The Barton Community College women's track and field team opened the 2023 indoor season with six national qualifying performances competing at the Graduate Classic hosted by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Cougars completed the two-day meet with the good start of six qualifiers in also recording two personal bests among its sophomores and finishing with six top ten placers.
Highlighting the achievements was a pair of top ten performers in the shot put by Kelsie Murrell-Ross and Treneese Hamilton. Murrell-Ross picked up where she left off from an impressive freshman campaign to not only take 3rd place behind a pair of UNL throwers, but marked a personal best 15.57m (51-01.00) on her third throw of the day to move up a slot to 4th place on the program's all-time chart. Hamilton also reached national qualifying standards in the event, making the most of her third of three throws with a 13.13m (43-01.00) to cap her freshman debut.
Also making a splash in her collegiate debut, multi-event performer Ana Couto competed in just one event on the weekend, taking 5th place in the 60m hurdles with a national qualifying 8.90 seconds. Deborah Lowe also had a good event in recording a personal best 9.18 to kick off her sophomore campaign in finishing 13th out of the 28-athlete field in coming up just .10 seconds from the qualifying time.
Barton added a trio of 8th place finishers, Naiya Morgan running the 600m for the first time in her now second year as a Cougar in a qualifying time of 1:39.18 with freshman Kay-Lagay Clarke long jump debut marking a 5.31m (17-05.25).
The Cougars' other 8th place finish came in the 4x400m relay as the tandem of Lowe, Morgan, Danae Nembhard, and Antiana Walsh met qualifying standards with a 3:57.42 oval time.
Efe Latham completed Barton's list of qualifiers from the weekend with a 14.99m (49-02.25) weight throw in placing 18th overall in the event.
Barton is back on the track next Saturday in Topeka, Kansas, competing in the Washburn Rust Buster at the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility.
Complete Graduate Classic results