CHADRON, Neb. – Despite a dominant double-double from Isaiah Randolph, Chadron State men's basketball came a couple baskets short against New Mexico Highlands as the visiting Cowboys gutted out an 88-84 victory over the Eagles in the Chicoine Center on Saturday. 

The Cowboys were just tantalizingly out of reach for practically the entire game. While NMHU held the lead for nearly 30 minutes, or three-quarters of the game, the Cowboys never led by more than seven at any point and led by between one and four points for the entire final four minutes of the contest.

Randolph did his part, setting Chadron State career-highs with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Randolph was 7 of 13 from the field and a staggering 15 of 17 from the free-throw line. In addition, seven of Randolph's 12 rebounds were offensive boards as the Eagles corralled 19 offensive rebounds as a team. 

Those offensive rebounds and extra chances helped the Eagles keep it close on a night where they were handily outshot. New Mexico Highlands made 59 percent of its field goal attempts (29-49), including a 65 percent mark in the second half. The Cowboys were also 46.9 percent from three and 76.7 percent from the line. 

Chadron State shot just 35.3 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from three (10-38), but were 83.9 percent from the line (26-31). The Cowboys outrebounded the Eagles 34-32, but because of Chadron State's 19 offensive rebounds, the Eagles had 68 total field goal attempts compared to just 49 by NMHU. 

Jadon Cool chipped in 19 points while Mack Keighran backed up his 30-point night from Thursday with an 18-point performance. Those two did most of CSC's damage from beyond the arc as Keighran (four) and Cool (three) combined for seven of Chadron State's 10 three-pointers. 

Chadron State had 13 offensive rebounds in the first half to trail by just five at halftime – 37-32 – despite shooting 27 percent from the field and 19 percent from three in the opening 20 minutes. A mini 5-0 run that saw Zach Smith hit a three, Blessing Adesipe get a steal on the ensuing possession and a fastbreak shooting foul drawn by Cool, who converted both free throws, made it 47-47 for the first tie score of the second half with 14:15 to play. 

The Eagles briefly took a three-point lead when Mack Keighran hit a three, but a 6-0 Cowboys run made it 53-50. The Eagles rallied to tie the score twice more at 64-64, 66-66 and 69-69 after Cool and NMHU's Ramiah Adedigba hit dueling threes.

On the next Eagle possession, CSC scrambled to keep a loose ball alive and found Smith in the corner for a miracle three that seemingly put the home team ahead by three, but upon replay review, Smith did not get the shot off before the shot clock buzzer and CSC turned it over. Highlands capitalized by scoring the next four points and maintained their one-to-four-point cushion for the rest of the game. CSC came within one numerous times, but didn't attempt a game-tying shot until Jadon Cool and Ethan Russell both missed threes with CSC trailing 85-82 with 20 seconds left. 

Chadron State is now 3-12 and 1-7 in the RMAC. New Mexico Highlands improves to 6-13 overall, but 4-4 in conference. 

The Eagles play at Westminster (7-9, 2-6 RMAC) on Thursday and Colorado Mesa (10-6, 6-2 RMAC) on Saturday.

?Chadron State—Isaiah Randolph 29, Jadon Cool 19, Mack Keighran 18, Zach Smith 7, Ethan Russell 6, Collin Nick 3, Blessing Adesipe 2. Totals: 24-68 FG (10-38 3PT) 26-31 FT. 84 points, 32 rebounds, 11 assists, 12 turnovers.

?New Mexico Highlands—Marcus Pierce 21, Ramiah Adedigba 18, BJ Comer 14, Dontae Walker 12, Nikk Williams 12, Caileb Parham 5, Ibrahima Sacko 4, Wesley Isoje 2. Totals: 29-49 FG (7-15 3PT) 23-30 FT. 88 points, 34 rebounds, 14 assists, 18 turnovers.

Eagles drop Saturday game to NMHU

CHADRON, Neb. - Sisters Kapiolani and Kamalani Anitielu joined forces to score 37 points, exactly half their team's total, on Saturday afternoon as the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls downed Chadron State 74-54 in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball game played in Chadron.

Kapiolani scored 19 points, 12 of them in the first half, while Kamalani tallied 18 points, 11 in the second half. The win improves Highlands to 7-9 for the season and 3-6 in the RMAC. The Chadron State women are now 1-12 and 1-7 in conference.

The Eagles were led by senior McKenzi Petersen with 12 points. No one else reached double figures for the Eagles, but Dreanna Jackson and Ella Moser each finished with eight points. Amya Winfrey stuffed the sheet for CSC with seven points and a game-high seven rebounds plus a block and a steal, while point guard Kenna Wagner had six points, four rebounds and a game-high five assists.

The Eagles got off to a strong start, making seven of 13 field goal shots, including three of six 3-pointers and three of four free throws, while taking a 20-15 first quarter lead.
However, the Cowgirls outscored CSC 21-9 in the second period to own a 36-29 halftime advantage and outscored the hosts 38-25 in the second half for the victory.

The fourth quarter when Highlands outscored the Eagles 22-11 made a big difference in the final point spread.

