JCCC Men Runner-up at Indoor Conference

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- The Johnson County Community College reign as indoor East Jayhawk Conference champion came to an end last week at the 2005 Championship at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan. The men’s track and field team posted a runner-up finish, ending an eight-year span as champions. JCCC tallied 168 points in the competition. Cowley County recorded 226 points to win its first indoor championship.

A total of 13 JCCC athletes garnered 25 all-conference honors, including four individual conference champions, and one championship relay. In addition, JCCC finished fifth in the Region VI Championship, and 12 athletes posted 12 all-region performances.

Freshman Kyle Dennis of Paul Valley, Okla, won the conference and region titles in the pole vault clearing 16'0.75". That mark is a new East Jayhawk Conference meet record. Earlier this year, Dennis set the all-time indoor record at JCCC, clearing 16'10" at the CMSU Mule Relays. He broke the record of 16'9.75" set in 1996 by Jeremy Mull.

Close behind was freshman Adam Ergenbright of Midwest City, Okla., who placed second in the conference and region in the vault with a mark of 15'7", a personal-best.

Freshman Mikah Antwine of Osowatomie, Kan., earned three all-conference honors, and was an individual champion in two of the events. Antwine won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.30 and won the triple jump with a mark of 44'7.75". He also earned All-Region VI in both events, placing sixth and fifth respectively. His time in the 60-meter hurdles is the second fastest performance in JCCC history. He also owns the third and fourth fastest in history, setting those marks earlier in the campaign. He earned all-conference in the 200-meters as well, placing sixth overall.

Freshman Idiato Jeremiah of Milwaukee, Wis., earned all-conference in three individual events. Jeremiah placed second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.91, fifth in the 200-meters with a time of 23.17, and fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 41'9". His time in the 60-meters is a personal-best this season, and ranks second all-time at Johnson County.

Sophomore Brian Batliner of Shawnee Mission South, won a conference championship in the mile run, finishing in 4:30.61. That performance also earned him a second-place finish in the region, giving him All-Region VI accolades. Batliner raced to a third-place finish in the 1,000-meters with a time of 2:40.98, which earned him all-conference in that event.

Freshman Paul Barrett of Marshalltown, Iowa, earned three honors in two events in his first indoor championship. He placed second in the conference and fourth in the region in the 5,000-meter run, earning East Jayhawk All-Conference and All-Region VI accolades. He also earned all-conference in the 1,000-meters, placing fourth with a time of 2:44.98.

Freshman Brian Houchin of Maranatha Academy had three all-conference honors and an all-region performance. Houchin placed second in the 600-meters with a time of 1:26.28, and fourth in the 400-meters with a time of 51.66. He also ran a leg on the distance medley relay that won the conference and placed third in the region.

Another athlete who turned in three all-conference performances and one all-region effort was freshman Tighe Van Anne. He ran a leg on the distance medley relay that placed first in the conference and third in the region. Van Anne also earned individual all-conference accolades in the 3,000-meters and mile, placing third and fourth respectively.

Earning two all-conference honors were freshmen Corey Jones of Bonner Springs, Kan., Evan Cox of Minneapolis, Kan., and Alan Kroll of Lansing, Kan. Jones earned individual all-conference honors in the shot put and weight throw, placing fourth and sixth respectively. His effort of 44'9" in the shot put were a personal-best this season.

Cox earned all-conference and all-region accolades in the 1,000-meters and as a member of the distance medley relay. He placed second in the conference and region in the 1,000-meter with a time of 2:34.03, which ranks as the fourth-best performance all-time at JCCC. The distance medley team won the conference and placed third in the region.

Kroll also earned all-conference and all-region honors in two events. He placed second in the conference and fifth in the region in the 800-meters with a time of 1:59.61. He also ran a leg on the distance medley relay that placed first and third respectively.

Rounding out the all-conference performers were freshmen Drew Sasek of Lincoln, Neb., and Justin Simonich of Shawnee Mission East. Sasek placed third in the pentathlon, scoring 2,971 points. Simonich raced to a third-place finish in the 800-meters with a time of 2:02.12.