Three CSC Sophomores Going To National Meet

(Written By Con Marshall)

Three Chadron State College sophomores will be competing at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships at Allendale, Mich., this weekend.

              They are hammer throwers Shane Collins of Bison, S.D., and Daniel Reynolds of Granby, Colo., and high jumper Jourdaine Cerenil of Pine Bluffs, Wyo.

              Collins and Reynolds will compete early in the three-day meet. Theirs will be the meet’s first event Thursday afternoon, starting at 12:30 (EDT).  Cerenil won’t high jump until 2:05 p.m. on Saturday. A total of 370 men and 370 women have qualified for the national meet. 

              CSC Coach Riley Northrup said he’s excited to see how his trio will fare.  He noted that each has been a pleasure to coach, always working hard and determined to improve, something they have done.  He added that all three are in the middle of the list of 20 qualifiers in their events.

              Collins and Reynolds have emerged as Chadron State’s all-time leaders in the hammer throw.

              After almost taking turns with the best mark the eight times they competed this season, Reynolds is the school record-holder with a throw of 203 feet, 8 inches, while Collins is second on the CSC list with a best of 203-2.  At the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Meet in late April, Collins broke the record that had stood since 2005 with a throw of 202 even and Reynolds placed second at 201-10.  

              Reynolds is ninth and Collins is 11th among the 20 national qualifiers.  Chadron State is one of three schools to have more than one hammer thrower amongst the top 20. Championships host Grand Valley State has three and, like CSC, Missouri Southern, has two.

Cerenil is tied for 11th on the high jump list with a best of 5-8. Only one Chadron State coed—Jazmyn Webster—who went 5-9 ¾ in 2012–has gone higher outdoors, although Chadron native Caryn Martin cleared 5-10 indoors in 1993, when she was a senior.

Northrup notes that Cerenil has “come close” to going over 5-10 several times.

              The coach said he’s proud to have three young national qualifiers, adding, “I’m also looking forward to what they will do in the future.”