Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

6/1/05
Story by Tyler Cundith

JCCC Men’s Track Place Ninth at NJCAA Outdoor Nationals

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- The Johnson County Community College Men’s track and field team recently completed its outdoor campaign, placing ninth at the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. In addition, a total of nine JCCC athletes were awarded 10 NJCAA Coaches All-America honors, and one earned NJCAA All-American by winning his event.

Entering the outdoor championships, a JCCC pole vaulter had produced a national champion six times, and amassed 54 All-American honors during the history of the track and field program. At Outdoor Nationals, JCCC increased those totals to seven and 57. Freshmen Kyle Dennis of Pauls Valley, Okla, was top medalists, earning JCCC’s seventh national championship in the pole vault. He is the first two win outdoors since David Amet in the 1995 Indoor Championships. Dennis cleared a school record 17-feet, 0.75 inches to win the the event. Dennis also won the indoor championship earlier this season, joining Amet as the only vaulter to win national championships indoors and outdoors in the same season.

Sophomore Jake Williams of Chanute, Kan. earned a fifth-place finish in the pole vault with a mark of 15-feet, 6.25 inches. That effort earned him NJCAA Coaches All-American. He also earned Coaches All-American during the indoor campaign.

Rounding out JCCCs’ All-America vault crew is freshman Adam Ergenbright who also cleared 15-feet, 6.25 inches, but was awarded sixth-place based on attempts. A native of Midwest City, Okla., Erbenbright earned both NJCAA and Coaches All-America at the NJCAA indoors by placing third.

Sophomore distance runner Brian Batliner of Shawnee Mission South, raced to a 10th-place finish in the 1,500-meters, earning Coaches All-American. He finished with a time of 4:13.08, the second-best time by a Cavalier at nationals. Batliner earned three Coaches All-America certificates combined at the 2004 and 2005 Indoor Championships. He also was a key member of the cross country team the last two seasons, helping the Cavaliers to fourth-place and eight-place finishes.

Freshman distance runner Evan Cox of Minneapolis, Kan., earned two Coaches All-America certificates at this year’s outdoor championships. Cox placed fifth overall in the 800-meters with a time of 1:54.43. That time ranks third on JCCC’s all-time national performance list in that event. Cox also ran a leg on the 4x800-meter relay that place sixth with a time of 7:55.33. Joining Cox were freshman Alan Kroll of Lansing, Kan., freshman Justin Simonich of Shawnee Mission East and sophomore Jesse Chettle of Riverside, Mo.

Rounding out JCCC’s All-America performers is freshman thrower Willy Cochran of Gardner, Kan. Cochran posted a fifth-place finish in the javelin with a mark of 180-feet, 10-inches. It marks the 12th time a JCCC athlete has earned All-American in the javelin.