10 CSC track athletes excell in Spearfish
Ten athletes traveled to Black Hills State University this weekend to compete at the Myrle Hanson Memorial Track and Field Meet in Spearfish, South Dakota. Skylar Hoopes, senior pole vaulter of Lusk, Wyoming, led the way by breaking his own indoor school record in the pole vault by two inches.
Hoopes’ old record of 15 feet, 9 inches, stood for a little over a year which he set back in early 2015. Hoopes cleared 15-11 on Friday with relative ease but was not able to clear the next height of 16 feet.
Hoopes owns both the indoor and outdoor records in pole vault. His outdoor record currently stand at 15-11 3/4, which he also set in 2015.
The throwers faired particularly well in the weight throw. Sophomore Blake Jacobs, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, won the event with a throw of 53 1/4. His teammates, Jesse Bleidt, sophomore of Lewellen; Frantzlee LaCrete, junior of Lewellen; and Cory Martens, redshirt freshman of Newton, Kansas, finished fourth through sixth, respectively.
In the shot put, David Aldridge, sophomore of Omaha, finished third with a throw of 47 feet, 4 1/4 inches. Martens finished sixth, throwing 45-6 1/4.
On the women’s side, junior pole vaulter Angelique Urenda, of Pueblo, Colorado, finished second in the event clearing 10-11 3/4. Not far behind Urenda, Tory Snyder, junior of Pierre, South Dakota, cleared 10 feet for the first time to place fifth.
The women also excelled in the throwing events. Senior Mel Herl, of Eaton, Colorado, competed unattached and placed second in the shot put with a throw of 47-1 1/2. Herl also won the weight throw with a toss of 61-11.
Herl is redshirting this indoor and outdoor season with the hopes of improving her skills for her final season in 2017.
Keri Ruff, junior thrower of Eaton, Colorado, placed third in the weight throw, throwing 51-4 1/4.
The Eagles will send a full squad of athletes to compete at Black Hills State University again Saturday. The Eagles are also expected to send some athletes to the Colorado School Mines, meet which is slated for Friday and Saturday.