Sports

Track opens season with three champions

u By Mackenzie Dahlberg

Sports Editor

Chadron’s indoor track and field team was able to start their 2021 season Saturday at Wayne State Indoor Classic. The Eagles competed against WSC, Augustana University, and the University of Sioux Falls, and three Eagles secured first place finishes.

Naishaun Jernigan, sophomore of Springfield, Massachusetts, took first place in triple jump with a leap of 48 feet, 4 inches. Jernigan took first place in long jump as well, with a mark of 23 feet, 8 inches, without any fouls in both of his events.

“We usually have a pretty good idea from practice who will be ready to have a good performance on the weekend,” Head Track and Field Coach Riley Northrup said in a message to the Eagle. “How they will place at each meet is heavily dependent on who we are competing against.”

Chadron’s other men’s winners were Shane Collin, sophomore of Bison, South Dakota, and Brodie Roden, junior of Riverton, Wyoming.

Collins placed first in the shot put, his last through marking the furthest at 50 feet, 4.75 inches. Collins finished the weight throw fifth, with a toss of 51 feet, 1.75 inches, despite two of his throws not being measured.

Three other Eagles placed in the top five with Collin in men’s shot put. Reid Spady, freshman of Oshkosh, earned second with a throw of 44 feet, 10.75 inches. Parker Gonser, freshman of Windsor, Colorado, threw 44 feet, 7.5 inches placing fourth, and Daniel Reynolds, freshman of Granby, Colorado, placed fifth with a mark of 40 feet, 2.75 inches.

In the Men’s 60 meter, Roden ran 6.93 seconds in the preliminary round, placing first and automatically qualifying him for the finals, where he finished first with a time of 6.90 seconds.

Osvaldo Cano, sophomore of Oshkosh, finished third in the preliminaries with a time of 7.19 seconds, then moving up to second place in the finals with a run of 7.14 seconds.

Pete Brown, sophomore of Oxford, finished third in both the preliminary and final rounds of the 60 hurdles, running both with a time of 9.00 seconds. Dylan Soule, freshman of Polk, finished less than a second behind Brown with a run of 9.88 seconds, placing him in sixth.

As for the women’s side, Johannah Christie, freshman of Alpine, Wyoming, placed in two events, third in the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 2.25 inches, and fourth in the 400 meters with a time of 1:05.54.

Photo by Mackenzie Dahlberg

Head Track and Field Coach Riley Northrup gives advice to a thrower at practice yesterday at the Nelson Physical Activity Center.

Also, in the high jump, Miranda Gilkey, junior of Lusk, Wyoming, placed fourth clearing the bar at 5 feet, 0.25 inches.

Courtney Smith, sophomore of Rock Springs, Wyoming, took fifth place in the shot put with her first throw of 39 feet, 9.25 inches, but fouling her last two throws.

Carlie Collier, sophomore of Dunning, finished fourth in the preliminaries of the 60 meters, and moved herself up to third in the finals with both runs of 8.16 seconds. Michaela Hill, sophomore of Eaton, Colorado, finished seventh in the preliminaries of the 60 meters with a run of 8.38 seconds and remaining in seventh with a run of 8.43 seconds in the finals.

“We are constantly training to improve speed and power throughout the season, but now that we will be competing each week, the heavy emphasis is on improving their event technique and making sure their bodies are rested and prepared for competition on the weekend.”

Chadron is scheduled to compete Friday, at Myrle Hanson Open Track and Field Meet starting at 1 p.m. Friday and continuing into Saturday, at Spearfish, South Dakota.