South Plains men win NJCAA championship
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The South Plains College men's track and field team, fueled by first-place finishes individually from Caio Almeida, Thomas Nieto and Kudakwashe Chadenga, won the NJCAA championship in the three-day meet that concluded Saturday.
The Texans scored 104 points. Iowa Western was second with 85 points, followed by Barton (Kan.) Community College with 68 points and Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College with 67 1/2.
The national title was the 13th for the Texans. Last year, they tied with Barton County for the title.
Almeida won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.00 seconds. Nieto cleared 17 feet, 4 1/2 inches to take the pole vault, and Chadenga topped out at 7-3 1/4 in the high jump.
The Texans also won the 3,200-meter relay in 7 minutes, 39.00 seconds and won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:11.05.
South Plains got a 2-3 finish in the 400 meters from Jeremy Bembridge (47.51) and Hossam Hatib (47.74) and third-place points in the 800 meters from Aron Tanui (1:56.60) and in the 200 from Keontae Gaines (20.84).
In the women's division, Iowa Western won its first NJCAA title with 117 points and South Plains was fifth with 70. Second, third and fourth were New Mexico Junior College (98), Cloud County (Kan.) Community College (92) and Barton (90).
Success Umukoro led the South Plains women, winning the 200 meters in 23.65 and taking second in the 100 in 11.47. The Lady Texans also got second-place finishes in the discus from Kimola Hines (157-2) and in the heptathlon from Jameila Simmons (4,551 points).
Cemore Donald placed third in the 800 meters in 2:15.22, and Shenell Tucker got third in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.81. The Lady Texans' 3,200-meter relay also was third in 9:35.11.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: South Plains men win NJCAA track and field championship
