MONROE, LA — The South Plains College men's track and field team secured its fourth consecutive Outdoor National Championship Saturday, capping the meet with four gold medals and 25 All-American honors at Malone Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe.
The Texans secured 106.5 points, earning the top spot over New Mexico Junior College, who took second in the final team standings with 97 points.
"We had two good days the first two days, and obviously we had a couple of things not go our way early on," South Plains head coach Erik Vance said. "I don't think our guys ever flinched or thought twice about it, and they came out and found a way to win. This is a quality group of kids, and they compete with each other every day. We have set the standard and that is to win, and it's a very tough standard to meet. When you set those kind of standards, you're kids come out and do what they need to do to find ways to win."
Freshman Jaime Moreno put the Texans on the board in the first event Saturday, winning gold in the men's javelin with a mark of 219' 8". In the men's triple jump, Mouhameth Fall went 51' 8.5" to earn a silver medal, while sophomore Mitchell Allen placed sixth in the triple with a jump of 49' 9.25".
The Texan's 4x800 relay team comprised of Hamdani Benahmed, Ainsley Campbell, Stefan Camejo, and Matthew Gordon placed sixth nationally with a time of 7:44.81. The Texans won gold in the 4x100 relay, as Tajae Francis, Denzel Simusialela, Waly Bathiy, and Gregory Prince clocked a 39.75.
South Plains would then take first and third in the men's 110 hurdles, as Isaiah Patrick posted the top time in 13.58, and Dishaun Lamb was third in 13.87. Benahmed and Divan Du Plooy would go one-two in the men's 1500 meters, as Benahmed was first in 3:48.58, while Du Plooy was second in 3:50.88. Benahmed added a fourth place finish in the men's 800 meters, crossing the line in 1:48.81.
In the men's 400 meter finals, Mouatez Sikiou placed fifth for South Plains in 46.33, while Gregory Price was eighth in 47.89. Freshman Denzel Simusialela turned in a third place national finish in the men's 100 meters, clocking a 10.18.
"Each championship has its own difficulties, and I was part of an outstanding streak when I got here," Vance said. "We have found that there will be ups and downs, and a lot more good than bad, and a lot more years with titles than not. We just want to find a way to keep our standards high and continue to win."
The Lady Texans posted a fifth place national team finish with 47.83 points. New Mexico won the women's team title with 98 points, followed by Barton County with 93, Cloud with 78, and Iowa Western with 74.
Freshman Ruth Agadama earned All-American honors in the women's 100 meters, placing fourth with a time of 11.72. Lilliana Guerrero was eighth in the women's 800 meters in 2:15.41, while Lilian Mateo Torrex was fifth in the 5000 in 18:06.13.
Sophomore Safhia Hinds won gold in the women's 400 hurdles, going 58.31, while Leticia Quingostas was fifth in 1:02.32. The Lady Texans 4x100 relay team notched a fourth place national finish in 45.41, and placed seventh in the women's 4x400 relay in 3:47.70.
"Jim and Frank have been outstanding, and for a guy like Jim to come here with the quality of his resume, it speaks to the quality of our institution at South Plains. Jim has embraced the core of junior college kids, and you can see the progression of his kids throughout the year. I can't say enough about Frank Barker, and he has helped me so much. There is no way we are where we are as a program without coach Barker."
Day two recap:
Day two of the NJCAA Outdoor National Championships saw the South Plains College men's and women's track and field teams combine to win two more medals heading into Championship Saturday at Malone Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe.
Freshman Shamar Reid placed fourth in the men's shot put, totaling five points for the Texans with a mark of 56' 9.50". Sophomore Django Segovia won a silver medal with a mark of 15' 11.75" in the men's pole vault, posting eight points for South Plains. In the men's discus, Reid placed fourth nationally with a mark of 184' 11", adding an additional five points.
In the women's heptathlon, Abril Okon earned a fifth-place national finish, totaling 4395 points. Amber Simpson placed seventh in the multis for the Lady Texans, totaling 3972 points. Harry Crosby grabbed the bronze medal in the men's decathlon, racking up 6758 points over the two day stretch.
On the track, the Texans qualified for the men's 4x100 final after a sixth-place finish in prelims in 40.05. Divan Du Plooy and Damdani Benahmed qualified for the 1500-meter finals after placing first and second in prelims, respectively. Mouatez Sikiou and Gregory Prince placed sixth and seventh in the men's 400-meter prelims to qualify for Saturday's finals, while Dishaun Lamb and Isaiah Patrick qualified for the men's 110-meter hurdle finals.
Ruth Agadama placed fourth in the women's 100-meter prelims to advance to the finals, while Denzel Simusialela qualified for the men's 100-meter finals. Sophomore Lilliana Guerrero posted a 2:12.88 to advance to the women's 800-meter finals, while Benahmed advanced to the men's 800-meter finals with a time of 1:51.39 in prelims.
Safhia Hinds put down a 1:00.19 in prelims to move on to the women's 400-meter hurdle finals, and the Lady Texans 4x400 relay team will run in Saturday's finals after running a 3:43.39 on Friday.
Day one recap:
Despite inclement weather finding its way to Malone Stadium on day one of the NJCAA Outdoor National Championships, the South Plains College men's and women's track and field teams battled through and found their way to the podium.
Freshman Isaiah Patrick earned All-American honors and a silver medal in the men's long jump, going 24' 11", notching eight points for the Texans. In the women's 10k Thursday morning, Lilian Torrez posted a 37:01.67, earning a fourth-place national finish and five points for the Lady Texans.
Freshman Giuliana Saporito Schiesaro posted an eighth-place finish in the women's pole vault, clearing the bar at 10' 8.75". Freshman Ruth Agadama went 19' 8" in the women's long jump, placing fourth nationally to add five points. The Texans added three points in the men's 4x800, clocking a 7:44.81 to take sixth.
In the women's 4x100 prelims, the Lady Texans took third in 45.63, while the Texans took second in the men's 4x100 prelims in 40.05. Safhia Hinds put down the top time in the women's 400-meter hurdle prelims, posting a 1:00.19.