Iowa Central Community College won both the men's and women's team championships Saturday at the 2012 National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Indoor Track & Field Championships held on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. The City University of New York Athletics Conference was represented by three schools at the NJCAA meet - Bronx, Kingsborough and Queensborough. All three came out of the Championships with an All-American athlete and the promise of a historic, if not monumental outdoor season beginning next week.
Competing with the best junior colleges across the country at the two day event in Charleston, Illinois, which is open for NJCAA Division I, II and III, two fall All-Americans renewed their honors in middle distance races. One of them was Saint Lucian, Zenia George, a sophomore at Kingsborough. Zenia became an NJCAA All-American last spring, as part of KCC’s 4x800m winning Relay team and with a second place in the Javelin throw. Earlier this year, she finished fourth in the NJCAA Division III Cross Country Championship.
Zenia has been hitting career-best times in the indoors 800m as well, navigating the tight bends on the smaller ovals to go under 2:20 twice this season. And as she prepares to graduate Kingsborough with academic accolades, she excelled for the Wave against the top juco runners in the United States. With a sensational run of 2:20.09, a mere 1.29 seconds behind the National Champions, Zenio took silver at NJCAA. She then earned her fifth career All-American honor with a 3:06.92 seventh place finish in the 1000m.
George was the only Kingsborough athlete to score points on the day, her total of 10 good for 18th place. A Division III only Track & Field Championship is contested following the Outdoor season in May, when CUNYAC individuals are expected to achieve their best results. And when Zenia will be aiming to graduate with honours from KCC.
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Also at the NJCAA Championships, former CARIFTA medallist Rick Valcin failed to negotiate a height in the men's Pole Vault. Rick, a sophomore at Cowley College in South Central Kansas, hit new heights for the indoor season this year. He is looking forward to his final outdoor season at Cowley, as he is due to graduate in May.
Elsewhere, Missouri State visited the University of Arkansas for the Arkansas Last Chance Meet. Merica Moncherry was eighth in the 200m dash. Her time of 24.60 represents a new personal-best for the Missouri Valley double conference medallist, a freshman at Missouri State. "The girls finished the season well," said director of track and field and cross country Ron Boyce, "It has been a very successful indoor campaign."
Meanwhile, McKendree University opened their outdoor season at the University of North Florida Spring Break Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla. Senior Chad Phillip had a pair of top-30 efforts as he placed 21st in the 100m dash and 28th in the 200m. Phillip posted a time of 11.09 seconds in the 100, while turning in a 22.78 time in the 200.
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