This past weekend represented the culmination of what has been a tremendous season for the Monroe Mustang track and field team, as they traveled to Hutchinson, KS to face some of the country's most talented junior college athletes in the 2015 NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Hosted by Hutchinson Community College, the event offered our Mustangs the chance to prove yet again that they are a force to be reckoned with on a national level.
The meet got off to an explosive start as Ksenia Safonova secured second place in the women's hammer throw with a toss of 181' 02", simultaneously earning All-American honors and shattering the Monroe College school record she had set earlier this outdoor season.
And, from the moment the Mustangs stepped on the track the following day, the results of their hard work became evident. The men's 4x800 relay team, comprising Damon Daniels, Ronaldo Ball, Javaun Grant and Alexshandro Rodriguez, edged out Iowa Central Community College to capture first place and set a new school record of 7:37.94. Later that day, Katleho Dyoyi finished fourth in the Men's 3000m Steeplechase with a noteworthy time of 9:37.06.
Saturday morning was time for the discus athletes to shine, as Mark Ramsey and Fabeon Tucker finished second and third in the event— Mark with a season best of 164-00', and Fabeon right behind with a distance of 155-09.
The 800m race also yielded positive results for the Mustangs on both the men's and women's side, as Ronaldo Ball (1:53.12) and Atara Segree  (2:15.91; a school record) both achieved 5^th place in their respective events. .
After numerous delays due to lightning strikes, the men's 4x400m relay team of Kahleef Gravesande, Damon Daniels, Tresean Goodwin and Alexshandro Rodriguez finished 5^th in 3:13.54. The four points they accrued brought Monroe to a total of 46, which allowed the Mustangs to secure their best outdoor nationals finish yet  — a very respectable 6^th place.
In other events:

• Two freshman high jumpers, Jovan Swaby and Elizae McDonald, were part of a three-way tie for seventh place after each jumped 6-08.
• The 400m run brought further All-American honors, this time for Tresean Goodwin who finished in 6^th place with a time of 49.25 (47.71 in the prelims). Teammate Kahleef Gravesande also achieved a personal best in the same event, with his time of 47.85.
• Walter Penate demonstrated his abilities as a combo hurdler, delivering his season-best time to finish 6^th in the 110m high hurdles. He then placed 8^th in the 400m Intermediate hurdles, completing the race in 59.46 after an unfortunate fall at the 10^th hurdle. The day before, Walter had qualified with a season-best time of 52.89.
• Denesha Ransome delivered a personal best time of 12:01 in the 100m, and broke the previous school record in doing so.
• Jayvona McDaniels (women's 800m) and J'renda Rivera (women's 400m) achieved impressive times of 2:22:11 and 57.76 respectively.  

As ever, the Mustangs can be proud of their achievements. They have invested time and hard work all season, and it reflects in their continued improvements and inspiring performances. Well done to all, and have a wonderful summer!