By: A.J. Vazquez, Strategic Communications & Marketing Intern

PUEBLO, Colo. – South Dakota Mines sophomore Owen Johnson is the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Summit Award winner, the conference announced Sunday at the conclusion of the 2026 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship. Johnson claims his second Summit Award this year, earlier winning the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Summit Award.

Johnson, a sophomore from Lakeville, Minnesota, boasts a 4.00 grade-point average while majoring in Chemical Engineering. He has completed 73 credit hours in his undergraduate program. Johnson specializes in middle-distance events, competing primarily in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter runs. He posted a personal best 1,500-meter time of 4:00.93 at the Kit Mayer Classic at 5,739 feet of elevation, good for a top 10 mark in Hardrocker history. 

The RMAC’s Summit Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing at the finals site of their respective sport’s championship. Summit Award winners must compete in 20 percent of available competitions throughout the current season. All GPAs are based on a straight-grading scale to ensure consistency among nominees. All ties are broken by the total number of credit hours completed through the most recently concluded semester.
 
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be sophomores or above and have participated in their sport at their institution for at least two years. They must also be active members of their teams and travel to and compete at the RMAC championship event.
 
Women's Cross Country: Margaux Basart, Colorado School of Mines 
Men's Cross Country: Chase Brown, Colorado Mesa 
Women's Soccer: Dannon Yake, Fort Lewis
Men's Soccer:  Charlie Matsumoto, MSU Denver 
Volleyball:  Mia Accomazzo, MSU Denver 
Football: Regan Baker, CSU Pueblo 
Women's Wrestling: Shania Wear, Chadron State
Men’s Wrestling: Ben Tonnessen, Adams State
Women's Swimming & Diving: Ryley Martinez, Adams State
Men's Swimming & Diving: Joseph Lev-Tov, Colorado School of Mines
Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Madison Clause, Chadron State
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: Owen Johnson, South Dakota Mines
Women’s Golf: Aubree Heinsma, Chadron State
Men’s Golf: Aiden Pavey, Westminster
Women’s Lacrosse: Sydnee-Anne Moeller, UCCS
Men’s Lacrosse: Caleb Schreiber, Colorado Mesa
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field: Madison Clause, Chadron State
 
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.