CSC coach Ryan Baily said the Eagle men will need many things to go their way in order to keep pace with perennial conference champion Adams State, but he is confident his team will earn lots of points, primarily because of its outstanding contingent of sprinters and a strong collection of field events athletes.

The CSC women, who are strongest in the throws and the pole vault, should make a run for third place in the standings behind Adams and Western State, Baily believes.

This is the first time in about 15 years that Nebraska-Kearney will not be in the competition, paving the way for other teams to earn more points than usual.  The Lopers often have been especially strong in the longer sprints, throws and jumps, events where the Eagles also frequently excel.

Last year when the meet was in Chadron, Adams State won the men’s title with 169 points while Kearney was second with 162.5, Western State third with 135 and the Eagles fourth with 88. The Adams State Grizzlies also won the women’s title, scoring 186 points.  Kearney was again second with 126.5 and Western State third with 110. CSC finished fifth with 44.5.

The conference meet has much more importance than just the team scores or high individual placings.  Also at stake are marks that will qualify both individuals and relays for the National Championships, which will be March 8-9 in Birmingham, Ala.

Numerous Eagles have provisionally qualified for the national meet, but a majority of them need to improve their marks in order to make the top 16 on the national lists and clinch the trip.

Four Eagles qualified for nationals last year, but only one of them, sprinter Alex Graham, is competing during the current indoor season. He won the RMAC’s 55-meter dash last year and placed fourth at nationals in the 60 to gain All-American honors.  His time of 6.77 seconds in the 60 leads the RMAC and is fifth on the national list this season.

The Eagles have several other event leaders entering the conference showdown this weekend.

Among the men, Dean Francis, who won both the 100 and 200 at the RMAC Outdoor Meet last spring, has the best time in the 200 this winter and Charith Kapukotuwa leads the weight throwers and is second in the shot put. The Eagles also have the fastest time in the 4×400 relay, and the team’s top 400 runner, senior Phil Rivera, has not been a member of the quartet so far.

Rivera has been a sprint champion at three RMAC meets during his career.

In the women’s competition, Alyssa Norton has the best mark in the weight throw and is second in the shot put.

The pole vault should be a strong event for both CSC teams.  Brother and sister Kolten and Kaelie Jelden have the second best marks in the conference and freshman Skyler Hoopes ranks third among the men.

Baily is also hoping for a strong performance in the high hurdles and the long and triple jumps from senior Lanar Newman, who shared the Male Athlete of the Meet Award while scoring 28 points at the 2010 RMAC Indoor Meet.  Newman has been slowed by injuries much of the time since then, but has been healthy and has continually improved his marks this season.

The conference meet will open at 8:30 Friday morning with the start of the multi-events. Another CSC brother and sister combo, Jazz and Shelby Bozner, are expected to be among the title contenders in the heptathlon and pentathlon, respectively.

Several field events for the regular portion of the meet will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by the preliminaries in the sprints and the finals of the 5000 meters and the distance medley relays.

The finals of the heptathlon will launch Saturday’s schedule at 8:30 a.m. The remainder of the field events will start at 9 a.m. and the track competition will begin at 11 a.m. The meet is expected to conclude about 3:30 Saturday afternoon.

Con Marshall, Information Services

A list of CSC marks that rank among the top six entering the RMAC meet follow:

Men’s Events
60—1, Alex Graham, 6.77; 6, Cody Roberts, 6.96.
200—1, Dean Francis, 21.84; 4, Brandon Segelke, 22.24; 6, Alex Graham, 22.45.
400—3, Phil Rivera, 49.59.
60 hurdles—4, Lanar Newman, 8.48; 6, Matt Mathiason 8.64.
4×400 relay—1, Chadron State, 3:19.38.
Shot put—2, Charith Kapukotuwa, 54- ½; 4, Daniel Sotelo, 51-0; 5, Kyle McCarthy, 50-5 ½.
Weight throw—1, Charith Kapukotuwa, 59-4 ¼.
Long jump—6, Donnie Butler, 22-7 ¼.
Triple jump—4, Lanar Newman, 46-2 ¾; 6, Donnie Butler, 43-6 ½.
High jump—5, Zerek Jones, 6-6 ¾.
Pole vault—2, Kolten Jelden, 15-7; 3, Skylar Hoopes, 15-5; 6, Joe Hoffman, 14-11.

Women’s Events
60—6, Trae Patch, 7.94.
60 hurdles—4, Shelby Bozner, 9.14.
4×400 relay—3, Chadron State, 4:02.67.
Shot put—2, Alyssa Norton, 46-6; 4, Mel Herl, 44-2 ¾; 5, Cyndi Thomas, 44-2 4/5.
Weight throw—1, Alyssa Norton, 54-11 ¼; 4, Mel Herl, 52-0.
Pole vault—2, Kaelie Jelden, 11-7 ¾; 5, Josey Pehringer, 10-11 ¾.