance in the nation. Reid also won the women's long jump with a jump of 5.42m, narrowly missing the national championship qualifying mark. In the pole vault Luke Arnold set a new fieldhouse record and captured the win with a height of 4.90m, while teammate Garrett Smith earned himself a trip to the indoor national championship meet with a clearance of 4.35m. In the women's pole vault, Jessica Tingle tied a fieldhouse record with a jump of 3.20m on her way to a 1st place finish.
On the track, the JCCC runners continued to impress. In the men's 60m hurdles Josh Schirmer registered the win with a time of 8.58 seconds, while fellow Cavalier Garrett Smith came in 2nd with a time of 9.24 seconds. In the men's 60m dash, Mark Sitek ran 7.06 seconds, good enough for a 3rd place finish. In the long sprints, JCCC athletes also found great success. In the men's 300m run Kenny Lightner, Peter Rogers, and Marquel Nickens swept the top 3 places in the event, finishing with times of 35.20, 35.63, and 36.08 seconds respectively. Additionally, the times of Lightner, Rogers and Nickens rank as the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th best JCCC performances ever in the event. On the women's side, Maisha Mitchell and Brittney Parks finished 1-2 in the 300m run with times of 42.89 and 43.30 seconds, which also ranked as the 2nd and 3rd best JCCC performances ever in the event. In the men's 400m run, Nickson Baselle finished 2nd with a time of 52.83 seconds to finish in 2nd place and in the women's 500m, lone runner Justine Podvin posted a new fieldhouse and school record time of 1:20.61 seconds.
In the mid-distance and distance events, JCCC athletes also found good success against their competition. In the women's 800m run, Kirstie Sanders and Michelle Smith swept the top 2 finishes with times of 2:28.05 and 2:29.27 seconds, while James Bowlin ran to a 3rd place finish in the men's event with a time of 2:01.68 seconds. Cooper Bell ran to a 2nd place finish and a time of 2:41.96 in the men's 1000m run, while in the men's mile Javier Segura and Brooks Ballou finished 1st and 3rd with respective times of 4:34.02 and 4:38.15. In the women's mile race, Liliana Lira charged to a 2nd place finish with a time of 5:50.46, and the men's 3000m run saw Addis Kenea race to a 2nd place finish with a time of 9:27.00.
In the final events of the evening, the men's and women's 4x400m teams both registered impressive wins. The women's team of Justine Podvin, Maisha Mitchell, Kirstie Sanders and Brittany Parks raced the baton around the track in a new fieldhouse record time of 4:10.56 seconds. The men's team of Marquel Nickens, Nickson Baselle, Peter Rogers, and Mark Sitek turned in the winning effort of 3:31.01 seconds to close out the meet.
While this meet saw some good performances, JCCC athletes and coaches feel that there is plenty of work left to be done, and that even better performances lie ahead. JCCC will be competing once again this weekend at the UCM Mule Relays, with women competing on Friday and the men's competition on Saturday.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A Fast Start to 2012
The first two weeks of the 2012 track and field season have been a whirlwind of activity with numerous athletes qualifying for the NJCAA Indoor National Championships, and leaving their marks on the JCCC record books in the process. Two weekends ago at the Dave Burgess Invitational 10 individuals qualified in 12 events in the first competition of the season, winning 11 events in the process. The day started off with powerful statements by the women's team in the pole vault and weight throw with 3 athletes setting qualifying marks in each event. In the pole vault, Kaylee Eklund led the way by winning the event with a mark of 3.50m, followed by fellow national qualifiers McKenzie Smith (3.05m) and Jessica Tingle (3.05m) who jumped high enough to tie for 2nd place. The women's weight throwers had a banner day, with 3 different throwers breaking the previous school record and qualifying for nationals in the process. Monet Jackson charged to victory in the event with a throw of 15.85m which set both the school and stadium records, while Cortney Wilkerson (14.39m) and Vanessa Levy (14.22m) also punched their ticket to the national championship meet, finishing 3rd and 5th respectively. In the women's shot put Monet Jackson again topped the field with a mark of 12.86m, good enough to earn her a national championship bid in that event as well. In other field event action Ashley Reid won women's high jump with a national qualifying mark of 1.60m which also ties the stadium record in the event. Caniggia Raynor also earned his spot at the men's national meet with a 2nd place throw of 15.77m in the men's weight throw and a 4th place toss of 14.99m in the men's shot put.
