2019-20 #RMACtf Weekly Release - Week 6

2019-20 #RMACtf Weekly Release - Week 6

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Garrett Chapman

FULL RELEASE

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) hosted the Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open in Week 11 of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) indoor track and field schedule. Seven RMAC schools, including UCCS, were in attendance as six other RMAC institutions competed various classics.

TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

MEN

Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open – Hosted by the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS):
  • UCCS won the 25-athlete field in the long jump with a jump that measured 7.34 meters, long enough for an NCAA provisional mark. The Mountain Lions also secured fourth, fifth and sixth place in the long jump. UCSC also hit a provisional mark in the men’s weight throw with a second-place toss of 17.77 meters. Their next second-place finish was in the high jump with a leap that measured 2.02 meters. They also secured second though fifth in the 200-meter race before placing second and fifth in the 5,000 meter. The Mountain Lions took gold in six events on Saturday. They took first in the men’s triple jump with a new school record, new personal best and an NCAA provisional mark of 15.30 meters.
  • Nationally ranked No. 4 Colorado School of Mines swept the pole vault podium with their first-place finisher punches his automatic ticket to the NCAA Championships, clearing the automatic qualifying mark by one centimeter. The Orediggers collected another provisional mark in the shot put with a throw that measured 16.59 meters.
  • No. 14 Western Colorado placed numerous athletes in the top five in multiple events, but their highlights from the weekend came at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic (found below).
  • Chadron State College put together their best performance of the season on the same track that the RMAC Championships will be held on. One of the Eagles’ sprinters won both the 200-meter and 400-meter sprint with career best times in each event. Chadron collected a second and third place finish in the long jump to go alongside five other top-five finishes. The Eagles collected many provisional marks in Colorado Springs.
  • The Colorado Christian Cougars obtained a first-place finish in the 5,000-meter race, winning the event by 10 seconds. The Cougars also placed third in the same event. CCU set a provisional mark in the one-mile race as their racer placed third overall and first among Division II athletes.
  • MSU Denver’s 4X400 relay team set a season best time of 3:19.31, which is 21st in NCAA Division II this season and just .17 seconds from being an NCAA provisional mark. The Roadrunners claimed a third-place finish in the 60-meter race as well as the 400-meter.  They crossed the finish line in fourth in the 800-meter event. The Roadrunners won the distance medley relay with a time of 10:45.42.
New Mexico Collegiate Classic:
  • Nationally ranked No. 11 CSU-Pueblo won the 800-meter race with an NCAA provisional time of 1:57.71. They also set an NCAA provisional time in the one-mile with a fourth-place time of 4:14.20. The ThunderWolves tallied one more event with a placer in the top-five.
  • Western Colorado posted the seventh best time in all of NCAA Division II and an NCAA provisional mark with a raw time of 8:22.15 in the 3,000-meter race. The Mountaineers also earned a provisional time in the one-mile with a sixth-place finish.
  • No. 16 Adams State also competed at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
 
Ted Nelson Classic:
  • In the field of 22 teams, South Dakota Mines 4X400 relay team finished third with a time of 3:38.13. placed seventh and 12th in the 200-meter final. They also recorded a seventh-place finish in the pole vault event.
 
  • Black Hills State competed at the Bison Open. Westminster College was in action at the Mountain State Games.
WOMEN

Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open – Hosted by the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS):
  • Nationally ranked No. 7, UCCS, recorded many provisional marks, first-place finished and top-five finishes at their home meet. They got the meet started by winning the weight throw with a toss of 16.23 meters. In the 60-meter dash, UCCS placed first, second, fourth and fifth. They also placed first in the 3,000-meter race. The Mountain Lions finished second in the pentathlon and triple jump. Later, UCCS placed second and third, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles.
  • The Orediggers of Colorado School of Mines faired well at the Invite. They set an NCAA provisional mark while placing first in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.75 meters. A 13.94 toss in the shot put marked the second provisional mark for Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers 4X400 relay squad ran their best race of the season, placing first with a time of 4:00.77, marking the second fastest time in program history. A personal record in the 400-meter led to a second-place finish in a field of 38. The Orediggers recorded numerous top-three finishes.
  • The Chadron State Eagles placed in the top-five in four events. They earned a third-place finish in the 4X400 relay with a time of 4:13.20. The Eagles took third and fourth in the 3,000-meter race and placed fourth in the 200.
  • The Colorado Christian Cougars tallied a seventh-place finish in the 3,000-meter race to go along with a ninth-place finish in the one mile.
  • MSU Denver took second in the distance medley relay with a time of 12:48.58.
  • Western Colorado put together fast times at the UCCS meet, but their weekend was highlighted at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic (found below).
  • New Mexico Highlands also competed at the meet.
 
