Reeves Becomes Seventh Cobber NCAA Champion!

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (3/14/15)—Senior Cherae Reeves added the only trophy missing in her trophy case. After placing multiple MIAC championships and multiple All-American awards on the shelves, Reeves won the shot put at the NCAA National Indoor Meet to become the school's seventh individual national champion.

And now Reeves has the NCAA National Champion trophy sitting smack in the middle of her ever-growing trophy cabinet.

Reeves earned her national championship by posting a mark of 48-03.25 in her fourth attempt to win the NCAA Meet shot put competition by almost a full foot. Reeves never trailed in the event as her first throw was farther than the distance posted by the runner-up in the event.

Reeves becomes the first Concordia individual NCAA national champion since 2011 when Phil Moenkedick won the wrestling national championship.

Reeves is also the first track and field athlete to win a national championship since 1996 when Aaron Banks won the title in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor Meet. She is the first women's national champion since 2006 when Annie Cullen won the NCAA diving championship. Reeves follows in the footsteps of US Olympian Kris Kuehl who won three national championships with the final one coming at the 1992 NCAA Outdoor Meet.

The last Cobber women's track and field athlete to win a national championship was Renee Erickson who won three straight national titles in the javelin from 1994-96. 

Reeves won the MIAC indoor shot put championship for the second straight year last week when she posted a distance of 47-07.00. She earned MIAC Outstanding Performance Of-the-Meet honors for her win.

She then bettered that mark by six inches when she unleashed her national championship winning throw in the fourth round of the prelims.

In addition to the national championship, Reeves earns her fifth All-American honor. She was third in the shot put at last year's NCAA Outdoor Meet. Reeves was also third in the shot put at last year's national indoor meet. In 2013 she finished fourth in the event at the NCAA Indoor Meet and third in the shot put at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Meet.    

Concordia Individual NCAA National Champions
2015 – Cherae Reeves – Indoor Track and Field
2011 – Phil Moenkedick – Wrestling
2010 – Phil Moenkedick – Wrestling
2006 – Annie Cullen - Diving  
1996 – Renee Erickson – Outdoor Track and Field
1996 – Aaron Banks – Indoor Track and Field
1995 – Renee Erickson – Outdoor Track and Field
1995 – Aaron Banks – Outdoor Track and Field
1995 – Aaron Banks – Indoor Track and Field    
1994 – Renee Erickson – Outdoor Track and Field            
1992 – Kris Kuehl – Outdoor Track and Field
1991 – Kris Kuehl – Outdoor Track and Field
1990 – Kris Kuehl – Outdoor Track and Field
1978 – Barry Bennett – Wrestling