On the track, JCCC athletes raced to victory in the women's 60m, 300m, 400m, 500m, and 4x400m relay, as well as the men's 300m and 4x400m relay. Chelsea Borders led the charge with an impressive victory in the 60m dash setting a personal best and national qualifying time of 7.69 seconds. Not to be outdone, Brittany Parks qualified for the national championship meet in the 600m by posting a winning time of 1:22.48 in the women's 500m race, which also set a new JCCC school record in the event. All-time marks continued to fall as Maisha Mitchell ran to victory in the women's 300m run, setting a new school record of 43.42 seconds in the process. In the men's 300m, Mark Sitek outran the field with a winning time of 35.15 seconds, and in the women's 400m Jessica Thomas captured the win with a time of 1:06.34 seconds. In the final races of the evening, the JCCC men's and women's 4x400m teams raised the maroon and gold to the top of the field. On the women's side, JCCC outdistanced Coffeyville CC by nearly 11 seconds to post a winning time of 4:11.86. Two JCCC men's relay teams battled for the top 2 finishes with both teams easily running away from 3rd place Coffeyville CC, and finishing with a top time of 3:26.14.
On top of the great winning and qualifying performances detailed above, JCCC athletes also saw additional top-3 performances from Ashley Reid in the women's 60m, Justine Podvin in the women's 300m, Kayla Peterson and Michelle Smith in the 400m, Liliana Lira in the women's 800m, Kenny Lightner in the men's 60m, Alex Sanders and Jordan Dodd in the men's 300m, Marquel Nickens in the 500m, and Brooks Ballou and Javier Segura in the men's mile run. With such depth and talent, the 2012 Cavaliers made a strong statement that they are a force to be reckoned with.
However this past weekend at the Iowa State Open, JCCC left no doubt about the potential of the team. In a field stacked with NCAA D-I, D-II, NAIA, and professional athletes, the Cavaliers added qualifying performances in 17 events and continued their assault on the JCCC record books. The field events were strong once again, with multiple athletes performing well. Kaylee Eklund finished 4th in the women's pole vault with a jump of 3.35m, while Luke Arnold cleared 4.65m in the men's pole vault to secure 4th place and his spot at the indoor national championship meet. Monet Jackson continued to destroy the JCCC women's weight throw record with a throw of 16.37m on her way to a 4th place finish while also finishing 5th in the women's shot put with a throw of 12.67m. Caniggia Raynor finished 5th in the men's weight throw with a personal best distance of 16.59m, a mark that lifts him to the 4th ranked performer all-time at JCCC. Raynor then went on to finish 5th in the men's shot put with a mark of 14.80m. Jackson's and Raynor's marks in the weight throw are currently the farthest in the NJCAA. While the field eventers definitely had several outstanding performances, undoubtedly this weekend at ISU belonged to the track athletes.
The JCCC sprinters and distance runners elevated their performances to new heights in response to some stiff competition. Chelsea Borders finished 5th in a loaded field of 200m runners, setting a national qualifying mark of 25.48 seconds and securing her spot as the 2nd fastest performer in the distance in JCCC history. On the men's side, Alex Sanders rolled to a time of 6.74 seconds in the men's 60m dash, securing a 2nd place finish in a field full of high level collegiate and professional athletes. His time in the 60m is currently the fastest in the NJCAA. Sanders also showed his long-sprinting prowess in the men's 200m, clocking a time of 21.51 seconds and finishing in 2nd place. But Sanders wasn't the only JCCC men's 200m runner who came up big at ISU. Mark Sitek and Kenny Lightner both ran national qualifying times of 21.77 and 22.05 seconds, respectively. Additionally, Sitek's time was good enough for a 4th place finish overall. In the 600 yard race, JCCC athletes had an outstanding showing. On the women's side, Justine Podvin raced to a new school record of 1:26.12 seconds, qualifying for the national meet in the process.
