Twenty personal bests and two titles lead Barton women's track and field team to 3rd place National finish; Murrell-Ross defends shot put title with relay team making a program impact #GoBarton

The Barton Community College women's track and field team put up twenty personal and/or season best efforts this past week to bring home 3rd place hardware from Hobbs, New Mexico, at the 2023 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.

The 2nd ranked Cougars going into the meet had twenty-one scoring performances in the three days of action, compiling 92.50 balanced points on the scoreboard to better South Plains College's 82 points for the final hardware. Host New Mexico Junior College piled up 130.50 points for the title with Region VI member Cloud County Community College 8.5 points ahead of Barton with 101 points for the team runner-up.

Barton won two individual titles, none more exciting than the oval hand-offs as the Cougars' tandem of Antiana Walsh, Oarabile Tshosa, Danae Nembhard, and Naiya Morgan not only won the event in 44.15 seconds but recorded the storied program's 5th fastest time ever.

Tshosa and Morgan earned the Cougars 14 more points in the sprints with Dy'Mond Wiley clocking a season best 55.92 in the 400m for an 8th place finish.

Already having the program's 5th fastest 100m time (11.26), Tshosa took 4th in 11.62 with Morgan placing 7th on a 11.74 personal best non-wind aided time.

In the 200m both made program impacts in the preliminary round, Tshosa clocking a 23.22 in moving into the 6th slot of the all-time list while Morgan jumped into the 4th spot of the historical list with a blazing 23.13 time. The duos weren't able to repeat the time in the following day's finals, Tshosa timing a 23.38 in finishing 3rd while Morgan clocked a 23.99 in placing 8th.

Walsh had two of the Cougars' new personal or season bests, clocking a 11.61 in the 100m to finish 10th with a 23.66 line crossing for 12th in the 200m.

Two more bests occurred in the 100m hurdles, the program's 6th spot holder Danae Nembhard just missing her previous fastest 13.44 with a season best 13.51 to place third with Kay-Lagay Clarke clocking a best 13.93 in prelims before placing 6th on a eyelash slower 13.97 finals time.

The throwing group led Barton's points with 31, fourteen coming from Kelsie Murrell-Ross including the shot put title on Saturday. Third on the program all-time list (16.08m, 52-09.25), Murrell-Ross defended her outdoor title with a 15.49m (50-09.75) dent in the ground while Treneese Hamilton, who has the program's 5th furthest throw ever (14.89m, 48-10.25), grabbing the 4th spot on her fifth throw of the day at 14.11m (46-03.50). Also on the program's discus all-time chart in the 6th slot (48.78m, 160-00), Murrell-Ross marked a 45.66m (149-10) on Friday for a 5th placing.

Hamilton earned eleven points in closing out her freshman campaign, adding to her shot put performance with a 5th place javelin finish at 42.12m (138-02), two feet behind her program 10th best throw, and a personal best 46.04m (151-01) hammer throw in placing 7th overall.

Efe Latham, who owns the program's 8th best hammer throw, missed her season and career best by one inch in placing third with a 50.50m (165-08) mark. Latham would also place 10th in the javelin (35.92m, 117-10) and 12th in the shot put (12.27m, 40-03.00) to wind up her Barton career.

On Friday the grueling heptathlon wrapped up with another 8 points going on the Barton total. Ana Couto had a pair of event runner-ups (100m hurdles and shot put) to finish 4th with 4972 points while Kayleigh Prentiss had three personal bests in compiling 4395 for 6th place of the fourteen entry field.

Barton gained another 17.5 points in the jumps beginning in day one's long jump as Jazmine Williamson edged out Brittania Ingram's personal best for 3rd place by two inches on a 5.99m (19-07.75) splash in the sand as Clarke was less than three inches from points on a 10th place 5.64m (18-06.00) mark.

On Friday Williamson gained Barton another 4.5 points in just missing a personal best height with a 1.70m (5-07) high jump with Clarke closing out the points in Saturday's triple jump on a personal best 12.24m (40-02.00) to place 7th.

