Neither of the Chadron State College hammer throwers, Shane Collins nor Daniel Reynolds, was able to make the finals Thursday afternoon at the NCAA Division II National Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Allendale, Mich.
It took a mark of 197 feet, 9 inches to be among the nine finalists. Collins had a best of 194-1 that left him in 11th place. Reynolds’s best was 189-4, which placed him 14th among the 20 qualifiers.
The hammer throw was won by Tanner Berg, a senior at Northern State of Aberdeen, S.D., with a mark of 228-4. Second place went to another senior, last year’s national champion, Austin Combs of Findlay University in Ohio, at 222-9.
Each of the eight entries who placed, threw at least 199-1. Five of the placewinners are seniors, Those finishing seventh and eighth are juniors, and Peyton Barton of Missouri Southern, who placed fourth with a mark of 207-11, is a sophomore.
Both Collins and Reynolds are sophomores in eligibility. Reynolds, who is from Granby, Colo., was ninth among the 20 national qualifiers with a best of 203-8, the Chadron State school record. Collins, a native of Bison, S.D., was 11th with a mark of 203-2, just six inches shy of Reynolds’ best.
Collins broke the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s record that had stood since 2005, when he threw 202 feet even this spring. Reynolds was the runner-up at the conference meet with a throw of 201-10, just two inches short of the new RMAC record.
CSC Coach Riley Northrup said his hammer throw standouts can be proud of the improvement they made during the 2022 season, he is pleased with their work ethic and is confident both will return to compete at nationals again in the future.
Collins finished the 2021 season with a best of 189-8. Reynolds’s best as a true freshman last year was 172-11.
Reynolds also excelled during in the hammer throw’s companion event, the 35-pound weight throw, during this year’s indoor season. He set the Chadron State and RMAC weight throw records of 64-11 ½ while qualifying for the National Indoor Championships. He placed 12th in the latter competition with a heave of 61-8 ½.
Chadron State’s third National Outdoor Championships qualifier, Jourdaine Cerenil of Pine Bluffs, Wyo., will compete in the high jump Saturday afternoon. Her career-best jump of 5-foot-8 puts her in a tie for 11th among the 20 qualifiers in the event.