The Chadron State men now have 4 individual champions at this year’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track Championships.
After getting firsts yesterday from Hunter Dittbenner in the decathlon and Cody Hunt in the shotput, the Eagles saw Phil Rivera win the 400 for the 3rd time in 4 years and Karl McFarlane claim the 110 high hurdles.
McFarlane’s victory, though, is being challenged because the meet directors ordered the finals to be run twice because the finish line camera the first time.
Longtime CSC sports information director Con Marshall says it was obvious to him that Metro State’s Darius Reed…the only D-II runner with a faster time this year…edged out McFarlane in identical times of 14.00. The second time, though, McFarlane won by 3-1000ths of a second…13.992 to 13.995.
The Eagles also picked up a 4th from Lanar Newman in a time of 14.86 while Matthew Mathiason…who finished in the same time as the 8th place finisher in the first running…ended 9th by 6-1000ths of a second.
There were no such questions with the victory by Rivera, who won in 2010 and 2011 before missing last year’s RMAC meet with injuries. His time of 47.85 was nearly a quarter-second faster than the runnerup
Rivera’s 5th RMAC sprint title gives him a sweep of the 400 this year, since he won the indoor meet in February. The Eagles also got a 6th place today from sophomore Frederick Culp.
Earlier in the day, Rivera, Newman and McFarlane teamed up with Brandon Segelke to bring CSC 2nd-place in the 4×100 relay. Segelke went on to finish 4th in the 100, while Rivera had earlier placed 7th in the javelin, 2 spots behind teammate Sean Munger.
The CSC throwers continued to score points, placing 3 in the discus as they did in the hammer and shotput. Charith Kapukotuwa was 2nd as he finished behind Hunt…who was 3rd this time. Kyle McCarthy finished 7th, just as he had in both the hammer and shot.
For the CSC women, Chelsea Murray followed up her 5th in the hepthlon yesterday with 5ths today in the 100 and 100 hurdles.
Sophomore Michaela Odenbaugh was 6th for the Eagles in the women’s javelin, Trae Patch placed 6th in the 100 and a ran a leg on the 6th place the 4×100 relay, as did Monique Fair…who then finished 8th in the 400 in one of the fastest times in CSC history and the first time she’d run it this year.
Black Hills State got its first RMAC track champion in the men’s high jump. Sophomore Jacob Wilson cleared 6-10-1/4 to claim the crown. Only 10 men were entered in the event, and only 7 cleared an opening height to place.
The Adams State men, the overwhelming pre-meet favorite, have passed the Eagles…who led overnight…and have a 158-125 lead through 15 events. Western State is 4th with 74 and Black Hills is 6th with 45 points.
On the women’s side, Western State has a half-point lead on Adams State…120.5-120…also through 15 events. CSC is 5th with 54 and Black Hills is 7th at 26.5 points.