PUEBLO, Colo. May 2, 2021 -- Bolstered by victories in both of the men's relays, the Chadron State College track and field team closed out the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships in Pueblo, Colo., on a high note Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles won the 4x100 relay in 40.90 seconds and the 4x400 relay in 3:13.87 seconds.  Both marks are Chadron State's second fastest all-time. 

Osvaldo Cano, Morgan Fawver and Brodie Roden ran on both teams. Emory Yoosook was the other member of the 4x100 quartet and Greg Logsdon was the fourth member of the 4x400 unit. 

Both Fawver in the 100 and Roden in the 400 also placed second in the finals of those races Sunday. Fawver's time was 10.54 seconds and Roden's was 48.22 seconds.  Cano was seventh in the 400 in 49.88.

All of them are freshmen or sophomores in outdoor eligibility.  

The late surge helped the CSC men score 79 points while placing sixth among the 11 entries in the team standings. 

The Eagles also opened the conference meet on a high note, when freshman Naishaun Jernigan became the NCAA Division II national leader in the long jump by going 25 feet, 5 ¼ inches on his first attempt in that event on Friday.  However, the following day, Chris Goodwin of Central Missouri went one inch farther to claim the national lead.

No matter, both marks are automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Division II National Championship at Allendale, Mich., May 21-23.

While the Eagles' had several other marks at the conference meet that are among the best in school history, it's doubtful any of them will qualify for nationals, CSC Coach Riley Northrup said.  However, he believes by entering "last chance meets" during the next two weeks, his team will add more national qualifiers. 

"We'll go to several meets while trying to improve our times a few ticks," Northrup said. "We'll look for meets where the tracks are good, there's going to be strong competition and the weather forecast is favorable."

Northrup said the last chance participants May include CSC triple jumpers.  He called the competition in that event on Sunday "crazy."  Both Derrick Nwagwu, who placed sixth and Brock Voth, who was eighth, had career-best marks of 49-6 ½ and 48-9. 

"At some of the conference meets, Brock's jump would win it," Northrup said.

CSC's Dez Smith went 46-8 while winning the triple jump at the RMAC Outdoor Meet in 2017.  All four of the top RMAC triple jump finishers this year went at least 50 feet.

Other CSC highlights for the CSC men as the conference wound down saw Parker Gonser add 2 ½ feet to his previous best while placing fourth in the discus at 151-8, Quest Savery and Dylan Soule finish fifth and sixth in the javelin at 177-9 and 176-5 and Creighton Trembly place sixth in the high hurdles at 15.15 seconds.  All are true freshmen.

Late Saturday night, another true freshman, Hannah Christie, finished third in the heptathlon while running a career-best 2:28.97 in the 800 meters.  She also had season-best marks in four of the remaining six events.

Both Becca Monahan and Morgan Ekwall had career-best throws while placing in the shot put on Sunday.  

CSC's placings and marks at the conference meet follow:

Men's Results
                100--2, Morgan Fawver, 10.54 (10.53 prelims).
                400--2, Brodie Roden, 48.22 (48.08 prelims); 7, Osvaldo Cano, 49.88 (49.39 prelims).
                110 hurdles--6, Creighton Trembly, 15.15.
                4x100 relay--1, Chadron State (Morgan Fawver, Emory Yoosook, Osvaldo Cano, Brodie Roden), 40.90.
                4x400 relay--1, Chadron State (Osvaldo Cano, Morgan Fawver, Greg Logsdon, Brodie Roden), 3:13.87.
                Discus--4, Parker Gonsor, 151-8; 6, Shane Collins, 150-4.
                Hammer throw--5, Shane Collins, 176-0.
                Javelin--5, Quest Savery, 177-9; 6, Dylan Soule, 176-5.
                Long jump--1, Naushaun Jernigan, *27-5 ¼; 7, Javan Lanier, 23-6 ¼; 8, Morgan Fawver, 23-6.
                Triple jump--6, Derrick Nwagwu, 49-6 ½; 8, Brock Voth, 48-9.
                High jump--8, Joe Dumsa, 6-4 ¾. 
                *NCAA II automatic qualifier. 
Women's Events
                Shot put--5, Becca Monahan, 40-8 ¼; 7, Morgan Ekwall, 40- ¼.
                Javelin--7, Julianne Thomsen, 106-0.
                High jump--6 tie, Miranda Gilkey, 5-2 ½.
                Heptathlon--3, Hannah Christie, 4,465 points.