TCC athletes make first appearance at track and field national championships
Fatima Morris 
Leo Rutledge
Special to the Outlook
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For the first time in program history, three Tallahassee Community College track and field athletes competed at the NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.
Leo Rutledge, Troy Williams, and Fatima Morris all qualified for the recent national meet. They set school records during the regular season in the 1,500-meters, 400-meter hurdles, and high jump, respectively to take berths to the Kansas.
In the preliminaries of their national competition, Williams finished 11th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 54.27 seconds. Rutledge placed 18th overall in the 1500-meters with a time of 4:03.85. Rutledge has signed with DII Western Washington University to continue competing with a NCAA program. WWA has won three consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference titles.
In the high jump at the national meet, Morris finished 12th overall with a jump recorded at 1.57 meters.
The national meet concluded a record-breaking season for the Tallahassee Track and Field program, with 13 school records and multiple individual wins against NCAA competition.
School Records set this season
Women: 60 meters (7.92)), Jacquell Lewis; 4×400 meter relay (4:27.43), Jacquell Lewis/Fatima Morris/Arielle Valdes/Raeven Byrd; sprint medley relay (4:35.63), Jacquell Lewis/Fatima Morris/Raeven Byrd/Arielle Valdes; high jump: (5-feet-4), Fatima Morris; long jump (16-1.25), Raeven Byrd; triple jump (34-10.5), Raeven Byrd.
Men: 60-meters (6.95), Marcus Qualls; 400-meter hurdles (53.18 seconds) Troy Williams; 800-meters (1:55.19) Ryan Sloan; 1,500-meters (3:58.31) Leo Rutledge; 3,000-meters (8:33.56) Leo Rutledge; 5,000-meters (15:15.22) Leo Rutledge; distance medley relay (11.12.14) Ryan Sloan/Ian Clark/Jesse Boyd/Leo Rutledge.
