HUTCHINSON, Kansas — It was theirs to lose.
The South Plains College men's track and field team entered the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship meet ranked first in the country and were an overwhelming favorite after capturing the outdoor national crown a year ago in Levelland.
Despite a few hiccups early on Saturday, the Texans left no doubt as they ran away from the field down the stretch en route to their second consecutive men's outdoor crown at Gowans Stadium on the campus of Hutchinson Community College.
"We knew going in we had a good opportunity to win a championship," South Plains Collge head coach Erik Vance said. "At the same time, nobody was going to hand it to us, and we knew it wouldn't be easy. And as we found it, at no point was it easy. We had some things that didn't go our way that we can't control, but we have a group that knows how to battle and gave everything they had for the team."
Entering the final day tied for first, the Texans would cap the meet with 104 points, as Iowa Western took second with 85 points. On the women's side, the Lady Texans turned in a fifth place national finish with 70 points, with Iowa Western taking first with 117 points.
Paxton Hair kicked off the final day with a fourth place national finish in the men's discus throw, notching five points for the Texans with a mark of 167' 9". The Texans would then add five points in the men's 4x100 relay, clocking a 40.56 to take fourth overall.
With three runners qualifying for the finals of the 400 meters, the Texans needed to make the most of the opportunity. They would do just that, notching 15 points in the event as Jeremy Bembridge tallied eight points with a second place national finish in 47.51, while Hossam Hatib was third in 47.74, and Shevioe Reid, who was battling a leg injury, took eighth in 1:48.04. South Plains would add another point in the men's 100 meter dash as Chaunzavia Lewis finished eighth nationally in a time of 10.45.
"We needed every bit of our depth today," Vance said. "We put some combinations out there that we had not planned on, and not much really went to plan because things happen. However, we always had someone who was willing and ready to step up, and when they did, they were successful."
South Plains added 11 points to their total in the men's 800 meters, as Aron Tanui was third in 1:56.60, while Kimar Farquharson finished fifth in a time of 1:52.65, and Dwight Mason was eighth in 1:56.96.
In the men's 400 meter hurdles, Alabama signee and reigning 400 meter hurdle outdoor national champion Chris Robinson was the odds on favorite to win. Prior to the 110-meter hurdles preliminary race on Friday, Robinson suffered an ankle injury during warmups, and his status for Saturday's finals was uncertain. For those who know Robinson, it came as no surprise that the Tallahassee, Florida native laced up his spikes one last time in an SPC uniform on Saturday afternoon to give it a final go.
The Texans would end up scoring 15 points in the race, as South Plains' Caio Almeida, running out of lane eight stole the show, putting down a 52.00 to take first overall, notching 10 points for SPC. Running on adrenaline, Robinson clocked a 52.94 to take fourth overall and tallied a crucial five points for the orange and blue.
"At that point in the meet, the championship was really tight," Vance said. "The 400 meter hurdles was our last chance to get some big points, and we knew Chris wasn't 100 percent. Coach Miller and I talked about it, and we knew Caio could win the race. He put on a show, and to come down the straightaway and pull away, and for Chris to battle it out and get fourth, that put us over the top."
Keontae Gaines added six points in the men's 200 meter dash, clocking a 20.84 to take third overall. South Plains would then close out the meet with a first place national finish in the men's 4x400 relay, putting down a 3:11.05 to tack on 10 points.
Kimola Hines got things kick started for the Lady Texans in the women's discus throw, earning a second-place national finish and eight points with a final mark of 157' 2". Success Umukoro would then clinch a gold medal in the women's 200 meter dash, posting a 23.65, totaling 10 points for the Lady Texans. Umukoro would follow up with a second place national finish in the women's 100 meters, crossing the line in 11.47.
"Success is the defending national champion in the 400 and really wanted to run that race, but we thought her best opportunity to rack up points was the 100 and 200, and it worked out well," Vance said. "I'm proud of our women's team and how they battled all weekend long. They didn't back down and they didn't stop and did an outstanding job this weekend."
