RMAC honors 2 CSC track & field athletes

All-American long jumpers Damarcus Simpson, sophomore of Lafayette, Georgia, and Stachia Reuwsaat, junior of Black Hawk, South Dakota, earned RMAC honors this week after the Colorado State University-Pueblo Open. Both won the men’s and women’s long jump, respectively. Simpson jumped 24 feet, 1 inch, and Reuwsaat jumped 19-2 3/4.

Simpson was named RMAC Athlete of the Week and Reuwsaat was named the Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year.

The Chadron State track and field team sent athletes to the Pueblo Open and the San Francisco State Distance Carnival, where athletes broke five school records.

“We’re off to a good start this (outdoor) season,” Head Coach Brad Gamble said.

Nicky Banzhaf, sophomore of Chadron, broke the school record for the 10,000 meter run at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival with a time of 36 minutes, 33.57 seconds, earning 16th out of 52 entries. Jayme Nunes set the previous record at 37:27.1 in 2015.

For the men, Alejandro Garcia, senior of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, took the 10,000 school record in 31:06.47. Joel Schultz previously owned the record of 31:58.38. Dylan Stansbury, junior of Crawford, ran the 10,000 in 31:10.47, which is the second fastest time in CSC history. Garcia and Stansbury finished 44th and 46th, respectively.

At the CSU-Pueblo Open, Skyler Hoopes, senior of Lusk, Wyoming, broke his own pole vault school record by three inches clearing 16-2 3/4, finishing second.

For the women, Angelique Urenda, junior of Pueblo, Colorado, cleared 11-11 3/4, to finish fourth, a few inches short of the school record of 11-8 that she set in the indoor season.

Tiffany Thomas, senior of Kingston, Jamaica, placed second in the 400 with a time of 56.27, another school record. 

Zerek Jones, senior of La Junta, Colorado, won the men’s 400, running 47.53, a career best for him and third fastest on CSC’s all-time list.

For the women, Haley Soester, senior of Crawford, finished in javelin, throwing 119-11.

Throwing events also highlighted an already strong weekend for CSC. On the women’s side, Keri Ruff, junior of Eaton, Colorado, placed second in discus throwing 158, a career best. Only two other CSC women have thrown the discus farther.

For the men, Jesse Bleidt, sophomore of Lewellen, hit career best in the discus and hammer throw, throwing 154-1 and 172-10, respectively. Bleidt placed third in discus and fourth and hammer throw.

The Eagles will compete at the Bauer Open in Rapid City, South Dakota, Saturday.