In the men's 600 yard race, Nickson Baselle, Marquel Nickens, and Jordan Dodd all qualified for the national meet, posting times of 1:12.82, 1:14.53, and 1:16.20 seconds respectively. Baselle's time also secured a 4th place finish in the event, and secured his spot in the JCCC record books with the 4th best performance in school history. In the men's 1000m run, James Bowlin hit his own national qualifying mark by finishing with a strong time of 2:34.0. The men's 3000m run saw two JCCC harriers find success on the track by reaching qualifying marks. Working together throughout the race, Brooks Ballou narrowly outpaced teammate Javier Segura 8:50.86 to 8:51.57 to both break the qualifying standard by more than 2 seconds. Ballou also made some noise in the men's 5000m run by hitting a mark of 15:19.05, qualifying for the national meet by more than 15 seconds.
In the final events of the meet, the men's and women's 4x400m teams stepped up to the competition. The women's team of Justine Podvin, Chelsea Borders, Maisha Mitchell and Brittany Parks raced the baton around the track in 3:58.88 to claim the 2nd fastest performance in JCCC history. On the men's side, Mark Sitek, Kenny Lightner, Alex Sanders, and Jordan Dodd blazed a trail around the track crossing the finish line in 3:16.40 for a 3rd place finish and registered the 3rd fastest performance in JCCC history.
With only 2 competitions under their belt for the 2012 season, these JCCC teams have already proven they have the potential to be some of the best in school history. With continued hard work and dedication, hopefully they will reach that potential. JCCC is back in action at home on January 27th for the Cavalier Night Relays beginning at 4:30 pm.
The JCCC sprinters and distance runners elevated their performances to new heights in response to some stiff competition. Chelsea Borders finished 5th in a loaded field of 200m runners, setting a national qualifying mark of 25.48 seconds and securing her spot as the 2nd fastest performer in the distance in JCCC history. On the men's side, Alex Sanders rolled to a time of 6.74 seconds in the men's 60m dash, securing a 2nd place finish in a field full of high level collegiate and professional athletes. His time in the 60m is currently the fastest in the NJCAA. Sanders also showed his long-sprinting prowess in the men's 200m, clocking a time of 21.51 seconds and finishing in 2nd place. But Sanders wasn't the only JCCC men's 200m runner who came up big at ISU. Mark Sitek and Kenny Lightner both ran national qualifying times of 21.77 and 22.05 seconds, respectively. Additionally, Sitek's time was good enough for a 4th place finish overall. In the 600 yard race, JCCC athletes had an outstanding showing. On the women's side, Justine Podvin raced to a new school record of 1:26.12 seconds, qualifying for the national meet in the process.
In the men's 600 yard race, Nickson Baselle, Marquel Nickens, and Jordan Dodd all qualified for the national meet, posting times of 1:12.82, 1:14.53, and 1:16.20 seconds respectively. Baselle's time also secured a 4th place finish in the event, and secured his spot in the JCCC record books with the 4th best performance in school history. In the men's 1000m run, James Bowlin hit his own national qualifying mark by finishing with a strong time of 2:34.0. The men's 3000m run saw two JCCC harriers find success on the track by reaching qualifying marks. Working together throughout the race, Brooks Ballou narrowly outpaced teammate Javier Segura 8:50.86 to 8:51.57 to both break the qualifying standard by more than 2 seconds. Ballou also made some noise in the men's 5000m run by hitting a mark of 15:19.05, qualifying for the national meet by more than 15 seconds.
In the final events of the meet, the men's and women's 4x400m teams stepped up to the competition. The women's team of Justine Podvin, Chelsea Borders, Maisha Mitchell and Brittany Parks raced the baton around the track in 3:58.88 to claim the 2nd fastest performance in JCCC history. On the men's side, Mark Sitek, Kenny Lightner, Alex Sanders, and Jordan Dodd blazed a trail around the track crossing the finish line in 3:16.40 for a 3rd place finish and registered the 3rd fastest performance in JCCC history.
With only 2 competitions under their belt for the 2012 season, these JCCC teams have already proven they have the potential to be some of the best in school history. With continued hard work and dedication, hopefully they will reach that potential. JCCC is back in action at home on January 27th for the Cavalier Night Relays beginning at 4:30 pm.
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