For the game, Highlands sank 30 of its 62 field goal shots for 48.4 percent, while the Eagles were 21 of 50 from the field for 42 percent. The visitors made six 3-pointers and eight free throws, both one more than Chadron State.

The Eagles out-rebounded Highlands 34-29, but turned the ball over 24 times while the Cowgirls had only 10. The latter totals were a big reason why the New Mexico team was able to take 12 more shots from the field than the Eagles.

Both Anitielu sisters shot the ball effectively. Kapitielu was seven of 10 from the field and Kamalani was eight of 12, giving them 15 baskets in 22 attempts for 68 percent between the two of them. They also combined for nine steals. None of their teammates had more than two.

The Eagles will hit the road next week, traveling to the far west of the RMAC to face Westminster (3-11, 0-8 RMAC) on Thursday and Colorado Mesa (18-1, 8-0 RMAC) on Saturday.

New Mexico Highlands-Kapiolani Anitielu 19, Kamalani Anitielu 18, Adrianna Torrez 10, Hailey Long 9, Aniya Johnson 9, Essynce Contreaz 4, Melika Samia 3, Jaelyn Bates 2. Totals: 30-62 FG, (6-21 3 PT), 8-15 FT, 74 points, 29 rebounds, 13 assists, 10 turnovers.

Chadron State-McKenzi Petersen 12, Dreanna Jackson 8, Ella Moser 8, Amya Winfrey 7, Kenna Wagner 6, Audrey Quintana 6, Alex Ridenour 3, Evelyn Old Coyote 2, Keziah Toran 2. Totals: 21-50 FG, (5-19 3PT), 7-11 FT, 54 points, 34 rebounds, 11 assists, 24 turnovers.

Women's Wrestling Drops Two Duals in Canada

BURNABY, B.C. – Chadron State women's wrestling finished on the south end of two duals north of the border, losing 35-11 to Simon Fraser and 27-17 to Menlo College.
 
With the two defeats, Chadron State's dual record dropped to 4-5. The loss to Simon Fraser is the Eagles' first in conference play as CSC is now 2-1 with one RMAC dual remaining. Simon Fraser has clinched the women's wrestling RMAC regular season title with a 4-0 dual record against league opponents. 

Rylee Balcazar was CSC's standout wrestler on the day, earning two victories and a combined nine dual points for the Eagles at 110 pounds. Balcazar earned a tech fall win over Simon Fraser's Gina Bolognese and then pinned Menlo's Kayla McKinley-Johnson in the second dual of the day. 

Chadron State ran into a buzzsaw in Simon Fraser. Balcazar at 110 was CSC's only win on the mat, as the Eagles picked up five points with a forfeit at 103 and single points from losses at 124 and 207. 

The competition was stiff. Three of the 10 wrestlers in SFU's dual lineup were ranked in the top seven in the nation at their respective weights by the NWCA – No. 7 131-pounder Ella Finding, No. 5 145-pounder Liv Weiber and No. 6 207-pounder Jayleen Sekona, who won a high-profile showdown with CSC's Esther Peters (NR by NWCA, No. 8 The Open Mat).

In the Menlo dual, Chadron State jumped out to a 12-0 lead after a tech fall win from Brianna Vollendroff, Balcazar's pin and a 6-0 decision win by Adrianna Lopez at 117 pounds. Menlo roared back to take the next six weight classes, however, earning pins at 131 and 180 and tech falls at 124, 145 and 160. 

Menlo also benefitted at 138 when Nevaeh Leonard had to exit with an injury while trailing 4-2 in a competitive match. The injury default gave a full five points to Menlo. Chadron State got five points back at heavyweight with a forfeit win awarded to Peters.

The Chadron State Eagles have one more dual – on the road against Sioux Falls on January 25 – prior to the RMAC Championships on January 31. While Simon Fraser has the regular season title locked up by dual format, the championships in Colorado Springs will award individual titles at each weight class as well as a team tournament title.

Eagles Hunt Bonus Points in NMHU Dual Win

CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State snagged bonus points in six of their seven victories to earn a 30-9 dual win over New Mexico Highlands and improve to 2-0 in RMAC play. 

Mason Villwok earned a dominant tech fall win within the first period at 197 pounds while the Eagles earned four major decision wins from Hunter Jacobsen (133 pounds), Brandon Paredes (157), Brooks Loosvelt (184) and Eli Reese (285), in addition to picking up six free points with an NMHU forfeit at 174 pounds. 

The Eagles have now won seven consecutive RMAC duals dating back to last season. In addition to their 2-0 RMAC record, the Eagles are also 2-0 in home duals and 4-1 in overall duals in 2025-26 after Sunday's win. 

Highlands, which dropped to 0-3 in the RMAC and 6-3 overall, earned decision victories at 141, 149 and 165 pounds. The Cowboys' loss to CSC was by a larger margin than earlier losses to conference foes Colorado School of Mines (20-14) and Colorado Mesa (24-13), but an improvement over last year's dual result between the two programs, when CSC won nine of 10 matches in a lopsided 41-3 result. 

Sunday's dual started at 157 pounds, so CSC ran away with it early by winning seven of the first eight bouts contested. Brandon Paredes secured three takedowns en route to an 11-2 major to give CSC an early 4-0 lead. 

