COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Redshirt sophomore Chase Nelson created a game-changing play in the return game last Saturday and has been rewarded with the first RMAC weekly honor of his career. 

Nelson was named the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday by the league office in the final installment of weekly awards this season. It gives the Eagles two consecutive Special Teams Player of the Week winners after Wilson Yee took home the honor last week. 

After CSU Pueblo took a 3-0 first-quarter lead with a field goal, Nelson took the ensuing kickoff and ran untouched through the middle of the ThunderWolves kickoff coverage, angling towards the right sideline and outrushing the Pack for a 92-yard return touchdown.

Nelson's runback is the first kickoff return for a touchdown for Chadron State since the 2017 season. It is the 10th-longest return in program history and only the 11th all-time over 90 yards. It is also the fifth-longest kick return in the RMAC this season and the fifth kick return TD in the conference. 

Nelson also added two punt returns for 20 yards for a total of 112 yards in the return game. Nelson's 112 combined return yards are the sixth-most in an RMAC game this year.

On the season, Nelson's 25.6 kick return yards per game rank fifth in the RMAC while his 8.7 punt return yards per game rank fourth in the conference. As a running back, Nelson also has 10 carries for 45 yards and five receptions for 32 yards in 2025. 

With the RMAC season completed, Chadron State (8-3, 8-1 RMAC) has qualified for the NCAA Division II Football Championships as an at-large team. The Eagles will face Pittsburg State, the No. 4 regional seed and No. 6 team in the AFCA Coaches Poll, in the first round at 12 p.m. MT (1 p.m. CT) in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Third Quarter Hurts Eagles vs. Oklahoma Christian

EDMOND, Okla. – The Chadron State College women's basketball team led Oklahoma Christian 29-23 at halftime of Sunday's game, but the home team outscored CSC 32-13 in the third quarter and went on to win 74-57.

?The Oklahoma team, also known as the Eagles, previously won the first of back-to-back games on Saturday, 73-48. The teams had never previously met on the basketball court. Saturday and Sunday were the season-opening contests for both teams, so Oklahoma Christian improved to 2-0 while CSC fell to 0-2. 

?The hosts led 11-8 after the first quarter Sunday, but CSC outscored them 21-12 in the second stanza while making 10 of 13 free throws and held a six-point intermission advantage. Chadron State went inside to score in the second period, racking up eight points in the paint and 10 points from the free throw line among their 21. The Eagles had nearly half (13) of their 27 free throw attempts for the game in the second quarter. 

?The situation was much different in the third quarter.  That's when OKU cashed in on 17 of 21 free throws, outscored CSC by a 32-13 margin and was ahead 55-42 going into the final 10 minutes. Christian led by at least 11 points the entire fourth period.

?The home team was 20-of-61 (32.8%) from the field for the game while Chadron State was 17-of-54 (31.5%). The point spread was considerably larger at the free throw line, where the hosts were 31-40 and the visitors 18-27. Oklahoma Christian also won the rebounding battle 46-30.

?Chadron State was by senior forward McKenzi Petersen, who led the team with 12 points and nine rebounds. Junior Bianca Bindzus was close behind with 11 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Kenna Wagner added nine points, but no one else tallied more than five for CSC.  

All three of those players loomed large in the second quarter for CSC, as Petersen went 3-for-3 from the field and scored 7 of her 12 in the second while Bindzus went 5 of 6 from the line in the frame. Wagner led CSC with two made three-pointers, one of which was the only points outside the key for Chadron in their 21-point second quarter. 

For Oklahoma Christian, both Taylor Jackson and Kenzie Willis finished with 13 points and Ahniya Melton had 12 for the winners. Jackson and Melton each collected nine rebounds to match Petersen's total.  

?Coach Jalen Little's Eagles will play at Wayne State this coming Saturday, Nov. 22 and visit the University of Wyoming on Tuesday, Nov.25 and the University of Northern Colorado on Friday, Nov. 28 for exhibition games before opening their RMAC schedule in December.  ?

?Chadron State—McKenzi Petersen 12, Bianca Bindzus 11, Kenna Wagner 9, Audrey Quintana 5, Dreanna Jackson 5, Jordyn Stokes 4, Ella Moser 4, Evelyn Old Coyote 3, Camren Morris 2, Amya Winfrey 1, Teryn Stokes 1.  Totals: 17-54 FG (5-12 3PT) 18-27 FT, 57 points, 30 rebounds, 6 assists, 18 turnovers.

?Oklahoma Christian—Kenzie Willis 13, Taylor Jackson 13, Ahniya Melton 12, Trinity Dobbs 8, Sofia Lopez 8, Allyah Leusogi-Ape 7, Sophie Bennett 3, Cambri Pawpa 3, Hailey Whitman 3, Faith Ford 2, Kendall Brown 2. Totals: 20-61 FG (3-18 3PT) 31-40 FT, 74 points, 45 rebounds, 8 assists, 14 turnovers.