Fourteen athletic teams within Barton Community College were recognized recently by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) as part of its 2025-26 Academic Teams of the Year honors.
Compiling a combined 3.20 cumulative GPA among the Barton athletic programs eligible for NJCAA recognition, five Cougar teams finished among the nation's Top 20 in their respective sports as part of the 1,446 programs nationwide earning a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or higher.
Three Barton programs ranked among the national Top 10 in their respective sports, led by men's swimming in third, women's swimming in fourth, and women's bowling in fifth. Softball added a 14th-place national finish while women's golf rounded out the Cougars' five Top-20 programs with a 19th-place finish.
Overall, 16 of Barton's 22 athletic programs achieved a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or higher. Men's basketball and women's cross country did not meet the NJCAA's participation requirements to qualify for academic team recognition.
Among fellow Region 6/Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) institutions, Barton ranked fifth overall in cumulative athletic department GPA. Johnson County Community College led the conference with a 3.41 GPA, followed by Fort Scott Community College (3.39), Colby Community College (3.38), Kansas City Kansas Community College (3.25), and Neosho County Community College (3.20).
The softball program earned department bragging rights by compiling a department-best 3.73 GPA, the highest among Barton programs and 14th nationally among 197 NJCAA softball programs earning a team GPA of 3.00 or higher. Volleyball followed with a 3.68 GPA as the two programs also finished sixth and 13th, respectively, in the KJCCC's all-sports academic standings.
Thirteen Barton teams finished among the top five of their respective KJCCC sport standings, highlighted by women's golf claiming the conference academic championship while softball and wrestling each earned runner-up honors.
Barton Athletic Teams' Report:
Baseball (3.34) – 117th national placing (212 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 9th in Region 6 (18 Teams, 15 over 3.0 GPA)
Basketball - Men's (3.06) – *Did not meet national team standards (82 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 6th in Region 6 (20 Teams, 8 over 3.0 GPA)
Basketball – Women's (3.55) – 23rd national placing (144 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 4th in Region 6 (20 Teams, 12 over 3.0 GPA)
Bowling – Men's (2.67) – *Did not meet national team standards (6 Teams over 3.0 GPA); *No other Region 6 teams
Bowling – Women's (3.44) – 5th national placing (8 Teams over 3.0 GPA); *No other Region 6 teams
Cross Country – Men's (3.18) – 28th national placing (47 teams nationally over 3.0 GPA); 6th in Region 6 (14 Teams, 9 over 3.0 GPA)
Cross Country – Women's (3.09) – *Did not meet national team standards (71 teams nationally over 3.0 GPA); 8th in Region 6 (12 Teams, 7 over 3.0 GPA)
Golf - Men's (3.11) – 56th national placing (71 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 3rd in Region 6 (4 Teams, 3 over 3.0 GPA)
Golf - Women's (3.55) – 19th national placing (46 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 1st in Region 6 (4 Teams, all 4 over 3.0 GPA)
Indoor Track – Men's (2.85) – *Did not meet national team standards (17 teams nationally over 3.0 GPA); 7th in Region 6 (14 Teams, 2 over 3.0 GPA)
Indoor Track – Women's (2.97) – *Did not meet national team standards (29 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 9th in Region 6 (13 Teams, 5 over 3.0 GPA)
Outdoor Track – Men's (2.85) – *Did not meet national team standards (26 teams nationally over 3.0 GPA); 9th in Region 6 (15 Teams, 2 over 3.0 GPA)
Outdoor Track – Women's (2.97) – *Did not meet national team standards (44 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 11th in Region 6 (14 Teams, 7 over 3.0 GPA)
Soccer - Men's (3.36) – 28th national placing (73 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 6th in Region 6 (11 Teams, 10 over 3.0 GPA)
Soccer - Women's (3.41) – 40th national placing (102 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 5th in Region 6 (14 Teams, 13 over 3.0 GPA)
Softball (3.73) – 14th national placing (197 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 2nd in Region 6 (20 Teams, 16 over 3.0 GPA)
Swimming – Men's (3.23) – 3rd national placing (6 Teams over 3.0 GPA); *No other Region 6 teams
Swimming – Women's (3.34) – 4th national placing (5 Teams over 3.0 GPA); *No other Region 6 teams
Tennis - Men's (3.28) – 23rd national placing (34 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 3rd in Region 6 (4 Teams, 2 over 3.0 GPA)
Tennis - Women's (3.29) – 26th national placing (38 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 3rd in Region 6 (4 Teams, 3 over 3.0 GPA)
Volleyball (3.68) – 37th national placing (167 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 5th in Region 6 (19 Teams, 17 over 3.0 GPA)
Wrestling (2.82) – *Did not meet national team standards (2 Teams over 3.0 GPA); 2nd in Region 6 (8 Teams, none over 3.0 GPA)