CHADRON, Neb. – A strong overall performance that consisted of 12 new top-10 performances in the Yellow Jacket track & field record books saw the Black Hills State University men's program place second with 146 team points and the women's program take first place with 184 points at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open on Saturday in the Nelson Physical Activity Center. Among the top performers on the women's side, freshman Avery Marler earned three event victories and posted the second-best marks in school history in the 60m dash and long jump, as well as the seventh-best all-time mark in the 200m dash. Marler's long jump mark was the best since 1991. On the men's side, sophomore Drew Lehman recorded the second-best triple jump and the fourth-best long jump in program history in his first-ever competition in the two events. Lehman's triple jump mark was the best by a Yellow Jacket since 1976.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN'S TRACK & FIELD

• The lone Black Hills State sprinter to qualify for the finals of the 60m dash was Landon Scalise, who posted a time of 6.98 in the prelims before finishing second in the finals with a career-best time of 6.93. His time in the finals marked the fourth-fastest time in program history. Also competing in the prelims of the event were Bridger, Anderson, Ashley Williams, and Isaac Job, who finished with times of 7.22 (11^th), 7.30 (14^th), and 7.51 (18^th) respectively. The times for Anderson and Williams each marked career-bests.
• Job added a top-10 finish in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line sixth with a time of 24.57 seconds.
• Logan Boyd made his return to the track and ran to a ninth place finish in the 400m dash, clocking a time of 55.85 seconds.
• The Yellow Jackets secured a 1-2 finish in the 1,000m run, with Braden Anderson posting a career-best and winning time of 2:29.58 that ranks sixth best in school history, and Evan Smith who was right behind him running to a time of 2:30.56 for second place.
• Jayden Curtis clocked a winning time of 8.78 seconds in the 60m hurdles as the lone Yellow Jacket in the event.
• The 4x400 relay team of Smith, Braden Anderson, Drew Lehman, and Javin Walker, ran to a second place finish with a time of 3:29.11.
• With a winning high jump and career-best clearance of 1.98m (6' 6"), Trennan Pearson led a 1-2 finish for the Yellow Jackets in the event. Finishing second in the event was Adam Stimes who made his collegiate debut with a mark of 1.93m (6' 4").
• Chase Maher cleared 4.75m (15' 7") to win the pole vault, while Dawson Lindeen recorded a third place finish with a mark of 4.45m (14' 7.25").
• With four athletes in the top-5 and eight in the top-10, the Green & Gold dominated the long jump competition which was led by Lehman and Bridger Anderson who led a 1-2 finish. Lehman notched the fourth-best mark in program history and the best since 2013 as he jumped a career-best 6.98m (22' 11"). Anderson recorded the fifth-best long jump mark in program history with a career-best mark of 6.96m (22' 10"). Adding top-5 finishes was Seth Wilson (4^th) and Curtis (5^th) who notched marks of 6.58m (21' 7.25") and 6.41m (21' 0.5") respectively. Tying for sixth place with a long jump of 6.33m (20' 9.25") was Pearson and Walker, while Casen Wilson and Jude Guevara finished ninth and tenth respectively with marks of 5.88m (19' 3.5") and 5.61m (18' 5").
• Leading three triple jumpers in the triple jump was Lehman, who recorded the second-best mark in program history and best since 1976 as he jumped 14.31m (46' 11.5") for second place. In third place with a mark of 12.58m (41' 3.25") was Casen Wilson, and Guevara was fifth with a mark of 11.54m (37' 10.5").
• Ryan Baker earned the win in the weight throw, recording a career-best mark of 17.42m (57' 2") that ranks ninth in school history. Also earning a top-5 finish in the event was Barren Yellow Bird who was fourth with a career-best throw of 14.12m (46' 4"). 

