CHADRON, Neb. -- May 23, 2023 -- Chadron State College's two outstanding throwers, Kyla Sawvell and Shane Collins, will be competing at the NCAA Division II National Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend at Pueblo, Colo.

A senior from Wall, S.D., Sawvell goes to nationals with some of the best marks in both the hammer throw and the shot put.  A junior from Bison, S.D, Collins, isn't as high on the pre-meet list, but is honored to be among the 20 contestants who will compete in the men's hammer throw.

Both won the hammer throws by wide margins at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships that Chadron State hosted the final weekend of April. Sawvell also was third in the shot at the conference meet. 

"I know both are excited to mix it up with the nation's best at Pueblo this weekend," Eagles' Head Coach Seth Mischke said. "It's been a long year and it will be fun to watch them compete again on the biggest stage of the season."

Sawvell has already won All-American honors in both the hammer throw and the shot put at the DII national meets twice.  She did that while attending Black Hills State prior to transferring to CSC last fall to earn a master's degree that will help her achieve her career-goal of becoming an athletic trainer. 

In 2021, she placed second in the shot put at the national meet with a heave of 50-feet, 11 ½ inches and was seventh in the hammer at 186-1.  Last year, she was seventh in the shot put at 48-8 and sixth in the hammer at 186-6.

After a great indoor season, Sawvell continued to excel for the Eagles this spring. Both of her RMAC marks of 187-11 in the hammer and 47-11 in the shot would have qualified her for nationals, but she really surged at the Nebraska-Kearney Last Chance Meet on May 13. That's when she launched the hammer 207-2 and shoved the shot 49-1. Both are season-bests that moved her much higher up the charts.  

Sawvell will go to the national meet with the second longest hammer throw and ranked No. 6 in the shot. 

The only hammer thrower with a better mark this season is defending champion Judith Essemiah of Grand Valley State in Michigan, who hit 207-8 at last year's meet and has a best of 208-7 this year.  Third on the 2023 list is Yanielys Torres of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez at 206-7.

Other leading hammer throw challengers include two Wayne State entries who are fifth and sixth in the current standings and finished second and third at last year's nationals.  McKenzie Schell has a 2023 best of 199-4 and Brooklyn Chipps has thrown 198-7 this spring. Their marks at last year's meet were 195-5 and 192-11, respectively.

The women's shot put leader going to Pueblo is Samariae Bond of Missouri Southern at 52-6. Lexi Hurst of Minnesota State at Mankato is next at 52-1 ¼, followed by Emma Richards of Grand Valley, 51-5; Trista Fintel of Findley in Ohio, 50-10; Katherine Higgins of CSU-Pueblo, 50-8 ¼; and Sawvell.  Both of last year's top two shot put finalists were seniors.

Sawvell proved she can compete with the best during the 2023 Indoor Nationals at Virginia Beach, Va., in March. That's when she finished third in the shot put and fifth in the weight throw, and was the only contestant to earn All-American honors in both events.

Collins knows he will have his work cut out to earn a medal in the men's hammer throw.  His 2023 best this spring is the 197-10 mark that he posted to win his second consecutive RMAC championship. The previous year, he set the conference record at 202 feet even. 

Two weeks after bettering the RMAC record a year ago, he had a career-best throw of 203-7 at Kearney's Last Chance Meet and went to nationals where he finished 11^th at 194-1, to earn Second-Team All-American.

Because of a shoulder problem, Collins was unable to throw during the 2023 indoor season and spent the winter rehabilitating. He probably exceeded expectations this spring after he began competing again. He's 17^th on this year's pre-nationals list, but Coach Mischke points out that he remains one of the best hammer throwers in the country or he wouldn't have qualified again.

Collins won this year's RMAC title by more than 15 feet and any of his six throws would have been good for the gold medal.

Thirteen of the 20 men at this year's nationals have thrown at least 200 feet this spring, led by Peyton Barton of Missouri Southern at 216-4. He was the No. 4 finisher last year at 207-11 behind three seniors.

Jacob Urban of Grand Valley is second on this year's list at 215-9, followed by another Missouri Southern Lion, Boyd Connor at 214-1.

Both hammer throws at nationals will help open the competition on Thursday.  Sawvell will throw the shot early Saturday afternoon.