Ivan Smith, Jr., ranked No. 7 in the country and a reigning regional champion for NMHU at 165 pounds, gutted out a 4-2 decision over CSC's Tayten Gillette. The match ended with a scramble as Gillette made a valiant attempt at a match-winning takedown but Smith wriggled out of trouble and kept the Eagle wrestler at bay. 

After NMHU's only ranked wrestler held serve, Chadron State took over. The Cowboys forfeited 174 before Mason Villwok racked up three takedowns and two four-point near falls to win by tech fall – 17-2 – in just three minutes. 

The bonus points continued for CSC as heavyweight Eli Reese and 133-pounder Hunter Jacobsen each secured major decision wins, sandwiched around a comfortable 8-2 decision for nationally ranked 125-pounder Quade Smith. 

Jacobsen's bout against James Montoya was a high-scoring match full of frantic exchanges that ended 17-5 for the CSC wrestler. Jacobsen tallied five takedowns and pressed for a pin but was unable to close. For his part, Montoya escaped three times and flipped Jacobsen over for a two-point reversal. 

Chadron State led 30-3 at that point in the dual and had things more than sewn up, but Highlands was able to put a damper on the night at the end with wins in the final two matches. At 141 pounds, Terrell Kinlicheenie upset CSC's No. 8/14-ranked Caleb Chaves 2-1 after Chaves needed to use nearly all of his injury time in the second period and barely attacked after tweaking his knee. 

The final match of the night was the closest. NMHU's Sebastian Freeman and CSC freshman Aidan Callahan went back-and-forth at 149 pounds – Callahan led 4-2, Freeman found a takedown to take a 5-4 lead, but Callahan squirmed out for an escape with just 10 seconds to go, sending the match to overtime at 5-5. Freeman came up with a takedown in the extra period to win 8-5 via sudden victory and make the final dual margin 30-9. 

Chadron State has four more RMAC duals this season, with the next two also coming at home in the Chicoine Center. The Eagles will face CSU Pueblo on Friday, January 23 before battling Adams State the following Saturday, January 31.

Dual Results: 
125: #6/5 Quade Smith (CSC) def. Diego Camarillo, Dec. 8-2
133: Hunter Jacobsen (CSC) def. James Montoya, MD 17-5
141: Terrell Kinlicheenie (NMHU) def. #8/14 Caleb Chaves, Dec. 2-1
149: Sebastian Freeman (NMHU) def. Aidan Callahan, SV 8-5
157: Brandon Paredes (CSC) def. Reed McCarty, MD 11-2
165: #7/#6 Ivan Smith, Jr. (NMHU) def. Tayten Gillette, Dec. 4-2
174: Logan Berger (CSC) wins, forfeit
184: Brooks Loosvelt (CSC) def. Rylan Taylor, MD 12-2 
197: NR/#19 Mason Villwok def. Devin Kinlicheenie, TF 17-2
285: Eli Reese (CSC) def. Phil Chobot, MD 11-3

CSC Wins Five Events at Dave Little Meet

SPEARFISH, S.D. – Both the men's and women's Chadron State track teams finished third while four Eagle individuals and one relay won events at the Dave Little Alumni Open, hosted by Black Hills State on Saturday.
 
The Eagles swept the triple jump events with frequent standouts Chayton Bynes and Camila Salvucci capturing titles. Wyoming transfer Shelby Ekwall also won the women's shot put for the second time in as many competitions in a Chadron State uniform. 

Bynes jumped 14.84 meters (48-8.25), improving his season-opening mark by 15 inches, climbing to the top of the RMAC leaderboard and hitting an NCAA qualifying standard. Freshman Gage Brooks was third in the event at 13.21 meters (43-4.25).

Ekwall also improved on her December mark by firing the shot put 13.36 meters (43-10). Ashlyn Tapio and Kristie Jordan finished fourth and fifth, respectively, to give CSC three of the top five. 

Salvucci won the women's triple jump with a mark of 11.09 meters (36-4.75). She jumped two feet and two inches farther than teammate Mataya Ward, who placed second at 10.43 meters (34-2.75).

The Eagles also went 1-2 in the men's 60-meter dash, as senior Esosa Iyengunmwena won by thousands of a second over freshman Ayden Hartzell as both had an officially listed time of 6.97 seconds. 

Finally, Chadron State received fireworks from its event-winning 4x400 relay team, comprised of Hunter Lund, Christopher Cormier, Ryan Clapper and Hartzell. The quartet ran a time of 3:22.98, two-tenths of a second faster than their time at the previous meet. 

Each of the relay quartet did not participate in the individual 400-meter event at Saturday's event, but the Eagles still took second and third in that offering with Dylan Sup (50.86) and Diego Perez (52.05) crossing in the podium places. 

Eva Nitschke also placed second in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.44 seconds. Wongel Molla was the CSC women's top sprinter, finishing fifth in both the 60 and the 200. 

For a full interactive list of results, scores and placings, click here.

The Eagles are in action next Saturday at the WSC Showdown, hosted by Wayne State College on January 24.