Track and field women win 8, men win 7

Chadron State College’s track and field team started the season at the Yellow Jacket Holiday Open Meet organized by Black Hills State Saturday in Spearfish, South Dakota.

CSC competed against four other schools. They were South Dakota School of Mines, Montana State University-Billings, Dickinson State, and Gillette College.

CSC women won eight events, and the men hit seven.

Tiffany Thomas, junior of Kingston, Jamaica, ran 400 meters in 58.03 seconds which broke the school record set by Monique Fair in 2012 with a time of 58.54. Demarcus Simpson, freshman of Lafayette, Georgia, jumped 24 feet, 8 ¼ inches in the long jump.

Stachia Reuwsaat, sophomore of Rapid City, South Dakota, won the 60m dash in 7.63 seconds, while in the long jump, she marked 6.07m. She was close to the school long jump record established by Caryn Martin in 1993.

This was the first time three female CSC students placed in the first three places in 400m dash and ran less than 60 seconds. Thomas finished first, and Shelby Bozner, junior of Rock Springs, Wyoming, ran with 58.73 seconds, while Nikki Glasson, junior of Wheatland, Wyoming, took third place with 59.52 seconds.

Other three winners from CSC were in women 60m hurdles. Kelsy Wood, sophomore of Hemingford, placed first with 8.98 seconds, while Tessa Gorsuch, sophomore of Rapid City, South Dakota, finished in 9.01 seconds, and Bozner in 9.23.

Katelyn Ellis, freshman of Brighton, Colorado, took first place in high jump with 1.62m, while Angelique Urenda, sophomore of Pueblo, Colorado, placed second with 1.57m.

Josey Pehringer, junior of Cody, Wyoming, pole vaulted 3.20m, and tied with Urenda, who also went 3.20m. Pehringer took second because she had more misses.

Mel Herl, junior of Eaton, Colorado, placed first in weight throw with 18.10m.

The men showed their skills and took first places in most sections as well.

Damarcus Simpson, freshman of Lafayette, Georgia, hit the school record in long jump with his first-place winning 7.52m, which went over the school record, set by Jourdin Holden in 2007.

Chris Cutcher, sophomore of Colorado Springs, Colorado, placed first in 200m dash with 22.84 seconds. Cutcher placed first in triple jump and in 60m hurdles with 8.25 seconds, while Matthew Klein, sophomore of Scottsbluff, finished second in 8.48 seconds.

CSC students took first three places in men 400m dash. Martin Moriel, junior of Phoenix, placed first with 50.31 seconds, while Zerek Jones, junior of La Junta, Colorado, followed with 50.46 seconds, and Lane Higgins, freshman of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, landed third in 51.44 seconds.

Brayden Knapp, freshman of Bellevue, pole vaulted 4.20m.

Kyle McCarthy, senior of Aurora, reached first place in weight throw with 16.59m.

“It was not organized well, but it was a good race though,” Thomas said. “We did not know when to warm up. It was fast. I was nervous, but I was ready.”

The first tournament was successful for CSC and showed the students’ preparation for other meets. The next meet for CSC will be Friday and Saturday at the Colorado Mines Combined Events, Golden, Colorado.