7 tracksters place at Colorado Mines

Seven Eagles—three women and four men—placed in their respective events at the Colorado School of Mines D-II Invite. 

Senior thrower Mel Herl, of Eaton, Colorado, won two events—shot put and weight throw. Reaching a mark of 46 feet, 4 1/2 inches in the shot put, Herl’s distance beat the second place finisher by more than three feet. Her distance in the weight throw, 69-11, won by more than 10 feet.

Tessa Gorsuch, senior of Rapid City, South Dakota, who missed most of the 2015-16 season because of an injury, won the 60-meter high-hurdles with a time of 8.64 seconds. Gorsuch owns the school record in the event, 8.51, which she set in 2015.

Maddie Brashears, sophomore of Fort Morgan, Colorado, the final placer for the women’s team, placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 18-5 3/4. The last time she competed at Colorado School of Mines, Brashears, hit a national provisional qualifying mark of 18-10 1/2.

For the men, Jesse Bleidt, junior of Lewellen, won the weight throw with a toss of 58 1/2. The second place throw was only 56-5 3/4. Bleidt has won the event four times this season.

Blake Jacobs, junior of Littleton, Colorado, placed in two events. He earned silver in the shot put, throwing 52-6 3/4, and bronze in the weight throw with a 54-6 1/2. The winner of the shot put, James Jones, of Azusa Pacific University, threw 54-2 1/4.

Andre Woodson, of Elk Grove, California, earned a bronze in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.93. He ran a 6.89 in the preliminary heat.

Gregg Peterson, redshirt sophomore of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, earned third place in the heptathlon. 

The team will be in Boulder, Colorado, this weekend to compete at the Colorado University Open.

The women’s team jumped another spot in the national rankings. The Eagles are now No. 4 in the USTFCCCA, the best in school history. CSC also took the top spot in the RMAC, passing Adams State University, Alamosa, Colorado. ASU was previously ranked No. 3 nationally, but currently has the No. 5 spot.