SWEETNAM WINS NJCAA SHOT PUT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

HOBBS, New Mexico – For most of the 2026 outdoor, Joshua Sweetnam was the nation's leader in the shot put. Entering the 2026 NJCAA Division I Track and Field Championships.

On Friday at the Ross Black Track and Field Complex, Sweetnam reclaimed the No. 1 spot with a school record and a national championship to lead the Hutchinson Community College men's track and field team on Day 2 of the national championships.

BLUE DRAGON MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
NJCAA Division I Track and Field Championships – Day 3
When: Saturday, May 16, 2026
At: Ross Black Track and Field Complex, Hobbs, NM
Timing: Midwest Timing
Video (PPV): NJCAA Network

Sweetnam helped the Blue Dragons score 15.5 points on Day 2, which is ninth after 10 of 22 events scored. New Mexico Junior College leads with 62 points. South Plains is second with 51 points.

The sophomore from Matatiele, South Africa, unleased his national championship-winning shot on his first attempt of preliminaries. Sweetman fouled in his other two prelim attempts and only completed 1 of 3 attempts in the finals, a 59-2 3/4 on his second attempt in the final round. He won the event by 4 feet, 1 1/2 inches.

Sweetnam broke his own Blue Dragon school record of 60-3 3/4 set at the Emporia State Relays on April 16. This is the third time this season, Sweetnam has broken the Blue Dragon outdoor shot put record.

Sweetnam is the first Blue Dragon since 1998 to win a national shot put title. He joins Kevin Barry, who won in both 1997 and 1998 to win shot put national titles and he is the 56th Blue Dragon athlete all time to win a national championship.

The Blue Dragons scored points in one other event on Friday.

Jahmari Clifton tied for third in the high jump. He cleared 6-9 1/2, his second-best performance this season, to finish in a tie for third.

Blue Dragon runners advanced to Saturday finals in four events and one school record was broken in the process.

Sophomore sprinter Kebba Makalo posted the No. 1 qualifying time in the 200 meters on Friday with a school-record time of 19.91 seconds. Makalo broke the 2007 record of Blue Dragon Quarterback Club Hall of Famer Teddy Poole of 20.48 seconds.

Makalo also qualified for the 100-meter finals, posting the fifth-best preliminary time on Friday of 10.05 seconds, his personal second-best time of his career.

Esteban Oses Campos posted the second-best preliminary time in the 1,500 meters of 3:53.70. That is a personal-best time for Oses Campos and the sixth-fastest time in program history.

Qualifying for the 110-meter hurdle finals is freshman Ricard Peders. He had the ninth-fastest preliminary time of 14.28 seconds, which is a personal record and the fourth-fastest time in Blue Dragon history.

Here is Saturday's Blue Dragon Schedule on Championship Day in Hobbs:
10:00 a.m. (CT): Discus – Joshua Sweetnam
3:00 p.m.: 1,500 Meters – Esteban Oses Campos
3:45 p.m.: 110-Meter Hurdles – Ricard Peders
4:10 p.m.: 100 Meters – Kebba Makalo
5:15 p.m.: 200 Meters – Kebba Makalo
5:55 p.m.: 5,000 Meters – Esteban Oses Campos