Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Awards and All-Conference rosters were announced Monday, with four representatives from University of Colorado Colorado Springs headlining the league’s individual honors. Afewerki Zeru claims RMAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, while Dakota Abbott earns Men’s Field Athlete of the Year. Kymani Sterling is the conference’s Men’s Freshman of the Year, while Ross Fellows is the Men’s Coach of the Year.
 
Zeru claims the league’s track honor after closing the outdoor season ranked among the nation’s top-10 in the 5,000-meter and 10,000m events. He captured the conference title in the 5,000m race after crossing the finish line with a 14:14.40. The redshirt junior needed just three appearances this outdoor season to cement a spot in the 5k and 10k races at the upcoming 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He will be the only UCCS men’s competitor to compete in multiple events at the national meet. Zeru earned his provisional time in the 5,000m with his 13:44.58 performance at the 62nd Annual Mt. SAC Relays (April 13), which ranks fifth in the nation. His provisional time of 28:56.20 in the 10,000m was accomplished at the Stanford Invitational (April 1) and ranks sixth nationally this season.
 
Abbott earns RMAC Field Athlete of the Year after earning five first-place finishes throughout the 2022 season, including a conference title in the triple jump at the RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Amherst, Neb., native has qualified for the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships in the triple jump, where he currently ranks fifth in the nation following his provisional mark at the season-opener, where he cleared the pit for a 15.66m (51’4.5”). His appearance at the national championships will be the second of his collegiate career.
 
Sterling nabs the league’s Freshman of the Year award after closing the book on an impressive 2022 campaign for the Mountain Lions. After arriving on campus for UCCS from North Platte, Neb., he made an immediate impact on the UCCS sprint team, earning a trio of all-conference accolades in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay events at the RMAC Outdoor Championships. He secured a personal best with an altitude-adjusted time of 10.51 in the preliminary round of the 100m dash at the conference meet.
 
UCCS head coach Ross Fellows was named the RMAC Men’s Coach of the Year, completing the 2022 sweep, after also being named the Women’s Coach of the Year earlier on Monday. Fellows has led the UCCS men to a No. 15 national ranking ahead of the 2022 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships. He will be sending 10 competitors from his men’s program to partake in the national meet, which will be hosted in Allendale, Mich., beginning Thursday, May 26.