Barton women's track and field captures College's 59th NJCAA Title, Cougars share indoor championship with Iowa Western as men place 4th overall #GoBarton

The Barton Community College women's track and field team captured the College's 59th national title on Saturday at the 2024 NJCAA Indoor National Championships held in Gainesville, Florida.

Aside from the 2003 volleyball team, the track and field and cross country programs have earned the other 58 team national titles with the women's squad accounting for their 19th crown within the indoor season.

Barton held a ten point lead into the final event of the two-day meet at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center following Sanae Hassnaoui's third individual title after the freshman captured the 1000m run with a program 3rd best time. Previously bettering her program mile run record to also break the meet record set in 1993 by Barton alum Janice Turner, Hassnaoui added another program record with a NJCAA 4th fastest 3000m time breaking Turner's 1993 record. The three crowns were joined by fellow freshmen's Keliza Smith's 60m and Chloe Perryman's long jump titles, along with, sophomore Treneese Hamilton's meet and program record shot put throw that ranks 2nd in NJCAA all-time.

The Cougars placed out of the points in the last 4X400m relay event as Iowa Western Community College rose to the challenge in winning the event by two seconds earning the title clinching ten points.

Each squad finished with 106 accumulated points in sharing the crown, forty-two points ahead of third place New Mexico Junior College.

On the men's side the Cougars gave chase to national hardware but was outpointed down the stretch in placing 4th overall with 70 points, four points behind South Plains for third. Indian Hills won the program's first national title behind a 91.50 accumulation with New Mexico placing runner-up with 84 points.

Highlighting the men's performances were the national titles on Saturday from Christopher Young in the weight throw moving into the program top ten list and Trevon Hamer in the triple jump title.  Although not winning titles, Jeramiah Martin was national 60m hurdler runner-up with a program 5th fastest time, Hamza Belkhalfi bettered his program 4th best all-time in placing 4th in the 800m field, and the distance medley relay team finished 7th with a program 4th fastest clocking coming from the relay pool of Belkhalfi, Corlando Chambers, Adrian Nethersole, Jaden Howell, and Jasiah Clapp.

On the women's side, Smith crossed runner-up in the 200m moving from 9th to 5th program all-time, Jazmine Williamson tying the winning high jump height but settling for silver based on attempts, and Hamilton's second place in the weight throw moving from 6th to 3rd on the all-time chart.

Overall, both squads combined for over 20 personal and/or season bests during the preliminary or final rounds as the Cougars now turn the page with momentum to the outdoor season set to begin March 15-16 at the West Texas Spring Break Open in Canyon, Texas.

Barton Women's Results:
60m: NATIONAL CHAMPION Keliza Smith (PB 7.37), 9th Maria Umoibang (7.58), 10th Chloe Perryman (PB 7.62)
60m Hurdle: 3rd Kay-Lagay Clarke (PB 8.63)
200m: Runner-Up Keliza Smith (PB 23.74 *Moves up from 9th to 5th program all-time)
600m: 12th Shone Walters (PB 1:36.84), 15th Kialia Claiborne (PB 1:38.09)
1000m: NATIONAL CHAMPION Sanae Hassnaoui (PB 2:52.63 *Moves up from 5th to 3rd program all-time), 12th Shone Walters (PB 3:00.55)
3000m: NATIONAL CHAMPION Sanae Hassnaoui (PB 9:39.57 *Program Record **Won by 15 seconds ***Bettered program record by 12 seconds set in 1993 by Janice Turner ****4th fastest NJCAA All-Time
Long Jump: NATIONAL CHAMPION Chloe Perryman (6.14m, 20-1.75), 5th Jazmine Williamson (5.87m, 19-3.75), 6th Kay-Lagay Clarke (5.71m, 18-8.75)
Shot Put: NATIONAL CHAMPION Treneese Hamilton (PB 16.39m, 53-9.25 *Meet Record **Program Record by 3.5" set by Kelsie Murrell-Ross in '23 ***2nd NJCAA All-time, 9th Ivanilda Semedo (12.91m, 42-4.25), 12th Cedricka Williams (12.74m, 41-9.75)
High Jump: Runner-Up Jazmine Williamson (1.73m, 5-08.00)
Triple Jump: 3rd Kay-Lagay Clarke (12.11m, 39-08.75), 14th Jazmine Williamson (10.62m, 34-10.25)
Weight Throw: Runner-Up Treneese Hamilton (PB 18.73m, 61-05.50 *Moves up from 6th to 3rd program all-time), 6th Cedricka Williams (16.02m, 52-06.75), 9th Ivanilda Semedo (PB 15.31m, 50-02.75)
Mile Run: NATIONAL CHAMPION Sanae Hassnaoui (PB 4:47.32 *Meet Record **Won by nearly 5 seconds ***Bettered her program record by .67 seconds ****2nd fastest NJCAA All-Time)
4x400m Relay: 12th (SB 3:55.90 Kialia Claiborne, Chloe Perryman, Shone Walters, Keliza Smith, Maria Umoibang

Barton Men's Results:
60m: 6th Aaron Charles (6.77 *PB 6.70 in prelims), 22nd Wanyae Belle (6.85), 26th Mekhi Stafford (6.88)
60m Hurdle: Runner-Up Jeramiah Martin (PB 7.80 *Moved up from 8th set in prelims to 5th program all-time)
200m: 3rd Aaron Charles (20.90), 19th Wanyae Belle (21.60)
600m: 7th Adrian Nethersole (PB 1:18.41 *.22 secs outside top ten program all-time), 17th Revon Williams (1:21.21)
800m: 14th Corlando Chambers (PB 1:53.78), 27th Jasiah Clapp (1:56.89), DQ Hamza Belkhalfi (1:52.79 *Would have qualified for finals),
1000m: 4th Hamza Belkhalfi (2:27.32 *PB 2:26.20 in prelims bettering his 4th program all-time)
Long Jump: 5th Trevon Hamer (7.35m, 24-1.50), 17th Kalil Murphy (6.47m, 21-2.75)
Shot Put: Runner-Up Christopher Young (18.22m, 59-9.50), 6th Ricardo Hayles (16.49m, 54-1.25), 11th Christopher Crawford (14.10m, 46-3.25)
Distance Medley Relay: 7th (10:04.53 Hamza Belkhalfi, Corlando Chambers, Adrian Nethersole, Jaden Howell, Jasiah Clapp *Program 4th all-time **Top 3 placing teams broke Barton's 1993 national record of 9:47.17)
Weight Throw: NATIONAL CHAMPION Christopher Young (PB 18.70m, 61-04.25 *9th program all-time), 3rd Christopher Crawford (PB 18.23m, 59-09.75)
Triple Jump: NATIONAL CHAMPION Trevon Hamer (15.36m, 50-04.75), 9th Kalil Murphy (PB 14.72m, 48-03.50)
4x400m Relay: 6th (3:14.09 Marshae McDonald, Jaden Howell, Revon Williams, Adrian Nethersole)