T-Bird (M-T&F) Gears Up for Outdoor Nationals
The T-Bird men's track & field team competes May 15-17 at the 2025 NJCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in Hutchinson, Kansas at Gowan Stadium.
Last season, the T-Birds finished runner-up at the 2024 NJCAA Outdoor T&F Championships in Monroe, Louisiana. The Thunderbirds also finished national runner-up earlier this season at the 2025 NJCAA Indoor T&F Championships in Lubbock, Texas. Coach Van and company are looking to make the leap one spot this week in Hutch.
"The goal is the same, vie for the championship. We cannot control what our competitors do," NMJC men's track & field head coach Terry VanLaningham said. "We can control our effort, attitudes, and tenacity. If we do this all three days from beginning to end the results will go well."
The men have 36 entries this week. The Thunderbirds are No. 2 in the USTFCCCA Track & Field Men's Rating Index as they approach the start of outdoor nationals.
Bovel McPherson leads the T-Birds on the track. McPherson was the outdoor national runner-up in the 400m in 2024 and was the indoor 400m national champion setting the national record for indoor with a 45.58. The Jamaican is No. 1 in the NJCAA for the 400m with a school-record 44.89. The finish is a World Athletics Championships qualifying time. He also is No. 5 in the NJCAA with a 20.51 in the 200m.
Freshman David Nyamufarira looks for his second individual national title after winning the 60m during the indoor season. Nyamufarira's 10.04 in the 100m is No. 1 in the NJCAA and his raw time of 10.01 broke the school record.
The field side has four T-Birds ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA for their event. Mawali Osunniyi, the indoor high jump national champion, leapt a school-record 2.15m during outdoor to sit in a tie for first in the NJCAA. Samuel Ospina, the indoor pole vault national champion, set the school record and is ranked No. 1 in the event with a 5.31m clearance.
LeBron James is nearly five meters clear of second place in the javelin with his school record throw of 73.86m. Jonathan Da Silva is No. 1 in the decathlon with a school-record 6776 points in the event. Finishing up the top rankings, Johnathon Rodgers flew through the air in the long jump to 7.77m which ranks No. 2 in the NJCAA. He also is ranked No. 5 in JUCO in the triple jump with a mark of 15.80m.
"This is a team championship so there are no individual expectations," Coach VanLaningham said. "All must do their part. We have several individuals that sit on or near the top and they need to finish that way. We also have a large entry contingent that can improve significantly on their rankings coming in. If most of them do, it will create a point wave that will make a big splash."
The meet on Day 1 will start with the heptathlon at 9 a.m. CDT and ends with the 10,000m around 8:30 p.m. CDT. Day 2 starts at 9 a.m. CDT and ends at 5:45 p.m. CDT. Day 3 will start at 10 a.m. CDT and finishes at 4:45 p.m. CDT.
For the full schedule click here, for live results click here, and for the livestream of the events click here.
"I am excited to see what our men do," Coach VanLaningham said. "They are ready, now we get to see the fruit of their labors and find out just how good they are."
Rest of Entries
100m- Timothey Tuna: 10.27 NJCAA No. 10 | 100m- Shamarie Roberts: 10.33 NJCAA No. 14
200m- Timothey Tuna: 20.71 NJCAA No. 9 | 200m- Ezekiel Newton: 20.76 NJCAA No. 12
400m- Benjamin Nsiah: 46.53 NJCAA No. 12 | 400m- TK Pahuwa: 46.89 NJCAA No. 19
800m- Romain Toth: 1:51.06 NJCAA No. 18 | 800m- Erwan Darrieulat: 1:51.61 NJCAA No. 23 | 800m- Adolf Kauba: 1:52.06 NJCAA No. 27
1,500m- Alexandre Fablet: 3:50.01 NJCAA No. 24
5000m- Alexandre Fablet: 14:36.90 NJCAA No. 25 | 5000m- Mohammed Mrahi: 15:02.84 NJCAA No. 50 | 5000m- Brian Cheruiyot: 15:08.14 White Card
10,000m Brian Cheruiyot: 30:58.11 NJCAA No. 14 | 10,000m Emmanuel Kimaiyo: 31:21.32 NJCAA No. 21
110mH- Ralfs Zazerskis: 14.26 NJCAA No. 15
3000m- Mohammed Mrahi: 9:25.84 NJCAA No. 15
3000m Steeplechase- Ronald Jecky: 9:41.32 NJCAA No. 25
4x100m- 39.74 (Roberts, Reid , Tuna, Nyamufarira, or Emmanuel Anais) NJCAA No. 4
4x400m- 3:07.66 (Pahuwa, Nsiah, Reid, McPherson, or Roberts, or Kauba) NJCAA No. 6
4x800m- 7:33.00 (Kauba, Darrieulat, Cyprien Bille, Toth, or Jecky, or Fablet) NJCAA No. 6
Shot Put- Josh Sweetnam: 17.59m NJCAA No. 4
Discus- Joao Dalandrea: 55.57m NJCAA No. 6 | Discus- Abdelkader Gardam: 51.41m NJCAA No. 10 | Discus- Josh Sweetnam: 45.85m White Card
Hammer Throw- Joao Dalandrea: 53.71m NJCAA No. 8
Decathlon- Ilias Arifi: 6550 NJCAA No. 3
