Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs is the preseason favorite for the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field campaign. The Mountain Lions claimed 11 first-place votes to lead the way in preseason voting, which is decided by the league’s 14 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own program.
 
After claiming 11 of 14 first-place votes, the Mountain Lions find themselves at the top of the preseason poll with 158 points. UCCS enter the outdoor season as the reigning team champion after claiming 196 points at the 2021 RMAC Outdoor Championships. Led by head coach Ross Fellows, the Mountain Lions are coming off of their third consecutive indoor team title and a strong showing at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, where they secured an impressive 12 All-America honors.
 
Colorado Mesa checks in at second place with a single first-place vote and 148 points in preseason voting. The Mavericks closed out the indoor season with one competitor at the NCAA indoor championships and took second overall at the RMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
 
Colorado School of Mines resides in third place among the preseason poll after claiming one first-place vote and 136 points. The Mines women put together a strong performance at the NCAA indoor championships, earning five All-America honors and the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which is given to the student-athlete at the meet with the highest GPA. Zoe Baker captured the Elite 90 Award for the Orediggers for the second consecutive year after earning a 4.0 grade-point average with a double major in computer science and applied mathematics.
 
Adams State claims the league’s final first-place vote and 135 points to occupy the fourth-place position in preseason voting. The Grizzlies enter the outdoor season after Brianna Robles claimed the national championship in the 5,000-meter event at the NCAA indoor championships. ASU closed out competition at the 2021 RMAC outdoor championships with an eighth-place team finish but will surely look to build upon that in the 2022 season.
 
Western Colorado holds the fifth-place position with 121 points, followed by Colorado State University Pueblo in sixth place with 116 points. Black Hills State sits seventh overall with 97 points, followed by Chadron State with 73 points and Metropolitan State University of Denver in ninth place with 65 points.
 
New Mexico Highlands stands 10th overall with 62 points, just ahead of Westminster in 11th with 57 points. Colorado Christian (46 points), South Dakota Mines (31 points) and Fort Lewis (29 points) round out preseason voting.
 
The 2022 RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be hosted in Spearfish, S.D., by Black Hills State, beginning Friday, April 29. The meet will be a three-day event that wraps on Sunday, May 1.