Lady Owls Claim National Runner-up Title
Owls Men's and Women's Track & Field team had a great performance at the NJCAA National Championship that was held this past weekend in Westfield, MA.
The men's team continued their dominance in the sprints with Joel Thomas earning 1st place in several events including the 100m, 200m and a member of the 4*100m relay. The team also had a good showing in the 4*400m and the 4*800m as well as in the hurdles and long distance.
Based on the success during the regular season, the Lady Owls entered the championships ranked 4th in the nation by the USTFCCCA with 651.50 points. This was based on being ranked No. 1 in five events.
The women's team made a huge impact early in the competition, with Monyea Early and Coneisha Smith capturing 1st and 3rd in the 100m hurdles respectively. They followed this performance taking 1st and 2nd in the high jump before Early, Link and Smith swept the 200m with all top three spots. This propelled the women's team into first place with gold and silver by M. Early and C. Smith in the Women's Heptathlon. Unfortunately, 6.5 points was the difference and the Lady Owls finished the championship as 2016 National Runner-up without competing in the Hammer Throw, Javelin, Pole Vault and shot put.
In addition, Monyea Early was named the USTFCCCA Women's Field Athlete of the Year. Early claimed a pair of national titles at the NJCAA DIII Championships and finished top-three in two more. She won the heptathlon with 3,521 points and took the triple jump crown with 11.14m (36-6¾). She was also the runner-up via tiebreak in the high jump at 1.61m (5-3¼) and was third in the long jump at 5.04m (16-6½).
Use the link below to view photos from the 2016 NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship
http://www.pgccowls.com/x/ham46
Use the link below to view final team results from the 2016 Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
http://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Athletics/Final%20Results%20TEAM.pdf
Use the link below to view individual results from the 2016 Outdoor Track & Field National Championships
http://www.hcc.edu/Documents/Athletics/Final%20Results%20INDIV.pdf