CHADRON, Neb. – The Chadron State men's basketball team ended its season on a high note Saturday afternoon by pulling a 107-95 victory out of the fire in overtime versus the Westminster Griffins in the Chicoine Center.

In short, the Eagles dominated the first half by a 50-30 margin and the Griffins dominated the second half 56-36, thus tying the score 86-86 at the end of regulation. But the Eagles led all the way in overtime while outscoring the visitors 21-9 in the extra period. 

Both teams lived and died by the three-pointer. Chadron State was 11 of 18 from three-point range in the first half while Westminster was 1 of 15. The shoe was on the other foot in the second half when the Griffins were 7 of 16 from behind the arc and the Eagles were 2 of 14. Neither team made a trey in overtime, when CSC was 0-2 and the visitors 0-8 from long range.

Chadron State's three seniors who were saluted prior to the game were among the Eagles' heroes.  They joined forces to tally 64 points. 

Zach Smith nailed five of six three-point shots to lead the Eagles in the opening half when they built their 20-point intermission lead. He didn't make any three-pointers in the second half, but added a dunk and finished with a career-high 24 points.

Isaiah Randolph was the game's leading scorer with 25 points, including nine in overtime when he made seven of eight free throws, several of them when he was fouled while relentlessly driving to the basket. Overall, Randolph was 13-17 at the line.  

Blessing Adesipe ended with 15 points that included six crucial points from CSC's only second half treys after Westminster had fought its way back into the game.

The Eagles had another double-digit scorer in junior Jadon Cool. He finished with 19 points that included a driving layup and a putback in the space of 23 seconds to give CSC some breathing room in overtime.

After Chadron State jumped out to leads of 8-0 and 13-2, Westminster was never in contention in the first half. Slowly but surely, the Griffins whittled on what had seemed to be the Eagles' insurmountable lead and went ahead for the first time at 74-73 with seven minutes left to play.

Cool's layup and Adesipe's second trey of the half reclaimed the lead, but the Griffins soon scored five straight points to go ahead again 81-78 with 2:44 remaining.

After the Eagles regained the lead on a layup by Luka Djurovic and Smith's two free throws, the Utah team was never ahead again, but with 18 seconds left the Griffins' leading scorer with 20 points, 5-10 sophomore Nick Holland, tied the count at 86 with an off-balance field goal and a free throw that he was awarded for being fouled on the shot.

Chadron State ran the clock down and launched a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it failed to connect. A basket by Smith on the Eagles' opening possession in OT gave them the lead and they never relinquished it.

Saturday marked the Eagles' only overtime game this season. They finished with a 7-21 record and a 5-15 RMAC mark. They also topped the Griffins 73-67 in Salt Lake City on January 22. Westminster ends its schedule at 12-16 overall and 7-13 in the RMAC. 

Westminster—Nick Holland 20, Michael Frazier 18, Cole Kadoguchi 18, Cameron Kohn 12, Colin Hayes 11, Jonah El-Farra 8, Jack Mamele 6, Boston Painter 2. Totals: 32-69 FG, (8-39 3PT), 23-30 FT, 95 points, 48 rebounds, 15 assists, 5 turnovers. 

Chadron State—Isaiah Randolph 25, Zach Smith 24, Jadon Cool 19, Blessing Adesipe 15, Luka Djurovic 9, Brady Daniels 6, Alexi Anderson 4, Jackson Schauer 3, Mack Keighran 2. Totals: 36-69 FG, (13-34 3PT), 24-29 FT, 107 points, 45 rebounds, 16 assists, 12 turnovers.

Eagles Lose Twice by One Run vs. NMHU

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Chadron State softball found itself on the short end of two one-run decisions against New Mexico Highlands on Sunday, dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker in 10 innings followed by a 1-0 pitcher's duel as the two programs concluded a four-game series. 

Chadron State got runners on, but couldn't find the big hit in either game. In the opener, the Eagles recorded six hits and worked five walks but only managed solitary runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The Eagles stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and left two runners on in the eighth.

Despite being shutout by Cowgirl pitching in the series finale, the Eagles still racked up five hits. Chadron State made several outs on the bases in game two, with two baserunners caught stealing, a 5-4-2 double play on a safety squeeze attempt and a line drive double play that ended a threat in the fifth. 

After two wins yesterday, New Mexico Highlands has swept the four-game series over the Eagles despite only winning the four matchups by a combined six runs. The Eagles are now 2-15 overall and 2-6 in the RMAC while New Mexico Highlands has improved to 6-14 overall and 4-4 in conference play. 

Belle Akins pitched valiantly in game one, throwing all 9.1 innings before the Cowgirls found a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 10^th. Akins allowed traffic, giving up 11 hits, but buckled down to allow just three runs over her nine-plus innings pitched. The sophomore struck out five batters, and four of the five were for the final out of the inning. 

