By: A.J. Vazquez, Strategic Communications & Marketing Intern
PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines won the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship, outlasting the reigning indoor champions, University of Colorado Springs. The Orediggers had sex RMAC championships, fueling their title win.
The Orediggers got out to an early lead on Saturday by sweeping the podium in the 10,000-meter run, Colorado School of Mines never relinquished the lead. Their 4x400-meter relay team set a new RMAC championship meet record with a time of 3:09.74. They scored 288 total points, while second place UCCS scored 164. Colorado Mesa University scored116.5, good for third.
On the track, 13 RMAC champions were awarded on the final day, and five earned honors from the league for being the top performer in each category.
Owen Johnson earned the Summit Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing at an RMAC Championship. He also won the Indoor Summit Award earlier this year.
The Dr. Randy Rhine Track Performer of the Meet was Mateo Casados of Colorado Mesa, who recorded 22 points by winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and earned second in the men’s 4x400-meter relay. Casados set a new RMAC championship meet record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 20.79.
The Dr. Randy Rhine Field Performer of the Meet was CSU Pueblo’s Xavier Freeman who took first place in the shot put with a mark of 18.07 meters, and second place in the discus with a mark of 50.62.
The Freshman of the Meet honor went to Michael Cruzado, from Colorado Mesa, who totaled 16.50 points. Cruzado took second in the 100-meter, third in the 200-metrer, and was a part of the Mountain Lions’ winning 4x100-relay team.
Attention now turns to the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championship in Emporia, Kansas, hosted by Emporia State University from May 21–23 for select qualifiers. The battle to qualify continues for many athletes on the cusp of making the cut, with qualifiers to be announced by the NCAA on May 12.
Awards
Dr. Randy Rhine Field Performer of the Meet: Xavier Freeman, CSU Pueblo
Dr. Randy Rhine Track Performer of the Meet: Mateo Casados, Colorado Mesa
Freshman of the Meet: Michael Cruzado, UCCS
Summit Award: Owen Johnson, South Dakota Mines
Team Champion: Colorado School of Mines
Individual Champions
4x100m Relay — UCCS, 39.86
4x400m Relay — Colorado School of Mines, 3:09.74
100m — Mateo Casados, Colorado Mesa, 10.45
110m Hurdles — Alejandro Philippart, Colorado School of Mines, 14.23
200m — Mateo Casados, Colorado Mesa, 20.79
400m — Jonah Fallon, Colorado School of Mines, 46.25
400m Hurdles — Merek Ranstrom, South Dakota Mines, 51.98
800m — Tim Thompson, Colorado School of Mines, 1:48.90
1500m — Caleb McLeod, CSU Pueblo, 3:52.42
3000m Steeplechase — Max Bonenberger, Colorado School of Mines, 9:00.48
5000m — Dawson Gunn, Colorado School of Mines, 14:49.74
10000m — Paul Knight, Colorado School of Mines, 30:16.14
Discus Throw — Tavion Leatherdale, Chadron State, 51.58m
Hammer Throw — Michael Roberts, UCCS, 62.84m
High Jump — Devin Shea, Colorado Mesa, 2.05m
Javelin Throw — Izaak Siefken, Colorado Mesa, 68.75m
Long Jump — Josiah Billington, UCCS, 7.45m
Pole Vault — Aidan Bennett, Colorado School of Mines, 4.87m
Shot Put — Xavier Freeman, CSU Pueblo, 18.07m
Triple Jump — KJ McInnis, UCCS, 15.24m
Decathlon -
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 71 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.
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