New Mexico Collegiate Classic:
 
  • Western Colorado’s 4x400 relay team set a new program record. They crushed the previous program record, that had been set in 2002, with a time of 3:48.72. Their time was fast enough to reach the NCAA provisional mark and is the 13th fastest in NCAA Division II. The Mountaineers also set a provisional mark in the 3,000-meter race as they placed sixth overall.
  • CSU-pueblo placed second and fifth in the 800-meter race. Their second-place finish was good enough for an NCAA provisional time. Their second provisional time came in the 3,000-meter race as they claimed a third-place finish. The ThunderWolves tallied multiple personal bests at the meet.
  • Adams State also competed at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
 
Mountain State Games:
  • The Westminster College Griffins set two school records on their way to nine top-10 finishes. They set the school record in the 800-meter with a time of 2:19.64 before setting the school record in the 4X400 relay with a time of 4:10.62. The Griffins placed second in the long jump and third in the 400-meter race. They claimed multiple other top-five finishes.
 
Ted Nelson Classic:
  • South Dakota Mines placed ninth in the weight throw.
 
  • Black Hills State competed at the Bison Open.
 
RMAC TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
  • Jonah Vigil of Adams State has been named RMAC Track Athlete of the Week! He came into Adams a highly touted recruit out of Taos, NM and has lived up to his hype thus far. At the New Mexico Collegiate Classic up against Division I competition, Vigil made the 400M final and took 4th overall with a collegiate PR of 47.78. Vigil also ran an impressive time in the 200, winning his heat and running the 13th fastest time out of nearly 100 athletes in the event with a time of 21.43. Only a freshman, he is already showing that he is one of the fastest 200/400 runners in the conference.
  • Connor McLean of Colorado School of Mines has been named RMAC Field Athlete of the Week! He is #1 in the nation in the pole vault thanks to his performance on Saturday at the Mountain Lion Open hosted by UCCS. His clearance of 5.23 meters (17-1.75) punched an automatic ticket to the NCAA Championships - his second automatic qualifying performance of the season thanks to his heptathlon performance in December. McLean is the only men's pole vaulter in DII with an automatic mark. He came just three centimeters shy of breaking his own program record.
  • Maia Austin of UCCS has been named RMAC Track Athlete of the Week. She posted stellar marks on both days of the Mountain Lion Open this past weekend as she ran a leg in the women's DMR and also competed in the women's 800m. In the women's DMR, Austin helped clock the 3rd fastest time in all of Division II at a provisional qualifying time of 11:39.28 to take first place and set the fastest time in the RMAC this season. On Saturday, Austin kept the good fortunes going as she posted a provisional qualifying time of 2:12.84 in the 800m to finish in 3rd place and record the 13th quickest time in DII and 4th fastest time in the RMAC.
  • Junior Erica Keeble of South Dakota Mines has been named RMAC Field Athlete of the Week. She represented South Dakota School of Mines at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Keeble won the pole vault in a jump off with another individual. Both tied in regulation with jumps of 13 feet-0.75 inches. In the jump off, both vaulters had to jump another seven heights to determine the winner. Keeble won the event in a field full of Div. 1 competition. Keeble is first in the RMAC and fourth in the nation currently.
 
