December 7, 2024

BROOKINGS, S.D. – A pair of Dakota State (S.D.) heptathlon athletes competed in three more events Saturday on the second day of the South Dakota State Holiday Invitational & Multi-Events at Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex.  Three Trojans athletes produced personal bests during the day, including a rare discus indoor event.

Chantz Minear collected 954 points as he was the top 60-meter hurdles performer with a time of 8.11 seconds.  Caden Gortmaker added a personal record time of 9.81 seconds for 578 points.

The pole vault was the next event in the heptathlon.  Minear tied his career high mark of 3.90 meters (12 feet, 9.5 inches) for 590 points.  Gortmaker cleared the height of 3.20 meters (10 feet, 6 inches) for 406 points.

Gortmaker led the Trojans with a time of 2 minutes, 54.62 seconds in the 1000-meter run, recording 718 points. Minear added 692 points after finishing the 1000-meters in 2:57.23.

Both Minear and Gortmaker posted personal record heptathlon points for Dakota State.  Minear finished second with 5,009 points, which is third most in the DSU men's indoor track & field school record book.  He is also second in the NAIA in heptathlon standings, with top 16 heptathlon athletes advancing to the NAIA national meet in late February.

Gortmaker finished 10^th with 4,007 points, which is the seventh most points in DSU men's indoor heptathlon school history.   He is currently 14^th in the NAIA heptathlon standings.

Two DSU throwers competed in the discus event, led by Lukus Mentele with a seventh-place finish.  He produced the fourth farthest mark in Trojan men's indoor discus school history, throwing 42.16 meters (138 feet, 4 inches).  Trenton Moran added 37.23 meters (122 feet, 1 inch) to place ninth.

Four Dakota State men's long-distance runners will be competing in the NAIA Marathon Classic Sunday morning.  Reese Henrie, Taylor Myers, Joshua Tucker, and Jonah Thiele are slated to run in the marathon, starting at 9 a.m. (Central Time)/7 a.m. (Pacific Time) at California International Marathon in Sacramento, Calif.