The Cloud County Community College Women’s Track and Field Indoor team finished their season in early March with five national champions.
That included Maimuna Jallow, a sprinter, who took first in the 60M and 200M. The former she did with a personal record of 7.19, which was also a record for Cloud, as well as NJCAA for indoor meets. She also broke records with her 200M time, again taking the NJCAA, as well as her native country of Gambia’s time. She finished in 22.86.
Jallow also took the 4x400M with fellow Thunderbirds, Nontokozo Ncube, Mercy Angaamchaab, and Rafiatu Nuhu. The team’s 3:39.09 time set a record for the school and took second for NJCAA indoor meets.
Finally, the 4x800M took first place with a school record time of 9:05.21. It included Ncube and Nuhu, along with Amanda Kotambe and N Vanee Anchike.
Meanwhile, Ncube won the individual 800M with a time of 2:12.54.
Those were only the team’s first-place finishes. They also ended the day with several additional placers.
Head women’s coach, Drew Mahin, said it’s baffling to have so many first-place events from Nationals. It was also the team’s first time to win the 4×4, which Mahin said was a great way to finish the meet.
“It’s unheard of to have that many champs, to have one or two is incredible,” he said. Adding that the team still landed fourth place overall, proving what high caliber they were up against.
In addition, the team’s coaches left the event with some titles of their own. Mahin was named Central Region’s Indoor Women’s Coach of the Year this spring. Now in in his 13th year of coaching at the school, also coaches the cross country team.
He added that recent years have kept coaches busy with recruitment interest from big-name schools locally, as well as across the country.
“When we’re going toe-to-toe with some of the best schools in the world, it’s pretty special,” he said. “It’s good company to be in.”
He also credited the team’s success to fellow Coach, Ted Schmitz, who is in his 44th year at the school. Schmitz also won this year for women’s assistant track coach. In his tenure, Schmitz has led the Women’s track and field teams to teams to 31 top-10 NJCAA team finishes, including three top-five finishes and 31 top-three Region VI Championship finishes, including three championship titles.
“I’m the young guy at 13 years, which is crazy.” Mahin said. “We have some incredible athletes, I don’t think people understand how special some of these things are.”
