May 18, 2013

STEVE CARPENTER, HUTCHINSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The South Plains College Texan track and field team ran away from the competition and laid claim to their seventh consecutive team title when they finished the three days of competition with 140 team points Saturday evening at Gowans stadium in Hutchinson, Kan.

“We started slow, but really competed well on the final day,” SPC head coach Chris Beene said about his men’s team.  

The SPC Lady Texan track team was in contention for their fifth straight team championship until the final event, but wound up the runners up, 10 points behind the winning team.

“Though I was disappointed in the outcome, I was very proud of the way we competed.”

South Plains College athletes earned a combined 34 All-America honors in the men’s and women’s events and will bring home eight event championships.

Individual NJCAA championship winners include Ashley Johnson (heptathlon), Jarvis Gotch (Long Jump), Desreen Montague (women’s 800, 1500), and Jovan Davis (400 hurdles).  South Plains College also took top honors in the men’s and women’s 4x100-meter relay and the men’s 4x400-meter relay.

The quartet of K.B. Handsborough, Daniel Harper, Steven Gayle, and Vernon Norwood took down the stadium record in the final event of the day, turning in a time of 3:05.93 in the four-lap relay race.