Reynolds leads Eagles in CO

By Eben Rosentrater – Sport Editor

A handful of CSC track and field athletes found success in Colorado over the weekend at the Colorado School of Mines Winter Classic, in Golden, and the Air Force Academy Peak Invitational, in Colorado Springs.

Despite the tough competition in Golden and Colorado Springs, including some NCAA Division I competition, CSC athletes were able to bring home a couple of champions and other individual placers.

Among these athletes, the Eagles were yet again by Dan “Shug” Reynolds, junior of Granby, Colorado. Reynolds dominated the competition at both the Mines Invitational and the Air Force Peak Invitational.

On Friday, in Colorado Springs, he won the weight throw with a distance of 20.45 meters, beating every other competitor in the contest by over a meter.

This was a test for Reynolds.  Much of the competition during Friday’s meet hailed from NCAA Division I colleges, such as the University of Wyoming, of Laramie, Colorado State, of Fort Collins, and Air Force Academy themselves.

Reynolds followed up that victory on Friday by winning both the shot put and weight throw the next day at the Mines Winter Classic.

His good fortune carried into Saturday as he set a personal record in the shot put with a throw of 16.34 meters.

He has yet to lose a competition this season. He currently sits fifth in the RMAC for the shot put, and first in the weight throw by over 3 meters. Along with that, he also sits fourth in NCAA Division II men’s weight throw standings.

Other CSC athletes also found success over the weekend.

Parker Gonser, sophomore of Windsor, Colorado, took fourth in the shot put and sixth in the weight throw on Saturday.

Christopher Jennings, sophomore of O’Neil, took eighth on Friday and fifth on Saturday in the weight throw.

Courtney Smith, junior of Rock Springs, Wyoming, placed fourth on Friday and third on Saturday in the weight throw. On Friday, Smith threw a distance of 17.03 meters, setting her personal best and hitting the NCAA DII provisional mark for the first time this year.

Outside of the throwers, CSC jumper Jourdaine Cerenil, sophomore of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, was able to win the high jump, tying with Cal Poly Pomona’s Keiana Hamm, clearing a height of 1.67 meters.

This height would have been good enough for her to win the high jump on Friday against Division I competition had she competed that day.

Harley Rhoades, senior of Douglas, Wyoming, was able to take fifth in the men’s heptathlon with 4317 points. He claimed the majority of points from his first-place finish in the heptathlon 1000-meter run.

The Eagles will compete again when they travel to Topeka, Kansas, for the Washburn University Jason’s Deli Ichabod Invite on Saturday.