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
  • At the N.M. Collegiate Classic, Charlie Sweeney of Western clocked a provisional time in the 3,000 meter as he glided to a second-place finish, crossing the line in a time of 8:22.15. This time converts to 8:09.78, ranking him No. 7 in division two and likely punching his ticket to the NCAA National Championship meet.
  • MSU Denver's Brandon Bodner ran a strong leg on the 4x400 relay that set a facility record at the Mountain Lion Open, and ran personal best time of 1 minute, 57.33 seconds in the 800 meters. Bodner's second leg split on the 4x400 was 50.056 seconds and was second best on the unit, which finished in 3 minutes, 19.31 seconds, which narrowly missed the school record. With the conversion, the time of 3:17.02 improved upon the RMAC's best time this season and was just 0.25 off an NCAA Division II National Championships provisional qualifying time. Bodner finished fourth in the 800, and his converted time of 1:54.63 ranks 10th in the RMAC this season and is 1.57 seconds off a provisional qualifying time.
  • At the Mountain Lions Open, Zeru Afeworki of UCCS bested the field of 26 DI and DII athletes in the men's 3000m by finishing at a provisional qualifying time of 8:21.13. Zeru currently has the 21st fastest time in DII and the 10th fastest time in the RMAC.
  • Hood led CSU-Pueblo at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, as he raced to an NCAA provisional time in the 800m run. He won the event when he crossed the finish line in a personal best time of 1:51.71. He beat out runners from NCAA Division I, Division II and junior college. He also ran the second leg of the 4x400m relay that posted a time of 3:18.66 to place seventh.
  • MSU Denver's Brant Killmon finished seventh in the long jump at the Mountain Lion open with an effort of 21 feet, 9 inches.
  • Competing in Heptathlon in Vermillion, SD Hepp scored 5103 points. This sets a new Black Hills State Record and was only 200 some points of a NCAA Auto mark. He currently sits in 13th in the nation with his huge personal best.
  • Dakota Abbott of UCCS continues to be a force in the jumps events as the sophomore broke his own school record in the men's triple jump and set a new PR this past weekend at the Mountain Lion Open. Abbott notched a first-place provisional qualifying mark of 15.30m that ranks as the 4th best mark in all of DII, and the top mark in the RMAC.
  • True freshman Miranda Manfre had a big weekend for the Orediggers. Manfre started her day by taking second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.27. She finished her day as part of the 4x400-meter relay team that took gold in 4:00.77. Manfre's converted 400 time ranks #6 in the RMAC and was second-fastest on the weekend. Her relay team not only ranks #3 in the RMAC but #2 all-time at Mines.
  • MSU Denver's Jaivion Lattimore finished sixth in the 60 meters in 8.01 seconds and ran a personal-best 26.58 for ninth place in the 200 at the Mountain Lion Open. With the conversion to 26.32, Lattimore ranks 19th in the RMAC in the 200.
  • Hailey Streff of CSU-Pueblo produced two NCAA provisional times and two personal best performances at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. Friday, she ran a PR in the 3000m run, as she raced to seventh with a time of 10:08.4. Her effort converted to 9:53.42, which was an NCAA provisional mark that ranks 22nd nationally. Saturday, Streff ran her second PR of the weekend with a mark of 2:12.22 in the 800m run to place fifth. Her NCAA time converted to 2:11.49 and sits seventh in Division II.
  • Kathleen Tomon of Colorado School of Mines came up big in the shot put at the Mountain Lion Open hosted by UCCS. She was the top DII competitor in the event thanks to her toss of 13.94 meters (45-9.0) which also marks a NCAA provisional performance. She now ranks #2 in the RMAC, #30 in the nation and #2 in Mines' record book. It also marks her second straight weekend of NCAA provisional performances approaching 14.00 meters.
  • Maintaining her number two all time in school history vault, Whitney Scott cleared 12' 08" at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion, SD this weekend. That personal best moves her to 17th in the country. She was the top division 2 finisher and finished behind some of the top division one vaulters in the nation.
  • Kaija Crowe stayed busy at the Mountain Lion Open over the weekend as she posted top-5 finishes in two events. In the women's long jump, Crowe improved on her provisional qualifying mark by leaping out a distance of 5.80m to finish in second place and rank 10th in Division II and 4th in conference. Crowe then went on to finish t-4th in the women's high jump as she cleared a mark of 1.52m.