Cannon places in long jump and triple jump at indoor national meet

Freshman Rashad Cannon placed second in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump at the 2008 NJCAA Indoor National Track Meet held in Charleston, Illinois on March 7-8.  Cannon was the lone Raven to place at the national meet, and he recorded enough points to allow the Raven men's track team to place 17th overall.

Cannon was also named to the All-American team in both the long jump and triple jump. 

Cannon recorded a best jump of 7.55 meters (24'09.25") in the long jump, finishing just 2.5" behind national champion Jeff Henderson of Hinds Community College (Mississippi).  In the triple jump, Cannon jumped a distance of 14.39 meters (47'02.50").  Cannon's marks in the long jump and triple jump also set new school records in both events.

Cannon received eight points for his second place finish in the long jump and three points for his sixth place triple jump finish.  "These jumps also qualified Rashad for the NJCAA Outdoor National Meet in Levelland, Texas," said assistant track coach Heather Schmidt.

Several other Ravens also competed at the indoor national meet.  Brandy Simpson, a freshman from Zanesville, Ohio, finished 11th in the women's pentathlon with a personal best score of 2,767 points.  Simpson set new personal best marks in three of the five events including high jump, 60 meter hurdles, and the shot put.

DJ Bland, a sophomore from El Dorado Springs, Missouri, finished 12th in the men's pentathlon with a season best 2,850 points.  Bland set personal best performances in three of five events including 60 meter hurdles, shot put, and high jump.

Tarayla Merriweather, a freshman from Radcliff, Kentucky, placed ninth in the women's triple jump with a personal best jump of 11.12 meters (36' 5.75").  This jump qualified Merriweather for the outdoor national meet in May.

Gabby Mask, a freshman from Sherwood, Arkansas, finished 11th in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.75 seconds.  She also finished 19th in the long jump with a jump of 5.05 meters (16' 7").

The men's 4 x 800 meter relay team of Seth Freeman, Chris Gravley, Geoffrey Sygay, and Isaiah Sack finished in 11th place with a season best time of 8:15.24.  The team dropped nearly four seconds off their previous season best performance.

Pemberton, Minnesota sophomore Dustin Schull placed 14th in the men's pentathlon with 2,115 points.

"Dustin sustained a serious ankle injury just minutes before the competition," said assistant coach Heather Schmidt.  "He persevered and completed all five events.  This was a well-deserved, hard-earned, 14th place finish for Dustin."

"This was a great outdoor season for CCC track and field," said Schmidt.  "We are extremely proud of the way that our team has represented Coffeyville Community College both on and off the track."

The outdoor season begins March 13 with an invitational hosted by Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.  The first home meet will be the Dean Pryor Invitational on April 5.

Complete results of the national meet are at the following URL: http://www.eiurunning.com/live_results.php.