WAYNE, Neb. – The Black Hills State University men's and women's track & field teams competed at the WSC NCAA Showdown, hosted in the Wildcat Dome on the Dr. Ron Holt Track & Field at Wayne State College on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets posted seven all-time top-10 marks and times in program history, with four on the men's side and three on the women's side. Highlighting the men's action, the pair of Chase Maher and Evan Smith broke school records and recorded NCAA Provisional marks. Maher broke a pole vault record previously held by Lee Diede since 2008, which also ranks as the top mark in the RMAC and 19^th nationally this season. Smith broke an 800m run record held by his own teammate, Braden Anderson, from just last season, and posted the second-fastest time in the RMAC and eighth-fastest nationally this season. Highlighting the women's action, the 4x400 relay team of Saraya Afrank, Madyson Wolfe, Gracie Wilts, and Avery Marler, clocked the fastest time in the event since 2004 by a Yellow Jacket squad, ranking third in school history.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN'S TRACK & FIELD

• The day started with a trio of Yellow Jackets posting top-5 finishes in the pole vault. Chase Maher won the event and cleared a school record height of 5.01m (16' 5.25"). His mark breaks a record set in 2008 by Lee Diede, who cleared 16' 3" in the event, and ranks top of the RMAC and 19^th in NCAA Division II. Finishing third and fourth place for the Yellow Jackets and both clearing 4.50m (14' 9") was McKalester Johns and Dawson Lindeen. Johns cleared the height on his first attempt, while Lindeen cleared the height on is third attempt.
• The duo of Trennan Pearson and Adam Stimes recorded top-10 finishes in the high jump as they each cleared 1.89m (6' 2.25"). Pearson finished eighth as he cleared the height on his first attempt and Stimes was tenth as he cleared the height on his second attempt.
• In the long jump, Drew Lehman won the event and posted the fourth-best mark in school history, recording a career-best mark of 7.02m (23' 0.5"), which was the furthest jump by a Yellow Jacket in the event since 2013. Also, in the top-5 was Seth Wilson, who jumped 6.67m (21' 10.75") for fourth place. Bridger Anderson and Javin Walker cracked the top-10 with jumps 6.60m (21' 8") and 6.18m (20' 3.5") for sixth and tenth place. Rounding out the Yellow Jackets in the long jump was Jayden Curtis and Pearson, who recorded marks of 6.15m (20' 2.25") and 6.04m (19' 9.75") for 11^th and 14^th place.
• Ryan Baker secured a top-10 finish in the weight throw, posting a mark of 16.01m (52' 6.5") for eighth place, and Barren Yellow Bird added a 14^th place finish with a throw of 14.30m (46' 11").
• Walker captured his second top-10 finish of the day in the triple jump, recording a mark of 12.67m (41' 7").
• In the 60m hurdles, Jayden Curtis ran to a seventh place finish in both the prelims and finals of the event as he posted times of 8.93 and 9.08 respectively.
• Landon Scalise led a trio of Yellow Jackets in the prelims of the 60m dash, clocking a time of 6.98 for the second-fastest time in the event. Lehman qualified for the finals of the event with the eighth-fastest time as he crossed the line at 7.11. Rounding out the group Ashley Williams posted a time of 7.35 seconds for 19^th place. In the finals of the event, Lehman cracked the top-10 in school history with a career-best time of 7.08 seconds for sixth place, and seventh in program history.
• The trio of Jonah Rigg, Alberto Spotted, and Caden Strasser recorded top-10 finishes in the mile. Rigg and Spotted posted career-best times of 4:18.26 and 4:21.85 respectively for sixth and eighth place. Strasser notched a time of 4:25.79 for ninth place.
• The second school record of the day fell in the 800m run as Evan Smith notched a career-best and an NCAA Provisional time of 1:49.89 for second place in the event. His time in the event ranks second-fastest in the RMAC and eighth-fastest in NCAA Division II.
• Williams was the lone Yellow Jacket competing in the 200m dash, clocking a career-best time of 23.19 for 18^th place.
• In the 3,000m run, Jaxon Straus and Turner Christians notched top-5 finishes, clocking career-best times of 8:40.67 and 8:44.03 respectively for fourth and fifth place. Also, in the top-10 of the event were freshmen Thomas Oylear and Sean Shipp who turned in times of 8:47.29 and 8:51.40 for eighth and tenth place. Rounding out the Yellow Jackets in the event were Emmett Swartzentruber and Alberto Spotted with times of 8:53.46 and 9:10.52 respectively for 13^th and 18^th place.

HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

• Avery Marler led a quartet of Yellow Jackets in the long jump, recording a top-5 finish with a mark of 5.41m (17' 9") for fourth place, while Saraya Afrank cracked the top-10 with a mark of 5.17m (16' 11.5") for seventh place. Also competing in the event was Adlyn Eng and Alivia Weathers who were 12^th and 13^th place respectively with marks of 4.82m (15' 9.75") and 4.55m (14' 11.25").
• Hannah Sullivan secured a top-10 finish in the weight throw, recording a toss of 15.44m (50' 8") for ninth place.
• Earning the win in the pole vault with a career-best mark of 3.72m (12' 2.5"), Gretchen Adamski recorded an NCAA Provisional mark that is second-best in the RMAC this season and is fifth-best in Black Hills State history. Also notching a top-5 finish and clearing a height of 3.42m (11' 2.5") was Lauryn Bennett who posted a career-best mark for fifth place. Rounding out five Yellow Jackets in the top-10 and all clearing 3.27m (10' 8.75") was Brekkan Lockhart, Hope Bryant, and Erin Weibel. Lockhart and Bryant each cleared the height on their first attempts for sixth and eighth place, while Weibel cleared the height on her second attempt for ninth place. The mark for Bryant set a new career-best in the event.
• Sullivan captured her second top-10 finish of the day with a sixth place finish in the shot put, throwing 12.32m (40' 5") to lead three Yellow Jackets in the event. Rounding out the trio was Cassidy Goddard and Weathers who were 13^th and 16^th respectively with marks of 10.71m (35' 1.75") and 10.61m (34' 9.75").
• Eng earned a top-10 finish in the triple jump, notching a mark of 10.32m (33' 10.25") as the lone Yellow Jacket in the event.
• A quartet of Yellow Jackets competed in the 60m hurdles, led by a top-10 finish by Madyson Wolfe as she clocked a time of 9.88 for ninth in the prelims. Rounding out the group was Alessandra Broussard, Bennett, and Weathers who were 12^th, 13^th, and 16^th respectively with times of 10.04, 10.16, and 10.28.
• The lone Yellow Jacket competing in the 60m dash was Broussard, who clocked a career-best time of 8.30 for 11^th place in the prelims.
• The pair of Abigail Hardersen and Nicole Clark notched top-5 finishes in the mile as the freshmen clocked times of 5:22.76 and 5:31.01 respectively for third and fifth place. Hardersen's time was a new season-best while for Clark it was her first time competing in the event this year.
• Gracie Wilts was the lone Yellow Jacket competing in the 200m dash, running to a time of 27.46 for 12^th place.
• Securing a top-5 finish in the 3,000m run, Emma Hofmeister clocked a career-best time of 10:15.84 for fifth place and the seventh-fastest time in school history in the event. Then the trio of Ava Allen, Mason Berg, and Sierra Hopp, added top-10 times as they crossed the finish line in 10:24.57, 10:32.74, and 10:34.75 respectively for sixth, ninth, and tenth place. Rounding out the Yellow Jackets in the event were Abigail Robberson, Gracie Craig, Zena Tapia, and Kadence Baun, who were 15^th, 16^th, 18^th, and 19^th respectively with times of 10:53.73, 10:56.52, 10:57.07, and 11:07.32. Hopp, Robberson, and Craig all also clocked career-best times in the event.
• A third place finish by the 4x400 relay team of Afrank, Wolfe, Wilts, and Marler set the third-fastest time in program history in the event, clocking a time of 3:59.10. Just the third sub-4 minute time in the event in program history, it was the fastest 4x400 relay time since 2004 for the Yellow Jackets.

UP NEXT
Black Hills State will be back in action on Saturday, January 31, as they travel to Chadron, Nebraska, for the Don Holst Open in the Nelson Physical Activity Center. The action begins with field events at 9 a.m. and then the meet continues into the afternoon for a 1 p.m. start for track events.