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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