News

Hunt shatters conference’s shot put record

May 7, 2012

Chadron State's Cody Hunt set the RMAC and school record in the shot put with a throw of 64-feet, 4 3/4 inches at the conference championships Monday in Gunnison, Colo. (Photo by Shaun Wicen)

GUNNISON, Colo. – Competition at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships at Gunnison, Colo., was halted early Monday afternoon by a snowstorm, but not before Chadron State’s Cody Hunt shattered the conference’s shot put record.

RMAC Championship Meet Results

A junior who graduated from Lingle-Fort Laramie High School in Wyoming, Hunt threw the shot 63 feet, four and three-fourths inches to break the RMAC record by more than two feet. The old mark of 61- ¼ was set two years ago by Dane Tobey of Nebraska-Kearney.

Hunt is undefeated through seven outdoor meets this spring.

He also set the RMAC’s indoor shot put record of 61-4 ¼ when the Eagles hosted the conference meet in February. His previous best outdoors was 59-11, a mark he hit 10 days ago at Golden, Colo.  

His new mark is the second best in NCAA Division II this season. The national leader is Nick Jones of Abilene Christian in Texas at 64-2 ½.

Another Chadron State thrower, sophomore Charith Kapukotuwa, placed second in the shot put at the conference meet with a heave of 55-2 ¾. That topped his previous career best by nearly four feet.

The Eagles’ Lanar Newman placed third in the men’s long jump by going 22- ¼ and CSC freshman Chelsea Horn was fifth in the women’s shot put at 33-2 before the inclement weather stopped the meet.

Earlier in the day, the multi events were completed with Chadron State senior Stacee Craig finishing second in the heptathlon with 4,465 points and freshman Hunter Dittbenner placing fourth in the decathlon with 5,580 points.

Danita Wyatt of Colorado State-Pueblo won the heptathlon with 4,768 points and Bryson Mahlberg of Nebraska-Kearney won the decathlon with 6,224 points.

The Eagles also earned three places in the women’s shot put. Alyssa Norton finished fifth at 43-7 ¾, Brittney Graham was sixth at 43-1 and Kelli Johnson was eighth at 40-7 ½.

 Graham’s throw was a career-best by about 14 inches and Norton came within two inches of her career-best.

The only other field event that was completed prior to weather-related suspension saw the Eagles’ Lanar Newman placing third in the men’s long jump by going 22- ¼.

The RMAC championships will resume Tuesday, weather permitting.

—CSC Sports Information