01/25/12

Story by Tyler Cundith

Track – JCCC teams continue strong season at ISU Open

OVERLAND PARK, KS – The Johnson County Community College track and field teams proved their potential by concluding the two-day Iowa State Open with 14 top-5 finishes, seven top five performances in school history, two school records and national qualify performances in 17 events.

Johnson County sophomore sprinter Alex Sanders finished runner-up in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. With a full field of high level collegiate and professional athletes in the 60-meters, Sanders finished in 6.74 seconds, the fifth fastest time in JCCC history.  His time is also currently the second fastest in the NJCAA. In the 200, he was just .02 seconds behind Dan-Neil Telsford of Iowa Central for the victory. Sanders time was 21.51.

Sanders wasn’t the only JCCC men’s 200-meter runners to come up big at ISU. Freshman Mark Sitek and Kenny Lightner each recorded national qualifying marks with times of 21.77 and 22.05 respectively.  Sitek’s time was good for a fourth place finish overall.

The JCCC women’s sprint corps was just as impressive. Sophomore Chelsey Borders placed fourth in the 60-mteters with a time of 7.74, and tied for seventh in the 200-meters in 25.48, the second fastest time recorded in team history.

Sophomore Justine Podvin raced to a new school record in the 600-yard finishing eighth with a time of 1:26.12. That effort also was a national qualifying mark.

In the men’s 600-yard, freshmen Nikson Baselle, Marquell Nickens and Jordan Dodd all qualified for the national meet, posting time of 1:12.82, 1:14.53 and 1:16.20, respectively. Baselle’s time also secured him fourth place in the race and the fifth-best time in school history.

The field events for JCCC were strong again, with several athletes performing well. Sophomore Kaylee Ecklund finished fourth in the pole vault with a mark of 10’11.75”, while sophomore Luke Arnold cleared 15’3” to tie for fourth and qualify for nationals.

Freshman Monet Jackson continued her assault on the JCCC record books in the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 53’8.50” and a fourth place finish. That effort broke her school record mark she set last week at the Dave Burgess Invitational. She also recorded a fifth place finish in the shot put with a mark of 41’7”.

In the men’s weight throw, freshman Caniggia Raynour finished fifth with a personal-best mark of 54.25”, earned places in fourth on JCCC’s top performer list in the event.  Raynour also placed fifth in the shot put with a mark of 48’6.75”. Jackson’s and Raynour’s marks in the weight throw are currently No. 1 in the NJCAA.

In the final events of the day, the women’s and men’s 4x400 relays stepped up against the competition. The women’s team of Podvin, Borders, Maishia Mitchell and Brittany Parks raced to a time of 3:58.88, the second fastest performance in school history. On the men’s side, Sitek, Lightner, Sanders and Dodd crossed the finish line in third place in 3:16.40, and moved into the third spot all-time at JCCC in the event.

---

For schedules, rosters, and other team information, go to www.jccc.edu/cavs.