Feature Friday: SPC Texans Making Lone Star Statement

“The beauty of track & field is that times are compared regardless of the name that’s on your jersey.”

South Plains College assistant coach Wesley Miller

When you think of the country’s top track & field programs, you think of the usual powerhouses from the Big 12, SEC and Pac-12, among others, but what if I told you there was a junior college consistently producing Olympians, future NCAA champions and giving programs of that caliber a run for its money? Would you believe me? 

That school is real and putting up numbers that make head coaches of those powerhouse programs clamor to bring them in as transfers: South Plains College. But how has a small school from Levelland, Texas, continued to churn out that talent, win back-to-back men’s national titles at both the NJCAA DI Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships and rewrite the NJCAA record book, both indoors and outdoors?

What’s the secret?

Well, like any successful program, it starts with the coaches.

Head coach Erik Vance and assistant coach Wesley Miller have combined for eight National Coach of the Year and National Assistant Coach of the Year honors between the indoor and outdoor seasons, including a sweep of the indoor awards in both 2021 and 2022. Both Vance and Miller came from NCAA DI programs in Louisiana: Vance coached jumps and combined events at Louisiana Monroe; Miller tutored the sprinters and jumpers at Louisiana Tech.

Under Vance’s watch and Miller’s instruction, the Texans have left their mark in mid-distance events – especially in the record book and at the national meet.

Since 2020, South Plains College athletes have established three NJCAA records and 21 all-time top-10 divisional marks indoors alone. Sixteen of those top-10s – yes, 16 – have come within the first two months of the 2023 season: five in the 800 meters, including the NJCAA record; three more in both the 600 meters and high jump, including the NJCAA record (see a trend?); two in the 600 yards; and one each in the 1000 meters, mile and 4×400 relay.

One of Miller’s prized pupils this season is Mehmet Celik, whom the fourth-year coach recruited from Turkey. Celik put the nation on notice when he shattered the aforementioned NJCAA record in the 800, running 1:48.23 at the Texas Tech Corky Classic. This feat is even more impressive, considering Celik has only been on campus since January 6.

What was Miller’s recruiting pitch?

“We’re training with the same goals that they [NCAA DI schools] have … we want to send athletes to nationals,” Miller said. “We want to compete against the best division ones [schools], and we want to make people notice us.”

But the success continues beyond Celik. Miller has hit the gold mine with his crop of new international recruits.

Sophomore Hossam Hatib, who hails from Morocco and is No. 2 in NJCAA history in the 600 meters, simply said, “SPC is the first step to becoming a champion.” Hatib clocked that all-time mark at the Texas Tech Open & Multis where he beat a talented field in 1:16.23.

On top of championships, Miller strives to recruit high-quality athletes and works with them to achieve their goals beyond athletic success.

“I chose South Plains College because it has a good history, and my family always talks about SPC – and it’s a good distance school,” said Kimar Farquharson, a Jamaica native who won the 800-meter title at the 2022 NJCAA Indoor Championships.

Farquharson and native Kenyan Aron Tanui were members of the Texans’ 4×800 relay team in 2022 that captured the national title at the indoor meet and then registered the second-fastest outdoor time in NJCAA history of 7:20.31 in a winning effort at the Texas Relays. South Plains College won by nearly four seconds in Austin over seven NCAA DI teams, namely Texas A&M and Arkansas. 

“The beauty of track & field is that times are compared regardless of the name that’s on your jersey,” Miller said.

South Plains College continues to prove that year after year.

Walker Brooks is Murrow college student at Washington State University while also serving as the student assistant director of communication for cross country and track and field. You can follow him on Twitter @deputyviolet.