Men’s, women’s teams ranked in top 25 nationally

The CSC track and field team hosted its annual Don Holst Twilight Open Friday and broke nine meet records. According to the NCAA D-II Indoor National Rankings from U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, CSC’s men team is seated No. 14 and the women at No. 24.

Sprinter Zerek Jones, senior of La Junta, Colorado, led the charge breaking the indoor 800-meter dash school record, running it in 1 minute, 53.73 seconds. The previous record was 1:56.19, set by former Eagle Zac Metz in 2006. With the time, Jones is a provisional NCAA qualifier.

“Zerek looked good from start to finish,” Head Track and Field Coach Brad Gamble said. “We knew he was capable of running sub two minutes and he showed it with relative ease.”

Jones’ 800 time, after conversion, dropped to 1:50.93 due to the size of CSC’s track and altitude. He ranks ninth in D-II entering this weekend.

On the men’s side four other meet records were set.

Damarcus Simpson, sophomore of Lafayette, Georgia, was a double winner in the long jump and 60. Simpson won the long jump on his first attempt going 24 feet, 7 1/4 inches. He missed the meet record by one inch that was set in 2007 by former Eagle Jourdin Holden. Simpson’s 60 time of 6.8 in prelims and 6.76 in finals shattered the previous record of 6.88 set by Alex Graham, a former Eagle, in 2013.

Another double winner for the men was Alejandro Garcia, senior of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, winning the mile in 4:27.31 and the 3,000 in 8:55.9. His 3,000 time is also a meet record, breaking his previous record of 9 minutes flat, which he set in 2015. Martin Moriel, senior of Phoenix, won the 400, running 50.12, breaking former Eagle Phil Rivera’s record of 50.27 set in 2012. Skylar Hoopes, senior of Lusk, Wyoming, broke the meet record in pole vault clearing 15-9 1/4, easily. The former record stood at 15-6 1/4, set in 2009.

The women broke four meet records.

Stachia Reuwsaat, junior of Rapid City, South Dakota, won the 60, running 7.69, a tenth of a second faster than her previous record of 7.79, set in 2015. She also won the long jump, qualifying for the National Indoor Championships, with a jump of 20-1 3/4.

Tiffany Thomas, senior of Kingston, Jamaica, broke her former record in the 400 of 58.39, which she set in 2015, by almost a full second, running 57.77 to win the event.

Nicky Banzhaf, junior of Chadron, also broke the meet record in the 3,000, running 10:45.75. The previous record was 10:53.52, set in 2007. The fourth meet record was set by Mel Herl, senior of Eaton, Colorado, in the weight throw. Herl, who is redshirting this season, won the event as an unattached athlete throwing 62-7 1/4. The previous record stood at 61-11, set in 2011. Herl also won the shot put throwing 46-4 1/4.