Chadron State College track and field participants posted 11 season-best marks Wednesday at the Kit Mayer Classic at Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
While quite a few of the bests were turned in by distance runners who did not qualify for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Black Hills State in Spearfish, some of the other marks helped Eagles solidify a top 24 ranking in their event so they can compete in the conference showdown.
The latter includes sophomore Logan Moravec of Gering, who placed third in the 400 meters in 49.92 seconds. Moravec already was qualified in his usual race, the 800 meters, where his best time this season is 1:56.13. Coach Riley Northrup said Moravec’s 400 time also makes him a candidate to run a leg on the 4×400 relay at the RMAC meet.
The CSC men are the defending champions in both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
Two Chadron State hammer throwers also nailed down an opportunity to compete at the conference meet. Reid Spady of Oshkosh threw the hammer 155 feet, 6 inches to add exactly 10 feet to his previous best and Maddi Schliep of Grand Island hit 137-4, a five-foot improvement.
Although Creighton Trembly of Longmont, Colo., did not have a season-best in the 110 high hurdles Wednesday, Northrup was pleased that Trembly placed third in the race after he’d skipped the event at recent meets while entering the sprints instead. Trembly’s season-best mark of 14.54 seconds in the highs ranks fourth on the conference’s current list.
While the official list of qualifiers won’t be posted until early next week, Northrup anticipates at least 40 Eagles have earned the right and will compete at the conference meet.