In game two, McKenna Sides earned the start, but head coach Skye Koehl made a quick first-inning change after a lead-off single and three consecutive two-out walks forced home a run. In came Brynn Trujillo, who struck out the first batter she faced to strand the bases loaded in the first inning. Trujillo would pitch the rest of the game, throwing 5.1 shutout innings while allowing just five hitters and striking out five total batters. 

The Eagles had a scoring chance in the bottom of the first when an error and a wild pitch put leadoff hitter Charley Pitrat on third with nobody out. Katelynn Czerpak laid down a bunt, but pushed it up the third base line, making Pitrat freeze. Pitrat tried to break for the plate after NMNU's throw to first to get Czerpak, but the relay throw was quick enough to get both runners for a double play. 

Offensively, Brogan Allen went 2-for-3 in game two to be the only Eagle with a multi-hit game. Allen added another single in the opening game while Pitrat, Lani Davis and Brianna Cordray each had one hit in each game. 

The Eagles are scheduled to play at home for the first time this season with a four-game series against UCCS on March 7-8. 

Eagles Sweep Triple Jump Golds at RMAC Meet

GUNNISON, Colo. – Chadron State College standouts Chayton Bynes and Camila Salvucci won the gold medals in the triple jumps and Chadron State also earned two silver medals and three bronze medals over the two-day Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships that concluded Saturday in Gunnison, Colorado.

Other than the two triple jump event wins, the men's 4x400 relay team were silver medalists to go along with Shelby Ekwall's second place in the women's shot put from Friday while two members of that relay team (Christopher Cormier and Ryan Clapper) came third in individual sprint events.

Bynes, a junior from Chadron, went 15.99 meters, or 52 feet and 5.5 inches, while not only winning the RMAC championship, but also setting an RMAC conference meet record. 

His mark Saturday was just an inch shy of his career-best in early February that put him atop the NCAA Division II standings for 2026. Bynes also had placed third in the long jump with a 23-foot mark on Friday to earn Chadron State's first bronze medal of the meet. 

Salvucci, a sophomore from Argentina, gave the Eagles a sweep of the triple jump golds when she won that crown with her career-best mark of 12.15 meters, or 39-feet, 10.5 inches. It's nine inches farther than her previous best and is less than two inches shy of Emily Volkmer's school record.

Ekwall, another sophomore, also had career-best throw of 14.07 meters (46 feet, 2 inches) while earning the silver medal for being the runner-up in the women's shot put Friday.

Late on Saturday's schedule, the CSC 4x400 relay team comprised of Christopher Cormier, Ryan Clapper, Kadin Perez and Ayden Hartzell also collected silvers while running their race in 3:19.23. Coach Jake Gruver said the team's high finish was one of the Eagles' weekend highlights.

Earlier in the day, both Cormier and Clapper had earned bronze medals by placing third in individual sprints. Cormier ran the 400 in 49.01 seconds and Clapper's time of 21.26 seconds is Chadron State's new 200-meter record, breaking the old mark of 21.59 set by Brodie Roden in 2020.

Just a freshman, Hartzell was only a half stride behind Clapper in the 200 while placing fourth in 21.71 seconds. That's now third on the Eagles' chart, behind only those belonging to Clapper and Roden. 

Chadron State had three more placewinners.  Sophomore Sydney Alles was seventh in the women's weight throw with a career-best mark of 52 feet even; freshman Gage Brooks was eighth in the triple jump at 45-6.5; and senior Esosa Iyengunmwena was eighth in the 200 meters in 22.31, giving the Eagles three placers in that event.

The Eagles had a setback early Saturday, when Courtney Williams hit a hurdle and was injured in the 60-meter hurdles, ending his impressive bid to win the heptathlon and potentially qualify for the national meet.

A freshman from Jamaica, Williams had built a substantial lead in the point total while placing in the top three in each of the four heptathlon events held on Friday.  

The Eagles also secured a win off the track when Madison Clause was named the Women's Indoor Track and Field Summit Award winner for having the highest GPA among conference meet qualifiers. Clause, a senior pole vaulter from Billings, Montana, has a perfect 4.0 GPA through 143 completed credit hours.

UCCS swept the team titles, with the Mountain Lions women scoring 157.5 points and the men 124. New Mexico Highlands was the women's runner-up with 76.5 points and Colorado School of Mines was second in the men's standings with 84. The Chadron State men were eighth with 43 points and the women 11^th with 20.

With several Division II conference meets around the country this weekend, Chadron State will finalize which of its athletes have made the cutoff to qualify for the NCAA national indoor meet early next week. The NCAA meet will take place in Virginia Beach, Virginia on March 13-14.

Eagles Secure Two Regional Champs, Four National Qualifiers

GOLDEN, Colo. – Keegan Gehlhausen and Mason Villwok won regional championships while Quade Smith and Eli Reese placed third at their respective weights to give Chadron State men's wrestling four national qualifiers on a successful Saturday at the NCAA Super Region VI Championships.