MEN'S TEAM RESULTS

Team	Total Points
1. Chadron State	219
2. Black Hills State	146
3. South Dakota Mines	55

 
HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

• Making her collegiate debut with Black Hills State, Summerset native Avery Marler clocked the second-fastest 60m dash time in school history as she crossed the finish line in 7.79 seconds during the prelims. She then went on to win the event with a second sub-8 second time, posting a winning time of 7.93 seconds. Saraya Afrank added a top-5 finish, earning a fourth place finish after an 8.19 second prelim time and an 8.25 second finals time. Finishing sixth and seventh respectively were two more freshmen, Sophia Kennedy and Alexa Colman. Kennedy ran an 8.38 second time in the prelims and an 8.43 second time in the finals, while Colman clocked times of 8.48 seconds in the prelims and 8.55 seconds in the finals.
• Earning a second event victory on the day, Marler, clocked the seventh-fastest 200m dash time in program history, running to a time of 25.96 seconds. The Yellow Jackets went 1-2 in the event as Afrank crossed the line second in a time of 27.08 seconds. Colman added a top-5 finish as she notched a 28.38 second time and Kennedy was sixth with a time of 28.63 seconds.
• The lone Yellow Jacket competing in the 1,000m run, Jillian Brennan earned the event win with a career-best time of 3:13.63.
• Black Hills State notched another 1-2 finish in the 60m hurdles, as Alessandra Broussard ran to a time of 9.81 seconds for the win and Lauryn Bennett was second with a career-best time of 10.02 seconds.
• Gracie Wilts cleared a career-best height of 1.57m (5' 1.75") to secure the event win in the high jump, while Broussard added a top-3 finish as she cleared 1.37m (4' 6") for third place.
• The Green & Gold saw another 1-2 finish and took four of the top-5 placings in the pole vault, as they were led by Erin Weibel who cleared a height of 3.65m (11' 11.75") on her second attempt. Gretchen Adamski finished second in the event, also clearing 3.65m (11' 11.75") but on her third attempt. The height is a new career-best for Adamski and moves her into eighth all-time on the Yellow Jacket performance list. Finishing fourth and fifth respectively was Bennett and Brekkan Lockhart, who each cleared 3.35m (10' 11.75"). Bennett cleared her career-best height on her first attempt while Lockhart did so on her second attempt. Hope Bryant added a sixth place finish with a career-best mark of 3.20m (10' 6"), and Colman finished ninth with a mark of 2.45m (8' 0.5") in her collegiate debut.
• In the long jump, Marler secured her third event win of the day, posting the second-best mark in school history with a jump of 5.53m (18' 1.75"). It was the first jump of 18' or better by a Yellow Jacket women's track & field athlete since 1991. Joining Marler in the top-5 of the event was Afrank who recorded a mark of 5.08m (16' 8") for third place, and Adlyn Eng, who was also making her collegiate debut, with a jump of 4.99m (16' 4.5") for fifth place.
• The lone Yellow Jacket in the triple jump, Eng posted a mark of 10.30m (33' 9.5") for second place in the event.
• In the shot put, Hanah Sullivan recorded a third place finish with a mark of 12.36m (40' 6.75"), and Cassidy Goddard finished just outside of the top-5 with a sixth place toss of 11.01m (36' 1.5").
• The pair of Goddard and Sullivan also secured a 1-2 finish in the weight throw, as Goddard recorded a career-best mark of 15.26m (50' 0.75") to win and Sulivan tossed 14.99m (49' 2.25") for second place.
• With a career-best point total of 2,822, multis athlete Alivia Weathers earned the win in the pentathlon. She earned victories in the shot put with a career-best mark of 11.78m (38' 7.75") and 60m hurdles with a time of 9.69 seconds. She also posted a second place finish in the high jump as she cleared 1.42m (4' 7.75").

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS

Team	Total Points
1. Black Hills State	184
2. Chadron State	133
3. South Dakota Mines	18

 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will take the winter break and be back in action in just over a month, as the next meet will be the Dave Little Alumni Mile Open in the Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse on Saturday, January 17.