The NMJC Lady T-Birds made history this past weekend at the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The team brought home the first ever title for Women's Track and Field at NMJC.
Right from the start the meet turned into an epic battle between two great teams, NMJC and Iowa Central Community College. After nineteen of the twenty events NMJC trailed Iowa Central by two points. In the final event, the 4 x 400 meter relay, NMJC finished with second place for 8 points while Iowa Central came away with third good for six points. This left the score tied at 115 points and since there is no tie breaker in Indoor Track this gave both schools a share of the National Title.
Leading the way for the Lady T-birds was Caroline Jepleting. Caroline brought home the gold in three individual events and one relay. For her great performances Caroline was named the NJCAA Female Track Runner of the Year. Also scoring ten or more points for the team were Keno Heavens, Olivia Lewis (who was 400 meter National Champion), Jordan Brown and Yolanda Suggs.
Overall the team finished with eight National Champions, twenty three All-Americans, and six school records.
For an outstanding coaching job, Head Coach Keith Blackwill was awarded the Co-National Coach of the Meet!!
Sport: Cross Country/Track
GPA: 3.35
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Caroline Jepleting of New Mexico Junior College has earned the NJCAA Leaders for Life Student-Athlete of the Week honor.
Jepleting is a team leader for both the cross country and track & field teams at New Mexico Junior College and is always referred to as encouraging and supportive.
Jepleting is from Kosirai, Kenya where she attended the Kapkenda Girls High School before becoming a student at NMJC.
She spends some of her free time volunteering at high school cross country meets and at a local nursing home as an assistant to the activities director.
Her long list of athletic achievements include: three-time Indoor National Champion in the Distance Medley Relay, Mile, and the 1,000 M; four-time Indoor All-American in the Distance Medley Relay, Mile, 1,000 M and 4x400 Relay; three time outdoor All-American in the 800, 1,500, and 5,000; and the 2009 Cross Country National Champion.
While her list of accomplishments athletically is outstanding, she
also has strong discipline in the classroom. The Kenya native is a
member of the NMJC Fall 2009 Presidents Honor Roll (4.0 GPA) and is on
course to earn NJCAA Academic All-American honors.
Outside of
being a dominant runner and a driven individual academically, Jepleting
is also very passionate about her faith as she is an active member of
Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
When her time is up at NMJC, she plans to continue running competitively at a four year university and pursue a nursing degree. Once she has accomplished these things, her next course of action will be to go back to her home country of Kenya and use her degree to help.
3:00 p.m. Click here for LIVE STATS of Midland vs Howard men
5:30 p.m. Click here for LIVE STATS of South Plains vs Midland women
Region 5 director John Green recently announced an agreement with Panhandle Sports Broadcasting Live to video stream all games of the 2010 Region 5 men's and women's basketball tournaments held at Lubbock Christian University March 4-7 at Lubbock Christian University's Rip Griffin Center and hosted by the Lubbock Sports Authority.
"This partnership will allow the basketball programs from the WJCAC and NTJCAC advancing to the tournament to showcase their basketball talents for anyone in the world to see. Anybody, anywhere will have the ability to watch the players from the best region in the NJCAA," said Green.
The live video stream for the Region 5 tournament can be accessed at www.psblive.com.
Tickets for fans making the trip to Lubbock can be purchased at the gate for $7 (adults) and $4 (seniors and students). Tournament passes are also available at the rate of $20 (adults) and $12 (seniors and students).
Tournament programs will be on sale during the event for $2 and Region 5 Championship t-shirts can be purchased for $10.
Click here to view men's bracket
Click here to view men's scores
Click here to view women's bracket
Click here to view women's scores
Click here to view additional Region 5 Championship information
Click here to watch Region 5 games LIVE!
*just scroll down to the date and click the game you wish to view
