Colby Track & Field Heads to Regional Championships

The Colby Trojans Track & Field team prepares for one of the season's biggest meets this weekend as they compete at the Region VI/KJCCC Indoor Track & Field Championships, set for Feb. 21–22 at the Robert W. Plaster Center on the campus of Pittsburg State University.

The two-day championship meet will feature a full slate of combined events, field competitions, and running finals as teams from across the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference compete for regional titles and national qualifying marks toward the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Competition begins Saturday (Feb. 21) with the opening rounds of the men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon, along with several field events and distance races. The day will also include preliminaries in the 60-meter hurdles, 60-meter dash, and 200-meter dash, setting the stage for Sunday's championship finals. Sunday's schedule features the conclusion of the combined events, including the 60-meter hurdles and 800-meter run for the women's pentathlon and the final events of the men's heptathlon. Field event finals and running event championships will follow throughout the day, highlighted by relay races, middle-distance events, and sprint finals. The meet will conclude with the 4x400-meter relays, traditionally one of the most exciting events of the championship.

Colby enters the weekend with strong national credentials, posting 13 qualifying marks on the men's side while the women have recorded five national qualifying standards.

On the men's side, Javano Bridgewater leads the Trojans with the 10th-best 400-meter time in the nation while also ranking among the top 30 in the 600 meters. The Trojans boast strong depth in the middle-distance events, with Alexandre Leroy and Thomas Calas both recording qualifying marks in the 800 meters.

Colby has also qualified three athletes in the 1,000 meters, led by Kenan Delestre's time of 2:29.49. Calas and Leroy join him among the national qualifiers in the event. Delestre has been a standout distance runner for the Trojans, also posting a mile time of 4:13.81 that ranks 25th nationally while achieving a national qualifying mark. He has additionally recorded the top 3,000-meter time in the nation, leading the field by three seconds. Enoha Reizabal-Bella has also secured a qualifying mark in the 3,000 meters.

On the women's side, Beatrice Boakye has emerged as one of the nation's premier sprinters following a historic performance at the Ichabod Invitational. Competing as Colby's lone representative at the meet, Boakye broke the school record in the 400-meter dash with a second-place finish in 55.02 seconds, shattering the previous program record by nearly three seconds. Her time currently ranks second nationally and establishes her as a leading contender in the event. Boakye has also achieved a national qualifying mark in the 60-meter dash.

Nadine McIntyre adds to the Trojans' national presence with qualifying marks in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters, ranking among the top 20 nationally in each event.

With regional honors and national qualifying opportunities on the line, the Trojans will look to build on their strong season performances and deliver standout results against some of the top junior college competition in the region. NJCAA Indoor Championships are set for the first weekend in March.