ACCC track team has nine Jayhawk East champions, Region VI men’s athlete and men’s coach of the year
Allen County Community College’s Red Devil athletes may not have won team championships at the 2010 NJCAA Region VI/Jayhawk Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships last weekend. They did make an impact individually.
Sophomore Postena Louisjuene is now a two-time Region VI/Jayhawk East champion. She succussfully defended her high jump championship. She won by clearing the bar at 5 feet, 5 inches.
The ACCC women had four Region VI event championships.
Two of those belong to sophomore Keythra Rich-ards. Richards captured gold medals in the long jump and triple jump events.
The Red Devil women went 1-2 in the long jump. Richards is the RegionVI and Jayhawk East champion with a leap of 18’8”. Louisjeune was second at 18’ 1⁄4”. Also, Akilah Threadgill was 17th overall at 14’81⁄2”.
Richards repeated as Jayhawk East triple jump champion and as long jump champion. This year she also was first in Region VI in the triple jump at 37’63⁄4”.
Angelica Larrier, a sophomore, ran a personal-best 11.84 seconds to become the Region VI/Jayhawk East champion in the 100-meter dash. That also is a new ACCC record as Larrier has lowered the ACCC 100-meter time for three times in two years.
Larrier finished fourth overall in the 200-meter dash and second in the East in 25.23 seconds. Larrier combined with Richards, Louisjeune and freshman Amanda Smith to take third overall and second in the East in the 4×400-meter relay race in 4 minutes, 5.46 seconds.
Smith was 13th overall and fourth in the East in the 400-meter dash in 1:04.55. Freshman Rackell Goldson placed seventh in the wom-en’s heptathlon, scoring 1,796 points.
CLINTON FLETCHER will tell you its all about the Allen County athletes. He came to ACCC expecting to be an assistant coach in 2007 but got handed the head coaching duties just before school began in August of that year.
Fletcher has been developing the ACCC track program over the past three years. At last week’s Region VI meet, Fletcher was named Region VI Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year.
Sophomore Isiah Young was named 2010 Region VI Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. Young broke the 21-second barrier in the 200-meter preliminaries, running 20.98.
Young is the Jayhawk East 200-meter and 100-meter champion. He finished second in Region VI in the 200 in 21.02 and was third in the region in the 100 in 10.48 seconds.
Allen County’s only Region VI/Jayhawk East champion is freshman Trent Huling. Huling won the 400-meter dash in 49.08 seconds. John Thurston, a freshman, placed ninth overall and third in the Jayhawk East in 49.63 seconds.
Allen County’s 4×100-meter relay team of Huling, Young, freshman Kyran Stewart and sophomore DeAndre Simmons won the Region VI/Jayhawk East championships. The foursome won the race in 41.02 seconds.
Back to the 100, Young was joined by Stewart and D. Simmons in scoring points. Stewart was sixth overall and third in the East at 10.62 and D. Simmons was seventh and fourth, respectively in 10.65 seconds.
In the 200, Stewart was fifth in the regional and third in the Jayhawk East at 21.17 seconds. D. Simmons was seventh overall, fourth in the East in 21.49 seconds.
Freshman Justin Boyd had a personal-best time of 14.88 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles. That gave him a Jayhawk East title and he was fifth in Region VI.
Sophomore Cameron Parker is the Jayhawk East long jump champion and was fifth in Region VI. His best leap was 23’21⁄2”. Sophomores Marwin Simmons and Jarrett Criddle also placed in the event.
M. Simmons was seventh overall and third in the East at 22’9”. Criddle placed 10th overall and fourth in the East at 22’61⁄2”.
Parker was second overall and in the Jayhawk East in the triple jump at 48’113⁄4”. Criddle took eighth overall and fifth in the East at 46’2”. M.Simmons was 10th overall, sixth in the East at 44’103⁄4”.
Freshmen Kyrese Banks and Brandon Forbes ran in the 800-meter race. Banks was 19th overall, seventh in the East at 2 minutes, 2.49 seconds. Forbes was 25th and 12th, respectively, 2:11.34.
Allen County’s 4×400-meter relay team of Huling, Thurston, freshman Abraham Walker and Banks was fourth overall and third in the East. Their time was 3:19.82.
DeAndre Speed and William Brown competed in the shot put. Speed was 22nd at 34’43⁄4” and Brown was 23rd at 34’3”. Julian Christin placed 23rd in the discus at 101’11”.
Earning 2010 Jayhawk East All-Conference honors from ACCC were:
Men: first team-Isiah Young, 100 and 200; Trent Huling, 400; Justin Boyd, 110 hurdles; the 4×100 relay team; second team-Cam-eron Parker, triple jump; honorable mention-Kyran Stewart, 100/200; John Thurston, 400; 4×400-m relay team; Parker, long jump.
Women: first team-Angelica Larrier, 100; Postenea Louisjeune, high jump; Kethra Richards, long jump/triple jump; second team-Larrier, 200; 4×400-m relay team; Louisjeune, long jump.
This weekend features several “last chance” track meets where athletes close to qualifying for the NJCAA national track meet can try to make qualifying marks. Right now, ACCC has 10 individuals qualified in nine events.
The 2010 NJCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet is May 20-22 in Hutchinson.
