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PITTSBURG, Kan. -- March 11, 2016 -- Stachia Reuwsaat of Chadron State College leapt 6.21 meters (20'-4.50") today in the long jump at the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships to become the first female student-athlete in CSC history to earn an individual NCAA Championship in any sport.

Her winning mark came in her fifth attempt out of the six allowable tries in the event, in which she led the nation from virtually start to finish in the indoor season. On the sixth round of tries, challenger Nikia Squire of Queens (N.C.) matched her 6.21 meters precisely. However Reuwsaat was declared the first-place finisher by virtue of her next-best successful jumps. Both her second (6.14m) and third-best (6.05m) attempts were further than the second-best of Squires, who fouled her second and third tries and passed on her fourth and fifth.

Reuwsaat owns the CSC program-best indoor long jump mark of 6.43 meters (21'-01.25"), which she completed on December 12, 2014, in Golden, Colorado.

The only other female student-athletes to earn national titles in any sport were all three in rodeo, which was not an NCAA-sponsored sport. Jean Fuchs and Kathy Kennedy (breakaway roping) and Shelley Meter (all-around cowgirl) all achieved national collegiate titles in 1978, 1979, and 1987, respectively.

In addition to Reuwsaat, several other Eagles competed today at the highest level of NCAA indoor track and field.

Damarcus Simpson, competing in two events nearly back-to-back, was the fourth-best qualifier in the preliminary heats of the men's 60 meter dash, running his trial in 6.751 seconds. He wrested a margin of just 0.004 (four-thousandths) of a second over Adams State's Jurgen Themen (6.755s) to assure himself of a second straight All-America honor in the fastest race in indoor track and field.

Later in the afternoon, he brought his personal-best long jump performance indoors, going 7.90 meters (25'-11.00"), more than six inches past his previous best indoors, in his sixth and final attempt. Only a last-second surge by Lincoln University's Sedeekie Edie (7.97m, 26'-01.75"), soaring 14 inches past his own personal record in his sixth and final attempt, could keep Simpson from his second individual championship in a calendar year. The sophomore from Lafayette, Georgia, captured his own individual crown at the 2015 outdoor NCAA meet.

The CSC delegation was not finished for the day, however, as Zerek Jones ran a 1:52.28 in his 800 meter prelim and finished 12th in the nation. Jones would have qualified for First Team All-America status and received a berth in the 800 meter finals on Saturday with a time only 0.03 seconds faster.

Tomorrow on the second and final day of the meet, Simpson will race the men's 60 meter finals, Shelby Bozner and Kelsy Wood will participate in the entire women's pentathlon, and the CSC women's 4x400 relay will run a section against teams from host Pittsburg State and RMAC rival Adams State.