In the meet's final event, the 4x400m tandem couldn't repeat its season best 3:44.20 preliminary time from a day earlier as Morgan, Walsh, Tshosa, and Wiley crossed in 7th place at 3:47.09.

Barton Results
100m: 4th Oarabile Tshosa (11.62 *11.54 in Prelims *Already has program 5th fastest time), 7th Naiya Morgan (11.74 *11.58 in Prelims), 10th Antiana Walsh (PB 11.61)
200m: 3rd Oarabile Tshosa (23.38 *PB 23.22 in Prelims ** Moves from 11th to 6th on program all-time list), 8th Naiya Morgan (23.99 *PB 23.13 in Prelims **Moves from 9th to 4th on program all-time list), 12th Antiana Walsh (PB 23.66)
400m: 8th Dy'Mond Wiley (SB 55.92)
100m Hurdles: 3rd Danae Nembhard (SB 13.51 *13.59 in Prelims **Already has program 6th fastest time), 6th Kay-Lagay Clarke (13.97 *PB 13.93 in Prelims)
4x100m Relay: CHAMPION 44.15 *Program 5th fastest (Antiana Walsh, Oarabile Tshosa, Danae Nembhard, Naiya Morgan)
4x400m Relay: 7th 3:47.09 *SB 3:44.20 in Prelims (Naiya Morgan, Antiana Walsh, Oarabile Tshosa, and Dy'Mond Wiley)
Long Jump: 3rd Jazmine Williamson (5.99m, 19-07.75), 4th Brittania Ingram (PB 5.94m, 19-05.75), 10th Kay-Lagay Clarke (5.64, 18-06.00)
High Jump: 4th Jazmine Williamson (1.70m, 5-07.00), 16th Kayleigh Prentiss (PB 1.62m, 5-03.75)
Triple Jump: 7th Kay-Lagay Clarke (PB 12.24m, 40-02.00), 12th Brittania Ingram (11.56m, 37-11.00), Foul/DNF Ahniesha Presulme
Hammer Throw: 3rd Efe Latham (SB 50.50m, 165-08 *Missed her program 8th best throw by one inch), 7th Treneese Hamilton (PB 46.04m, 151-01), 18th Kelsie Murrell-Ross (42.25m, 138-07)
Shot Put: CHAMPION Kelsie Murrell-Ross (15.49m, 50-09.75 *Already has program 3rd furthest throw), 4th Treneese Hamilton (14.11m, 46-03.50 *Already has program 5th furthest throw), 12th Efe Latham (12.27m, 40-03.00)
Javelin: 5th Treneese Hamilton (42.12m, 138-02 *Already has program 10th furthest throw), 10th Efe Latham (35.92m, 117-10)
Discus Throw: 5th Kelsie Murrell-Ross (45.66m, 149-10 *Already has program 6th furthest throw), 14th Treneese Hamilton (34.65m, 113-08)
Heptathlon:
4th Ana Couto (4972 points *Already has program 7th most points)
100m Hurdles: 2nd (14.18); High Jump: 4th (PB 1.54m); Shot Put: 2nd (11.94m); 200m: 4th (25.66); Long Jump: 5th (5.46m); Javelin: 4th (30.18m); 800m: 4th (2:29.33)
6th Kayleigh Prentiss (4395 points)
100m Hurdles: 7th (PB 15.13); High Jump: 3rd (1.60m); Shot Put: 6th (PB 9.90m); 200m: 7th (26.62); Long Jump: 6th (PB 5.22m); Javelin: 8th (26.30m); 800m: 9th (2:42.89)
DNF Ahniesha Presulme
100m Hurdles: 6th (PB 15.05); High Jump: 13th (1.33m); Shot Put: 12th (7.72m); 200m: 8th (PB 26.95); DNS: Long Jump, Javelin, 800m