Cowley men’s track and field team places ninth, women 13th at Outdoor National Championships
The Cowley College track and field teams wrapped up their visit to Hobbs, NM, for the NJCAA Outdoor Nationals Championships, with both teams finishing inside the top 15. The Tiger men placed ninth, and the Lady Tigers finished 13th.
The teams battled the desert heat and two weather cancellations due to storms. The Tiger men were led by national champion Treavor Green in the hammer throw.
"Any time our program can come home with a national champion, it is a big deal for us," Cowley head coach Cameron Rieth said. "Treavor stepped up and got it done."
Jaden Schneeberger finished as the national runner-up in the men's hammer, while freshman Julian Washington also earned All-American honors in the event by placing sixth.
Other Tiger men's All-Americans were Felipe Mentz in the decathlon and Lance Blubaugh in the javelin.
The Lady Tigers were led by sophomore Kayla McClellan, finishing as the national runner-up in the hammer throw, while Sarah Robinson (hammer), Jamilet Bautista (javelin), Jacie Carson (pole vault), and the women's 4x800-meter relay team of Delicia Boothe, Andrea Garcia-Gonzalez, Layla Ingalls, and Dhennifer Vaz also garnered All-American honors.
"For the most part, we had to scrape and claw for every single point we scored, but we got big points out of the hammer and Javelin," Rieth said. "Coach (Glenwood) Edwards has been doing a great job getting his kids rolling for the national meet. Treavor, Jaden, Julian, as well as Kayla and Sarah in the hammer, while Lance and Jamilet showed they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future in the javelin."
New Mexico Junior College took home the women's title, while Cloud County and Barton County finished second and third, respectively. New Mexico and South Plains Junior College tied for the title on the men's side, with Barton County placing third.
The Tiger men scored 37 team points at the national meet, while the Lady Tigers scored 20 ½ points. Rieth was proud of his athletes' efforts throughout the season.
"For all of them, it was incredible just to see them make it to the national meet," Rieth said. "I told the kids, no matter whether you scored or not, you deserved to be there. Several athletes had to scrape and claw to qualify, which is still a very big deal. Three that really stood out to me for this were: Jacie Carson, Andrea Garcia-Gonzalez, and McKenna Markle. To see how much these young ladies have endured, matured, and developed over the last year, not only on the track but in their personal lives, was outstanding. It was a great way to end the season."