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College track: Jackets grab four titles at nationals
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FarkEDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — Aubrey Baxter concluded a stellar NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championship performance collecting her second national title on Saturday.
The Black Hills State University thrower dominated the shot put competition winning with a throw of 51 feet, ¾ inches.
Baxter’s throw was over a foot farther than the runner-up Jessica Becker of Bethany, Kan., and came after she set a record in winning the hammer throw on Thursday.
“(Becker) beat her in the indoor so I think that was some extra incentive for her,” BHSU head coach Scott Walkinshaw said. “She is on such a roll. The conditions weren’t ideal but she did very well.”
Baxter’s teammate, Amber Brodersen, gave the Yellow Jackets two finishers in the top five with her throw of 45-10 giving both throwers All-American status.
The national title was the fourth for the Yellow Jackets at the meet as hurdler Shannon Hellman won the 100-meter title for the second straight year and Eric Flores took the shot put title. Those efforts helped BHSU finish in sixth place in the team standings on the women’s side and 16th on the men’s side.
BHSU’s Cody Bordewyk ran a strong final in the 3,000-meter steeplechase grabbing a top-five finish for the Yellow Jackets with a time of 9.10.77. The time was easily the best for Bordewyk this season as he came into nationals with the 18th best time of 9:27.94.
“That was the third fastest time at BHSU and Cody is an All-American in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. We haven’t had a lot of kids do that,” Walkinshaw said.
In all, BHSU crowned nine All-Americans at the meet and set three school records.
The Yellow Jackets’ Alicia Verhulst ran the women’s steeplechase in 11:30.52 to finish in 13th place.
The BHSU 4-by-400 relay team of Nicki Shinkle, Shannon Hellman, Ashlee Della Silva and Kayla Ferguson finished seventh with a time of 3:53.51.
“We did break the school record and if you can do that and get beat that is just the sport,” Walkinshaw said. “The girls were disappointed but when they found out they set the school record they felt better about it.”
South Dakota Mines pole vaulter Chandler Caldwell finished ninth clearing 15-5 in a competition that did not see any vaulter clear 16 feet. Caldwell finished tied with two other jumpers at the height and just missed All-American honors.
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