Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Major Awards Announced
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Major Awards and All-Conference rosters were announced Monday, with four representatives from four different schools headlining the league’s individual honors. Adam State’s Miguel Coca claims RMAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, while Colorado Mesa’s Dawson Heide earns Men’s Field Athlete of the Year. Western Colorado’s Tyler Nord is the conference’s Men’s Freshman of the Year, while University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ Ross Fellows is the Men’s Coach of the Year.
Coca claims the league’s track honor after closing the outdoor season ranked first in the nation in the 1,5000-meter race with an altitude-adjusted time of 3:40.96 at the CSU Pueblo Open (Mar.31). The senior needed just four appearances this outdoor season to cement a spot in the 1,5000m and 5k races at the upcoming 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Coca earned his provisional time in the 5k with his 13:36.51 performance at the 2023 Bryan Clay Invitational, which ranks third in the nation. His provisional time of 3:41.04 in the 1,500m was accomplished at the Oregon Twilight, while his third provisional time of 1:50.38 in the 800m came at the Portland Twilight.
Heide earns RMAC Field Athlete of the Year after earning four top-five finishes at the RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships including a fourth-place finish in the javelin throw. In addition to his fourth-place finish in the javelin throw, Heide also registered two more fourth-place efforts in the 110m hurdles and was a part of the Mavericks 4x400m relay team. The junior holds an NCAA DII provisional mark in the decathlon with 7,207 points, which he earned at the Mavericks Invite earlier this season.
Nord nabs the league’s Freshman of the Year award after closing the book on an impressive 2023 campaign for the Mountaineers. Nord made an immediate impact on Western Colorado’s distance squad earning an all-conference nod in the 1,500m event at the the RMAC Outdoor Championships. He secured a personal best with an altitude-adjusted time of 3:44.83 at the CSU Pueblo Open, which ranks 14th on this season’s NCAA DII performance list.
UCCS head coach Ross Fellows was named the RMAC Men’s Coach of the Year, after leading his team to their third consecutive RMAC Outdoor Championship. Fellows has led the UCCS men to a No. 18 national ranking ahead of the 2022 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships. He will be sending multiple athletes from his men’s program to partake in the national meet, which will be hosted in Pueblo, Colo., beginning Thursday, May 25.
Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year: Miguel Coca, Adams State
Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year: Dawson Heide, Colorado Mesa
Outdoor Freshman of the Year: Tyler Nord, Western Colorado
Outdoor Coach of the Year: Ross Fellows, UCCS
2023 RMAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference First Team
| Event |
Name |
Name |
Name |
| 100m Dash |
Justice Mendoza, UCCS |
Brian Mosley Jr., UCCS |
Elijah Williams, CMU |
| 110m Hurdles |
Everett Delate, Mines |
Creighton Trembly, CSC |
Zayden Davis, CMU |
| 200m Dash |
Justice Mendoza, UCCS |
