Colorado School of Mines Sweeps at the 2024 RMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships
SPEARFISH, S.D. – Colorado School of Mines swept the men’s and women’s team titles Saturday at the 2024 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships inside Donald E. Young Field House in Spearfish, S.D. The men closed the two-day event with 145 points, while the women’s team finished the weekend with 154 points. Colorado School of Mines’ Loic Scomparin (26 points) and University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ Audrey Bloomquist (26 points) were named the 2024 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Male and Female Athletes of the Meet, respectively.
Loic Scomparin led the way for the Orediggers on the men’s side. Scomparin competed in the men’s 5000-meter, 3000m and mile for Colorado School of Mines, claiming a first place and two second place finishes, respectively. Combined, Scomparin recorded 26 of the Orediggers 145 total points. Audrey Bloomquist dominated the jumping events for UCCS, as she took home RMAC gold in the women’s long jump and triple jump. With her two first place finishes and her third place finish in the women’s 60m dash, Bloomquist was responsible for 26 of UCCS’ 119 points.
The Orediggers crowned eight total student-athletes throughout the weekend’s festivities, beginning with the pole vault contingent of Hannah Miller, Aidan Bennett and Hunter Potrykus. Miller’s vault of 4.27m set a new RMAC women’s all-venues pole vault record and moves her to the No. 8 overall vault in NCAA Division II history. Soon after, Bennet and Potrykus claimed a co-title in the men’s pole vault with vaults of 4.96m. In the men’s and women’s 5000m, Loic Scomparin and Zoe Baker showed out with a pair of gold medals with times of 16:44.69 and 14:16.37, respectively. On day two, Everette Delate repeated as the men’s 60m hurdles champion, while Aryelle Wright and Tim Thompson swept the men’s and women’s 800m. Wright found herself back on the podium to end the day after anchoring the Orediggers’ 4x400m relay team, including Randi Higashi, Grace Galvin and Aani Hardesty to a final time of 3:50.28. Altogether, the Orediggers collected eight gold medals, 10 silver medals and 8 bronze, propelling their men’s and women’s teams into RMAC history.
On the men’s side, UCCS finished just behind Colorado School of Mines with 141.83 points, while Colorado Mesa claimed third place with 106 points. Colorado State University Pueblo finished the weekend with 55 points, a total good enough for fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Chadron State with 47.5 points, while Western Colorado took home sixth place with 38 points. Black Hills State, Adams State, South Dakota Mines and Colorado Christian claimed the last places within the top-10 with 30.66, 26 points, 21 points and 17 points, respectively. Metropolitan State University of Denver and Fort Lewis finish the weekend with a tie at 11th with 12 points, while Westminster checks in with 10 points.
On the women’s side, UCCS took home second place with a final tally of 119 points. CMU claims the third overall spot in the championships with 81 points, while Western Colorado and New Mexico Highlands finish in a tie for fourth with 56 points. CSU Pueblo holds the sixth spot in the RMAC with 48 points, and Adams State claims seventh with 39 points. MSU Denver owns eighth place with a total of 35 points, one spot ahead of Black Hills State and Chadron State tied for ninth with 17 points. Colorado Christian and Fort Lewis leave the championship with 12 points and a tie for 11th. Westminster and South Dakota Mines exit the tournament with nine and five points, respectively.
Up next is the 2024 NCAA DII National Championships held in Pittsburg, Kan. The selections for the DII Championships will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 6:00 PM ET on NCAA.com.