The Chadron State College men’s team finished third and the women were fifth as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Track and Field Championships concluded Sunday afternoon.
The CSC men had 16 career-best marks and three more that were seasonal bests while scoring 130 points in the 10-team field. The women had eight marks that at least matched their season-bests, and all but one of them also were career-bests. They finished with 96 points.
The Eagles won three events and set three school records at the meet. They also had eight second place finishes and six thirds. Coach Brad Gamble was particularly pleased that so many athletes earned points. Sixteen CSC men and 13 women placed at least once in the individual events.
“We lost some points in the longer sprints and hurdles because of injuries,” Gamble said. “But when we have so many people have season and career bests and so many who score points, we have to be happy with how things turned out. It was a tough championships,” he added.
The event winners were Chris Cutcher in the men’s 110-meter high hurdles (14.46 seconds), Demarcus Simpson in the men’s long jump (24-10) and Mel Hurl in the women’s discus (161-0).
Cutcher also won the high hurdles race at last year’s outdoor meet and well as this year’s indoor championships.
Besides winning the long jump just as he did during the RMAC Indoor Championships, Simpson was second in the 100 meters (10.46), third in the triple jump (47-5 ¾) and fourth in the high jump (6-4 ¼). All three of the latter marks are career bests. His long jump best of 25-1 ½ from two weeks ago, ranks second in the nation and makes him an automatic qualifier for the NCAA DII National Championships on May 21-23.
Herl also had an outstanding conference meet. Along with her discus title, she placed second in the shot put (46-3 ½) and third in the hammer throw (170-3). Both of the latter marks are career-bests. Her discus best of 165-8 ranks fourth in the nation and guarantees she’ll have a ticket to the national meet.
Stacia Reuwsaat also solidified her trip to nationals when she went just a quarter of an inch shy of 20 feet while placing second and breaking her own school record in the long jump.
The other school records were set by senior pole vaulter Skylar Hoops , who cleared 15-11 ¾ to add half an inch to his previous school record and place second in the event, and the women’s 4×100 relay team in 47.40 seconds.
The Eagles’ other silver medalists were Zerek Jones in the 400 (47.68), the third fastest time in CSC history; Charith Kapukotuwa in both the shot put (53-5 ½) and the discus (152-5); and two freshmen, Katelyn Ellis and Kenzie May, who tied for that place in the high jump (5-4 ½).
Led by Kapukotuwa, the throws were one of the highlights for the CSC men. Eagles earned four places in the hammer throw and three places in both the shot put and discus while garnering 42 points. At last year’s conference meet, the CSC men earned just 13 points in the throws.
Another highlight came in the meet’s first race on Friday, when senior Jayme Nunes finished third in the 10,000 meters to became the first CSC women to place in that event since the Eagles joined the RMAC in 1990. Angelique Urenda also was third in pole vault with a career-best of 11-1 and added a fourth in the high jump, one place behind her freshman teammates.
Final team scores
Women’s Events
1, New Mexico Highlands, 179; 2, Adams State, 137; 3, Western State, 118; 4, Colorado State-Pueblo, 137; 5, Chadron State, 96; 6, Black Hills State, 46; 7, Colorado Mines, 43; 8, Colorado Mesa, 37; 9, Colorado-Colorado Springs, 27; 10, Metro State, 12; 11, Fort Lewis, 5; 12, South Dakota Mines, 4.
Men’s Events
1, Western State, 171.5; 2, Colorado Mines, 143; 3, Chadron State, 130; 4, Adams State, 109; 5, Colorado State-Pueblo, 78.5; 6, Colorado Mesa, 63; 7, Black Hills State, 48; 8, South Dakota Mines, 42; 9, Metro State, 29; 10, Colorado-Colorado Springs, 4.
(Courtesy: Con Marshall, CSC Sports Information)