The No. 6 ranked Barton Community College men's track and field team battled to a two-point margin this past weekend at Pittsburg State University's Robert W. Plaster Center, compiling 120 points to finish runner-up at the KJCCC/Region 6 Indoor Championships.
The Cougars closed just behind Hutchinson Community College's 122-point total while distancing third-place Coffeyville's 109 points in one of the meet's tightest championship races.
Across the two-day competition, Barton produced five event titles, multiple season and personal best performances, and three new national qualifying marks while registering program record-book movement in the high jump.
Barton now shifts its focus to the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships set for March 6–7 at Washburn University Indoor Facility in Topeka, Kansas.
Coaching honors headline award sweep
Following the meet, Head Coach David Schenek was named Region 6 Men's Coach of the Year while Emmanuel Dixon earned Region 6 Men's Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Freshman Chavez Penn was tabbed the Region 6 Men's Field Athlete of the Meet after accounting for 25 of Barton's 120 team points.
Penn powers the podium
Penn delivered one of the weekend's most dominant performances, capturing Region 6 titles in both the triple jump and high jump while adding a fourth-place finish in the long jump.
He claimed the triple jump crown at 15.36m (50-04.75) before clearing a personal best 2.14m (7-00.25) in the high jump, a mark that ranks seventh-best in program history. One day earlier, Penn recorded a 7.29m (23-11.00) long jump for a five point start to his weekend.
Nationally, the freshman now ranks third in the NJCAA in the triple jump and fourth in the high jump, figuring to be a multi-event scoring at the upcoming national championships.
Johnson anchors sprint success
LaMont Johnson delivered a championship performance in the 400m, winning in 46.65 while Simeon Adams and Emmanuel Adams added sixth and eighth place finishes respectively.
In the short sprints, Aragorn Straker placed fourth in the 200m with a season-best and national qualifying 21.54. Dejuan Colbert (6.84) and Straker (6.86) also produced season-best 60m times.
Middle distance depth fuels scoring surge
Trevoy Smith secured runner-up honors in the 600m with a personal best 1:19.42, while Furious Trammel added a personal best and national qualifier at 1:19.56 in fourth. Shavan Jarrett also met national standard for the first time with a 1:20.47.
Macdonald Jansen contributed a fourth-place finish in the 1000m, clocking a 2:27.40 in his first attempt at the meet.
The 4x800m relay quartet of Sergi Gonzalez, Keandro Gordon, Da'Marcus Brutus, and Jansen captured gold in a season-best and national qualifying 7:48.36. Barton added a third-place finish in the Distance Medley Relay and a fourth-place showing in the 4x400m relay.
Throws add championship points
Ilia Ciui claimed the weight throw title with a 17.56m (57-07.00) mark. Jaylon Calder added a runner-up finish in the shot put at 16.38m, while Gabe Daugherty produced a personal best 15.43m in the weight throw.
Barton's Region 6 Indoor Championship Results (PR/PB = Personal record/best; NQ = Nationally Qualified; ANQ = Already Nationally Qualified)
60m: 8th Dejuan Colbert (6.97 *SB 6.84); 9th Aragorn Straker (SB 6.86)
200m: 4th Aragorn Straker (SB NQ 21.54), 14th Dejuan Colbert (22.08)
400m: CHAMPION LaMont Johnson (46.65 *Already NQ), 6th Simeon Adams (47.85 *Already NQ), 8th Emmanuel Adams (48.28 *Already NQ)
600m: Runner-Up Trevoy Smith (PB 1:19.42 *Already NQ), 4th Furious Trammel (PB NQ 1:19.56), 10th Shavan Jarrett (NQ 1:20.47 *1st Time)
1000m: 4th Macdonald Jansen (2:27.60 *1st Time), 16th Sergi Gonzalez (2:33.53)
4x400m Relay: 4th 3:14.44 *Already NQ (Taigon Peterkin, Trevoy Smith, Aragorn Straker, Furious Trammel)
4x800m: CHAMPION SB NQ 7:48.36 (Sergi Gonzalez, Keandro Gordon, Da'Marcus Brutus, McDonald Jansen)
Distance Medley Relay: 3rd 10:07.15 (Macdonald Jansen Shavan Jarrett Sergi Gonzalez Taigon Peterkin)
Shot Put: 2nd Jaylon Calder (16.38m, 53-09.00 *Already NQ), 6th DeAndre Bristol (14.81m, 48-07.00)
Weight Throw: CHAMPION Ilia Ciui (17.56m, 57-7.00 *Already NQ), 7th Gabe Daugherty (PB 15.43m, 50-7.00), DNP Jaylon Calder (FOUL)
Long Jump: 4th Chavez Penn (NQ 7.29m, 23-11.00 *1st Time), 8th Skylan King (7.03m, 23-00.75), 9th Devon Williams (PB 6.88m, 22-06.75)
Triple Jump: CHAMPION Chavez Penn (15.36m, 50-04.75 *Already NQ), 3rd Devon Williams (14.58m, 47-10.00 *Already NQ)
High Jump: CHAMPION Chavez Penn (PB 2.14m, 7.00.25 *Already NQ **7th Program Best), 12th Devon Williams (1.89m, 6-02.50 *1st Time)