South Plains added six points in the women's 800 meter run as Cemore Donald posted a 2:15.22 to take third overall. The Lady Texans added 10 points in the 400 meter hurdles, as Shenell Tucker ran a 1:00.81 to take third, while Amaya Phillips was fifth in 1:02.36. The Lady Texans closed out the meet with a fifth place national finish in the women's 4x400 relay, notching four points with a time of 3:48.37.
"It's great in August when you look at the athletes you signed on paper, and when they arrive and you get to see them work out, you know you have a team that has potential," Vance said. "We knew we had a special group this fall, and we knew we had a chance to do something special. You put in all that work, and it all comes down to three days and one meet. Just being able to finish the job and get it done, it just feels great to be riding back home with a trophy."
Full results: https://live.athletic.net/meets/16323
Day two recap:
Kudakwashe Chadenga secured the third gold medal for South Plains College in the men's high jump as the SPC men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up day two of the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships Friday at Gowans Stadium.
Chadenga notched 10 points for the Texans by clearing 7' 3.25", tying his personal best to earn national champion honors. Amaya Brown tallied four points for the Lady Texans in the women's high jump, placing fifth with a mark of 5' 5.75".
"Kudakwashe is a kid that came to us in January, and you never know what you're going to get when you pick someone up at midterm," South Plains College head coach Erik Vance said. "He is an outstanding individual and has a real natural talent in the high jump. On top of all that, he's a great competitor and a joy to coach."
In the women's heptathlon, Jameila Simmons racked up eight points for the Lady Texans, totaling 4551 points to secure the silver medal. In the men's decathlon, Nelvin Appiah-Konadu picked up two points for the Texans with a seventh-place national finish, notching 6117 points.
"We had a good day, and you're never going to have everyone make it out of the preliminaries into the finals," Vance said. "We had about as good of a day as we could hope for. We have 18 chances to score on Saturday, but none of that matters unless you execute the next day. I feel like we are in a good spot, and this group has the look and mentality of a championship team, and it's time to go out and finish the job."
The Texans are tied for first with Cloud County with 36 team points heading into Saturday. Iowa Western is currently second with 33 points, and Barton is third with 30 points. The Lady Texans are currently fourth in the women's team standings with 24 points, with Iowa Western leading with 51 points. Cloud County is second with 43 points, and Barton is third with 37 points.
Day one recap:
The South Plains College men's track and field team captured a pair of gold medals on day one of the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships at Gowans Stadium on the campus of Hutchinson Community College.
The Texans notched 10 points in the men's 4x800 relay, as Kimar Farquharson, Mehdi Yanouri, Christian Francisco, and Aron Tanui clocked a 7:39.00 to earn national championship honors. In the men's pole vault, Thomas Nieto secured the second gold medal for South Plains with a winning bar of 17' 4.50".
In the men's decathlon, Demarcus Sneed sits in eighth after day one, totaling 3289 points, while teammate Nelvin Appiah-Konadu is ninth with 3253 points. South Plains' Paxton Hair picked up a point for the Texans in the men's hammer throw, earning an eighth-place national finish with a mark of 153' 9".
"We had a good year with Thomas last year being the national runner-up in indoor and outdoor, but we wanted more," South Plains College head coach Erik Vance said. "We thought we had a lot more as far as what bars we could clear, and ever since the end of indoor, he's been locked in. He kept clearing high bars all season and was able to take home another national championship."
On the women's side, South Plains' Joniar Thomas is currently first in the women's heptathlon with 3246 points after four events. The Lady Texan tallied six points in the pole vault, as Sarahi Baeza placed fifth with a clearance of 10' 4.25", while TaraLee McKarns placed sixth nationally with a mark of 9' 10.50". The Lady Texans notched their first medal of the meet in the women's 4x800 relay, as Cemore Donald, Esmeralda Espinoza, Camille Lewis, and Jeniel Jones turned in a third-place national finish in a time of 9:35.11.
"Across the board, I thought our multis competed really well," Vance said. "We have several athletes who are in a position to score and that's all that we can ask. Our women's 4x800 ran really well, and they did a great job and had a podium finish and picked up six important points."