Herl, Reuwsaat go the distance

Seniors Mel Herl, of Eaton, Colorado, and Stachia Reuwsaat, of Black Hawk, South Dakota, won the weight throw and long jump, respectively, Friday and Saturday at the University of Washington Husky Classic, Seattle.
Herl, Reuwsaat, and Tessa Gorsuch, senior of Rapid City, South Dakota, competed against several D-I schools as well as professional athletes.
Herl threw 70 feet, 9 3/4 inches earning the top spot among the elite field. The win marks Herl’s seventh consecutive victory and the fifth time she has thrown more than 70 feet this season. Herl’s season-best mark of 71-10 leads D-II, according to the USTFCCCA website.
Herl also placed sixth in the shot put, throwing 48-9 1/2.
“This weekend was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the build in technique my coach and I have been working on in both events,” Herl said. “I’m hoping the consistency leads to some bigger marks as we get closer to nationals.”
Reuwsaat claimed the first spot in the long jump with a leap of 19-3 1/2. Reuwsaat is ranked third in D-II with her season-best mark of 19-11 that she jumped at Mines Alumni Classic & Multi meet in December 2016. She is also sixth in the 60-meter dash.
Gorsuch tied for fifth place with Simon Fraser University’s Diana Voloshin, freshman of Vancouver, British Columbia, running 8.74 in the finals in the 60m hurdles. Gorsuch’s season-best time is 8.53. Gorsuch is ranked fourth in D-II in the event.
The rest of the track and field team competed at the South Dakota State University Indoor Classic, Brookings. The SDSU Classic is a huge meet, with some events having more than 100 entries.
Alisha Heelan, junior of Oshkosh, placed 12th of 104 athletes in the 400m. Heelan’s time of 57.96 is the fourth best mark for a Chadron State woman.
Ashlyn Hanson, junior of Seward, earned fifth of 77 entries in the women’s weight throw, with a toss of 57-4 1/2. Hanson’s mark is also the fourth best mark for Chadron State women.
Blake Jacobs, junior of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, placed third of 63 men in the shot put, throwing 53-2 3/4.
Jesse Bleidt, junior of Lewellan, earned sixth place of 61 entries in the men’s weight throw. Bleidt threw a personal-best mark of 59-5 3/4.
The Chadron State track and field team will travel to the Colorado School of Mines, Golden, to compete in the Joe Davies Classic Friday and Saturday. The RMAC Track and Field Championship is Friday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 25, in Spearfish, South Dakota. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished second at last year’s RMAC Indoor Championships hosted in Chadron.