With his win, Gehlhausen has clinched his third career berth at nationals and his second consecutive regional championship. It is the first career national qualification for Quade Smith and the second for Eli Reese, who qualified in 2024-25 while wrestling for Gannon.

It is the first career regional championship and national qualification for Villwok, who defeated the region's top two seeds ranked No. 7 and No. 4 in the nation to do it. Villwok beat the buzzer, recording a takedown with one second remaining to stun Nebraska-Kearney's Jackson Kinsella 8-5 in the championship match.

In addition, Chadron State earned a third-place finish in the team standings with 100 points, trailing only Nebraska-Kearney (142) and Adams State (124). Colorado School of Mines (95.5) and Colorado Mesa (86.5) rounded out the top five. 

Thanks to Gehlhausen and Villwok's bracket triumphs, Chadron State was one of only three schools with multiple regional champions alongside Nebraska-Kearney and Adams State, who had three each. CSC's four total national qualifiers were also the third-most in the region behind UNK's seven and ASU's six. 

While Chadron State's six other competing wrestlers fell short of the top three finish required to qualify for nationals, three more managed to place. Caleb Chaves (141 pounds) and Logan Berger (174 pounds) fell one win short with fourth-place finishes in their brackets, while Tayten Gillette placed in sixth at 165 pounds.

Gehlhausen, seeded No. 1 in the region and ranked No. 3 in the nation, lived up to the billing with a dominant 20-3 tech fall win in the quarterfinal over Fort Hays State's Houston Frank. 

The Pinedale, Wyoming native actually trailed 8-4 in his semifinal against Vanguard's Marquize Brown, but Gelhausen found a two-point reversal and then locked in a pin at 4:54 to punch his ticket to the finals. Waiting there was No. 2 seed and No. 4-ranked Kaden Hart of Nebraska-Kearney, but Gehlhausen handled the Loper wrestler for the second time this season, winning by an 8-1 decision.

Villwok entered the 197-pound bracket as the No. 3 seed and topped Fort Hays State's Ryan Patterson 7-2 in the quarterfinal. That set up a semifinal showdown with No. 2 seed and No. 7-ranked Gabriel Carranza of Colorado Mesa, who defeated Villwok in a February 7 dual. 

The Elkhorn, Nebraska native picked the perfect time to peak, blowing away Carranza with a 10-1 major decision to advance to the final against top seed and No. 4-ranked Jackson Kinsella of Nebraska-Kearney, who also had recorded a head-to-head win over Villwok this year. Villwok avenged that loss, too, outscoring the Loper 4-0 in the final period and recording the last-second go-ahead takedown for his 8-5 decision win.

Smith earned his third place finish the hard way, rallying to win four straight matches after dropping a first-round match to Colorado School of Mines's Jason Goodin, who beat Smith via fall at 5:48 in the match while the CSC wrestler leading 4-3. 

Smith rolled through the consolation bracket, defeating Colorado Mesa's Adonias Cantu 10-2, San Francisco State's Hayden Ancheta 5-1 and Nebraska-Kearney's Caleb Coyle 4-1. That got Smith to the third-place bout and set up a rematch with Goodin in a winner-take-all clash for a nationals berth. Smith would not be denied as the redshirt senior earned a takedown in the first and third periods plus an escape in the second to blank the Mines wrestler 7-0.

Reese, the lowest tournament seed of CSC's qualifiers at No. 6, beat No. 3 seed Laith Ibrahim of Colorado School of Mines 9-2 in the quarterfinal before falling to No. 2 seed Tyler Doyle of Colorado Mesa 7-1. The Gannon transfer battled back, knocking off Adams State's Jaylen Ignacio 7-1 to face Ibrahim again in the third/fourth place match. 

Reese used his patience and ride skills to beat the Mines wrestler for a second time. Despite a scoreless first two periods, Reese was able to stay on top of Ibrahim for the entirety of the second period, banking nearly two minutes of riding time, then escaped quickly at the start of the third. Reese gave up a point for stalling, but the riding time point delivered the CSC heavyweight a 2-1 victory and a nationals berth.

Two other Eagles reached the third/fourth place matches, but fell short. Caleb Chaves went 3-1 to reach the bout against No. 2 seed/No. 2-ranked Joseph Airola of UNK, but the Loper wrestler secured a 17-1 tech fall win. Logan Berger beat two higher-seeded wrestlers among his three wins on the day, but also fell in the pivotal round to lower-seeded Kydyn Lima of San Francisco State, also by tech fall.

Other competitors included Hunter Jacobsen (2-2 at 133 pounds), Aidan Callahan (2-2 at 149 pounds), Brandon Paredes (1-2 at 157 pounds) and Tayten Gillette (1-3 at 165 pounds).

Chadron State's four advancing wrestlers will continue their season at the NCAA Men's Wrestling Championships, held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on March 13-14.