By TODD MOORE
Barton Sports Info
The 4th ranked Barton Community College women's track and field team posted ten personal or season bests this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas, competing in the four-year college dominated Tyson Invitational held at the University of Arkansas.
Adding one to its national qualifying list, a number of Cougars moved up on the nation's current leaderboard in the squad's final tune-up for next weekend's KJCCC/Region VI Indoor Championships beginning Saturday in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Danae Nembhard was the first to do so, clocking a best 8.45 in Friday's 60m hurdle qualifying round to just miss advancing to the prelims by .033 on her nation's second best time. Placing 10th in the event, Nembhard was joined by fellow national qualifier Ana Couto in finishing 17th at 8.78.
Another best moving up the national chart was clocked in Saturday's 200m with Naiya Morgan's 24.22 time ranking 5th nationally.
Kelsie Murrell-Ross joined Efe Latham on Barton's list of weight throw qualifiers, launching a personal best 16.19m (53-01.50) throw to place 21st in punching her ticket and moving into the 4th slot of the national leaderboard. Latham, who owns the program 8th best 16.57m throw in ranking 3rd nationally ahead of Murrell-Ross, placed 25th Friday with a 14.64m (48-00.50) mark.
In the runway jumps, five of the six set personal or season bests with the lone exception being Couto's first registered mark in the long jump producing an 18th place 5.41m (17-09.00). Brittania Ingram led four Barton entries in the event with a 15th place season best 5.45m (17-10.75), Kay-Lagay Clarke in 16th a half of an inch back at 5.44m (17-10.50), a little over an inch further back in 17th was Jazmine Williamson's 5.41 (17-09.00), and Kayleigh Prentiss's 5.06m (16-07.25) was good for 25th.
Clarke led the Cougars' pair of bests in the triple jump by placing 14th at 11.92m (39-01.25) with Ingram in 17th at 11.84m (38-10.25).
Other personal bests: Williamson tied her personal high jump best for the second straight meet with an 11th place 1.69m (5-06.50), and Dy'Mond Wiley clocking a 400m time of 55.57 to rank 4th nationally.