Jonah Vigil, ASU |
Tyler Bradley, CCU |
| 400m Dash |
Jonah Vigil, ASU |
Tyrell Smith, CSU Pueblo |
Angel Laca, UCCS |
| 400m Hurdles |
Everett Delate, Mines |
Dillon Andrews, UCCS |
Kelsey Montague, CMU |
| 800m Run |
Reece Sharman-Newell, CSUP |
Kaleb Tipton, CSU Pueblo |
Ethan Coyhis, WCU |
| 1,500m Run |
Reece Sharman-Newell, CSUP |
Evan Graff, UCCS |
Luke Julian, Mines |
| 5,000m Run |
Afewerki Zeru, UCCS |
Aidan Scott, WCU |
William Johnson, WCU |
| 10,000m Run |
Andrew Kaye, Mines |
Marcus Graham, UCCS |
Jacob Hernandez, WCU |
| 3,000m Steeplechase |
Albert Hesse, WCU |
Alex Shaw, Mines |
Max Bonenberger, Mines |
| 4x100m Relay |
J.Mendoza, K.Sterling, M.Nichols, B.Mosley Jr., UCCS |
| 4x400m Relay |
C.Schmidt, R.Sharman-Newell, K.Tipton, T.Smith, CSU Pueblo |
| High Jump |
Skye Ciccarelli, UCCS |
Grant Redmond, Mines |
Zace Buckhold, CMU; H.Oretga, CSC |
| Pole Vault |
Hunter Potrykus, Mines |
Noah Kelly, Mines; Tim Ellis, WCU |
|
| Long Jump |
Ismael Dembele, WCU |
Grant Haskins, UCCS |
Richard Safoh, UCCS |
| Triple Jump |
Ismael Dembele, WCU |
Zace Buckhold, CMU |
Cedrick Kassi, CSU Pueblo |
| Discus |
Jordan Larson, ASU |
Sam Dirkes, ASU |
Sully Mack, BHSU |
| Hammer Throw |
Shane Collins, CSC |
Justin Jenks, CSU Pueblo |
Justyn Loper, UCCS |
| Javelin Throw |
Cameron Kalaf, CMU |
Gavin Korkeakoski, CMU |
Sawyer Christopher, UCCS |
| Shot Put |
Nate Miller, CSU Pueblo |
Justin Jenks, CSU Pueblo |
Sam Dirkes, ASU |
| Decathlon |
Terrel Johnson, CSU Pueblo |
Aidan Thompson, SD Mines |
Travis Kleinsasser, SD Mines |
2023 RMAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Second Team
| Event |
Name |
Name |
Name |
| 100m Dash |
Kymani Sterling, UCCS |
Tyler Bradley, CCU |
Kade Christensen, CMU |
| 110m Hurdles |
Dawson Heide, CMU |
Anthony Martinez, MSU Denver |
Coulton Chan, Mines |
| 200m Dash |
Kymani Sterling, UCCS |
Brian Mosley Jr., UCCS |
Mason Pastorello, UCCS |
| 400m Dash |
Sebastian Jean, UCCS |
Justin Blanton, CMU |
Ethan Loper, MSU Denver |
| 400m Hurdles |
Logan Peila, CSC |
Logan Hafey, CMU |
Neveh Jones, ASU |
| 800m Run |
Jeremy Killoy, WCU |
Mikah Paiz, ASU |
Nick Nowlen, MSU Denver |
| 1,500m Run |
Jagger Zlotoff, UCCS |
Simon Kelati, WCU |
Tyler Nord, WCU |
| 5,000m Run |
Triston Charles, CMU |
Gavin Harden, WCU |
Bean Minor, FLC |
| 10,000m Run |
Jeremiah Vaille, Mines |
William Johnson, WCU |
Danial Beam, CSU Pueblo |
| 3,000m Steeplechase |
Max Sevcik, Mines |
Mark Testa, CMU |
Kaleb Beloy, CSU Pueblo |
| 4x100m Relay |
B. Thornton, M.Castados, K.Christensen, E.Williams, CMU |
| 4x400m Relay |
D. Andrews, R. O’Neal, S.Jean, A.Laca, UCCS |
| High Jump |
|
Eddie Kujak, CMU |
Caden Church, WCU |
| Pole Vault |
Becker Ell, CMU |
Shane Conley, Mines |
Travis Kleinsasser, SDM |
| Long Jump |
Zace Buckhold, CMU |
Justin Thompson, CMU |
Peyton Turnage, UCCS |
| Triple Jump |
Peyton Turnage, UCCS |
Fischer Argosino, Mines |
Spencer Pernell, CMU |
| Discus |
Kyle Demos, UCCS |
Parker Gonser, CSC |
Tyler Nelson, WCU |
| Hammer Throw |
Davin Kiesby, Mines |
Arvid Veidmark, Mines |
Nate Miller, CSU Pueblo |
| Javelin Throw |
Dawson Heide, CMU |
Seth Richmond, UCCS |
Sully Mack, BHSU |
| Shot Put |
Hayden Riley, CMU |
James Hochanadel, ASU |
Brody Welch, Mines |
| Decathlon |
Harley Rhoades, CSC |
Conor McGraw, BHSU |
Kaden Dower, CSC |