PUEBLO, Colo. – Eight events, five on the men’s and three on the women’s, were decided Saturday at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Through two days of competition, Colorado School of Mines maintains its lead in the men’s standings with 79 points, while University of Colorado Colorado Springs continues its stay atop the women’s standings with 50 points. The third and final day of the RMAC Outdoor Championships is set for Sunday, May 1, at CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colo.
The discus, high jump, pole vault and decathlon events comprised four of the five men’s competitions that were finalized on Saturday. The day began with the back half of the decathlon event, where Black Hills State’s Conor McGraw made a late push to capture the RMAC title with 6,272 points. McGraw provided a balanced strategy that left him among the top performers in each portion of the decathlon, leading to a 31-point victory.
Later in the afternoon, the men’s pole vault was finalized with UCCS’ Dawson Hopkinson earning the gold medal with a 5.05-meter (16’6.75”) vault, which he accomplished on just his third attempt of the competition. He gained an advantage over the second-place performer, Mines’ Hunter Potrykus, by clearing the winning height on his first attempt. Although Potrykus also cleared 5.05m, he needed two tries to convert the attempt.
The men’s discus finished next with the Orediggers’ Arvid Veidmark, IV taking top honors with his 50.72m (166’05”) toss. Veidmark’s big throw came on his fifth attempt of the day and stands as a NCAA Division II provisional mark.
Saturday’s men’s field events concluded with the high jump, where Mines’ Grant Redmond touched the sky for an incredible 2.12m (6’11.5”) leap. Redmond was successful on four attempts and passed on four heights before claiming the conference title.
Black Hills State’s Keith Osowski earned the gold in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase event with a 9:14.18 mark. His opening split of 41.95 seconds set the tone for the race and allowed Osowski to best a field of 23 runners.
While the Orediggers hold on to their lead with 79 points in the men’s competition, UCCS remains on their heels with 57 points. Western Colorado holds the third-place position with 45 points, followed by Chadron State with 42 points and Black Hills State with 33 points. South Dakota Mines sits in sixth place with 18 points, while Colorado Mesa’s 17 points leave it in seventh place. Adams State is in eighth place with 11 points, while CSU Pueblo and MSU Denver hold six points and four points, respectively. Colorado Christian, Fort Lewis and Westminster will look to earn points on day three.
Colorado Mesa’s Mica Jenrette carried her day-one heptathlon success into day two, where she claimed the conference title with 4,769 points. Jenrette closed the multis competition with a 200-point advantage over the second-place finisher.
In the women’s discus throw, Westminster’s Emily Malouf brought home the first RMAC gold medal in the Griffins’ program history with a provisional mark of 46.54m (152’08”). Malouf’s best throw came on her third attempt, giving Westminster 10 of its 13 points in the process.
Adams State’s Emily Schoellkopf took first-place honors in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase with a provisional effort of 10:57.13. She outpaced the second-place finisher by over 15 seconds and did so with a strong opening lap, where she covered the track in 45.89.
Following day two competition, the Mountain Lions sit at the top of the women’s standings with 50 points, while Colorado Mesa resides in second place with 34 points. Black Hills State narrowly trails the Mavs with 33 points. New Mexico Highlands resides in fourth place with 25 points, followed by Adams State in fifth place with 18 points. The Orediggers are in sixth place with 15 points, while CSU Pueblo ranks seventh with 14 points. Westminster’s 13 points place the team eighth overall, just ahead of Chadron State and MSU Denver, who are tied for ninth place with nine points each. South Dakota Mines and Western Colorado are tied for 11th with six points each. Fort Lewis is in 13th place with one point after two days of action, while Colorado Christian rounds out the standings.
The 2022 RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships pick up for the final day of competition on Sunday, May 1, beginning with the women’s pole vault and women’s triple jump events at 9:30 a.m. MT. To follow along with the action at CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl, fans can watch the live broadcast on the
RMAC Network. For more information on the outdoor championships, fans can navigate to the
2022 RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships page.