By BARTON SPORTS INFO
Chasing the title late into the conclusion, the 5th ranked Barton Community College men's track and field team came up short in placing runner-up at the KJCCC/Region VI Indoor Championships.
The Cougars were outpointed in the final three events to compile 119 points over two days at Pittsburg State University's Robert W. Plaster Center, eight shy of Cloud County's winning 127 total and five points ahead of 3rd placer Fort Scott.
Trevon Hamer's Field Athlete of the Meet performance led the Cougars' twenty-one point producing placings as the squad posted either personal or season bests, added three new national qualifying slots, and record a program 7th best relay time in its first attempt.
Hamer's long jump personal best of 7.36m (24-1.75) held Saturday's top spot for two rounds but an opponent's final attempt snatched the title away. Returning for Sunday's triple jump, the national leader left no doubt who the best was by posting the chasing mark in the first round of attempts to eventually add to the final margin by two feet on his final jump for a winning 15.43m (50-7.50) distance.
Like Hamer, fellow freshman Hamza Belkhalfi nearly had a pair of titles, winning Sunday's mile run in 4:16.25 but three hours later had victory snatched in the final ten meters as an early celebration proved costly. Being chased down by a pair of Cloud County runners, Belkhalfi appeared to have the race run but the split flanking by the T-birds provided just enough distraction as the nation's second ranked runner's 2:29.53 crossing was .12 too late in settling for 2nd place.
Christopher Crawford provided Barton its first of three titles, winning Saturday's weight throw with a 17.64m (57-10.00) mark. Christopher Young placed 4th at 16.87m (55-4.00) with Boris Peranovic placing 14th at 13.72m (45-0.00).
Young, who set the program shot put record three weeks ago in New Mexico, didn't have his best on Sunday in setting for the runner-up placing at 17.92m (58-9.50) with Crawford's season best of 17.54m (57-6.50) placing third as Ricardo Hayles finished 5th at 16.37m (53-8.50) concluding the Cougars' 33 points in the two throwing events.
Competing in the 4000m distance medley relay (DMR) for the first time, the Cougars' tandem of Corlando Chambers, Jaden Howell, Adrian Nethersole, and Belkhalfi placed runner-up with a program 7th best ever 10:07.69 national qualifying time.
Additional new national qualifying performances were: Wanyae Belle's 60m personal best 6.81 seconds in prelims, finishing 7th in the finals at 6.87 behind Mekhi Stafford's 5th place 6.80 time after a slim personal faster time of 6.79 in prelims; Jasiah Clapp's 800m best of 1:56.66 to place 10th overall and behind Nethersole 3rd placing 1:54.17 time.