The NJCAA has produced countless NCAA All-Americans and Olympic medalists, including notable Americans Tyson Gay and Doc Patton.

WATCH THE NJCAA D1 OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE ON FLOTRACK -- MAY 17th-19th!

Many unknown distance runners have become superstars while competing at the junior college level, among them Sally Kipyego (South Plains) and Abdi Adirahman (Pima), who both went on to become Olympians in their respective events. Kipyego went on to win three straight NCAA cross country titles at Texas Tech before earning a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, and Abdirahman made four Olympic teams from 2000-2012.

More recently, NCAA Champion sprint stars Shavez Hart of Texas A&M and Vernon Norwood of LSU were all discovered during their two years at a junior college, as well as Remona Burchell who won two NJCAA titles at Butler CC before moving on to Tuscaloosa in 2014, where she became a three-time NCAA Champion for the University of Alabama.

Current Florida State junior Harry Mulenga had an impressive NJCAA career. In 2015 he won the outdoor 5K and 1500m, and pulled off the rare triple last indoor season by winning the 5K, 1500m and 3K. He also has two NJCAA cross country titles (2013, 2014) to his name.

Harry Mulenga winning the 2015 Indoor 3K title:

In anticipation of this year’s de facto NCAA combine aka NJCAA Championships, let’s look back on the early careers of some of the most accomplished track stars in NJCAA history.

SPRINTS

Tyson Gay (Barton County CC ’03)
Before setting the American record in the 100m dash (9.77) and winning three world titles, Tyson Gay competed at the NJCAA level for Barton County Community College (Kansas) from 2002-2003. Gay helped the Cougars win back-to-back NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in his two years at Barton by winning the 100m title in 2002. Gay went on to win the NCAA 100m title for the University of Arkansas in 2004.

Darvis “Doc” Patton (Garden City CC ’98)
Doc Patton is best known for his appearances on the U.S. 4x100m relay teams, winning World titles in 2003 and 2007, and earning the Olympic silver medal in both 2004 and 2012 as a part of Team USA. But long before his glory days on the international track circuit, Patton competed for Garden City Community College (Texas) from 1997-1998, where he earned eight NJCAA All-American honors. Patton won the 1998 NJCAA outdoor long jump before moving on to TCU, where he focused more on sprinting.

Veronica Campbell-Brown (Barton County CC ’00)
Like Tyson Gay, Veronica Campbell-Brown traveled the Barton CC - Arkansas - Olympic pipeline on her way to becoming one of the best track athletes of all time. Before Campbell-Brown won three Olympic golds and four World Championship titles, she dominated the NJCAA by winning four titles between the 60m, 100m, and 200m indoors and outdoors in 2000. Later that year, an 18-year-old Campbell-Brown won her first Olympic medal in Sydney by anchoring the Jamaican 4x100m team to a silver medal.

MULTIS

Hyleas Fountain (Barton County CC ’02)
The future Olympic silver medalist (2008) won five NJCAA titles in her two years at Barton, winning back-to-back titles in the heptathlon and the 100m hurdles, as well as the high jump in 2002. Fountain went on to win six USA Championships, and completed an American record-setting effort in the 2010 pentathlon with 4,753 points at the World Indoor Championships. Fountain also won four NCAA titles during her two years at Georgia.

DISTANCE

Sally Kipyego (South Plains College ’06)
Kipyego won six national titles during her NJCAA years in what would turn out to just be a preview of her reign over collegiate distance running. The Kenyan holds South Plains records in every distance from 1,500m to 10,000m, and still holds the NJCAA outdoor meet records in the 1,500m ( 4:22.63) and 5,000m (16:48). Kipyego transferred to Texas Tech after leaving SPC, where she tied the NCAA record with nine individual titles in her two and a half years as a Red Raider, a feat that took Suzy Favor-Hamilton four years. Kipyego went on to win the silver medal in the 10,000m at the London Olympics in 2012.

Here are the American NJCAA track alums who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games:

- Isiah Young, 200m (Allen County)
- Hyleas Fountain, Heptathlon (Barton County)
- Tyson Gay, 100m, 4x100m (Barton County)
- Chelsea Hayes, Long Jump (Butler)
- Darvis “Doc” Patton, 4x100m (Garden City)
- Trell Kimmons, 4x100m (Hinds)
- Brittney Reese, Long Jump (Mississippi Gulf Coast)
- Ryan Bailey, 100m (Rend Lake)
- Abdi Abdirahman, Marathon (Pima)

You can watch the future of track and field on display this weekend on FloTrack. CLICK HERE to watch the NJCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championship LIVE on Flo this Tuesday - Thursday!

Why is NJCAA can't miss action?! You get to the chance to watch amazing athletes like Lydia Mato, current Louisville junior win FOUR different NJCAA D1 Championships (1k, Mile, 3k and 5k), and Jaymes Dennision who ran the 600m NJCAA record last year!

Lydia Mato wins the 1k and pulls off the QUADRUPLE!:

Jaymes Dennision running the NJCAA record (1:16!) in the 600m: