UCM Mule Relays

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.