CSC Sports
Con Marshall
SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Chadron State College track and field teams opened their outdoor schedule Saturday by claiming nine firsts and a dozen seconds at the Yellow Jacket Spring Open Meet at Black Hills State in Spearfish.
There were seven teams in the competition.
Among the Eagles’ leaders was senior Jesse Bleidt, the weight throw champion at the RMAC Indoor Championships earlier this month. He captured both the hammer throw (179 feet, 59 9 inches) and the discus (156-11). He won the hammer throw by nearly 11 feet and took first in the discus by nine feet. Bleidt’s hammer mark was an NCAA qualifying mark, ranking him 20th in NCAA Division II, over the first four weeks of the official outdoor season.
By comparison, CSC’s Cory Martens qualified 22nd in 2017 with a mark of 194 feet, one inch.
The only winner for the Chadron State women in the field events was senior Ashlyn Hanson, who threw the hammer 181-9, but teammates took second in six of the throws and jumps. Hanson’s throw was a provisional mark by more than 12 feet, and ranks her ninth nationally. It also would have been good enough to make the field at last year’s outdoor nationals.
Other winners for the men were sophomore Javan Lanier in the 100 meters (11.22 seconds) and freshman Isaac Grimes in the long jump (23-8). CSC coach Riley Northrup said both marks were hampered by a brisk southeasterly wind that was in their faces.
Lanier, the 60-meter champion at the RMAC Indoor Championships, won the 100 by 13 hundredths of a second, into a headwind nearly seven miles per hour, and Grimes, who placed sixth in the long jump at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships earlier this month, won the long jump by nearly 16 inches. Grimes’s mark was barely an inch from qualifying for outdoor nationals, yet he ranks 10th nationally, since only eight men in Division II have qualified so far.
CSC men also placed second in both hurdle races. Sophomore Justin Leman was the runner-up in the highs and freshman Marcus Ruhrer was second in the intermediates.
Chadron State juniors won both of the women’s short sprints. Maddie Brashears won the 100 in 13.40 seconds and Chasity Horton was first in the 200 with a career-best 27.26.
Brashears also was the runner-up in the long jump and Horton ran on the Eagles’ first place 4×400 relay team.
The other relay runners were Alisa Heelan, Julianne Thomsen and Celeste Cardona. Heelan also was second in the 400 (1:00.45) while Cardona, the freshman from Mitchell who joined the CSC track and field team about a month ago after the basketball season ended, also placed fourth in both the 200 and 400 meters.
Also on the track, sophomore Alyse Henry got a good workout. She won the 3000-meter steeplechase with a career-best 11:32.66 and was second in the 5,000 (18:36.01). Her time, adjusted for altitude, ranks 20th in Division II, so far.
Sophomore Ashton Hallsted was the runner-up in all three throws she entered—the hammer, shot put and discus. Her discus mark of 137-6 was a career-best.
The Lady Eagles’ other seconds were in the jumps. Besides Brashears taking second in the long jump (17-6), the others were by senior Erin Graham in the triple jump (36-4) and sophomore Allee Williamson in the high jump (5-3).
Williamson, another basketball player who just joined the CSC thinclads for the outdoor season, also was third in the 100 meters.
The Eagles will enter a meet at Colorado State-Pueblo this coming Friday and Saturday.
CSC’s Women’s Results
100—1, Maddie Brashears, 13.40; 3, Allee Williamson, 13.46.
200—1, Chasidy Horton, 27.26; 4, Celeste Cardona, 27.93.
400—2, Alisha Heelan, 1:00.45; 4, Celeste Cardona, 1:01.83.
800—6, Madi Watson, 2:35.59
1,500—5, Dominque Oden, 5:08.25.
3,000 steelechase—1, Alyse Henry, 11:32.66; 4, Madi Watson, 12:43.19.
5,000—2, Alyse Henry, 18:36.01.
100 high hurdles—5, Julianne Thomsen, 16.98.
4×400 relay—1, Chadron State (Alisha Heelan, Julianne Thomsen, Chasidy Horton, Celeste Cardona), 4:12.65.
Shot put—2 Ashton Hallsted, 39-7 ¾.
Hammer throw—1, Ashlyn Hanson, 181-9; 2, Ashton Hallsted, 160-10.
Discus—2, Ashton Hallsted, 137-6; 3, Ashlyn Hanson, 132-10.
Long jump—2, Maddie Brashears, 17-6 ¾; 3, Erin Graham, 16-10; 5, Sierra Martinez, 15-11 ½.
Triple jump—2, Erin Graham, 36-4; 4, Michelle Carabjal, 34-9 ¼.
High jump—2, Allee Williamson, 5-3; 6, Katelyn Wheeler, 5-1.
Men’s Results
100—1, Javan Lanier, 11.22.
200—5, Javan Lanier, 23.64.
400—6, Austin Fafjer, 51.05.
1,500—4, Kyle Dietsche, 4:04.88; 5, Hunter Kratz, 4:07.86.
5,000—3, Riley Howard, 15:44.60; 6, Eric Yager, 16:06.17.
110 high hurdles—2, Justin Leman, 15.43.
400 intermediate hurdles—2, Marcus Ruhrer, 59.16.
Hammer throw—1, Jesse Bleidt, 179-5.
Discus—1, Jesse Bleidt, 156-11;
Javelin—4, Gregg Peterson, 133-6.
Long jump—1, Isaac Grimes, 23-8
Triple jump—5, Dwayne Williams, 42-8 ¼.