SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's indoor track and field teams combined for 14 all-conference performances on Friday at the RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships at Black Hills State, already surpassing their points totals from 2012 to rank first and fifth, respectively, through 20 events.
The USTFCCCA 10th-ranked Oredigger men hold a 54-49 lead over second place Adams State, while the women sit fifth with 29 points, only two points back of the Grizzlies in third place and 11.5 back of runner-up Western State.
Sophomore Phil Schneider claimed the 5000 championship in a Donald E. Young Center track record and NCAA Provisional time of 14:45.49, taking First Team All-RMAC honors.
Red-shirt freshman Derek Alcorn and senior Tyler Curtis went third and fourth in the race in respective times of 14:54.11 and 15:07.09 for Second Team All-RMAC accolades.
Three Orediggers claimed All-RMAC laurels for the first time in the men's weight throw, led by sophomore Austin Roup who took second place and First Team All-RMAC praise with a throw of 54-6.75 (16.63 meters).
Junior Ryan Ewen threw the weight 54-1.75 (16.50 meters), finishing third and earning Second Team All-RMAC distinction and classmate Nicolo Redfern was sixth, capturing Third Team All-RMAC honors with a distance of 52-10.75 (16.12 meters).
Junior Seun Ogunmodede, the reigning RMAC Field Athlete of the Week, earned First Team All-RMAC recognition for the first time, placing second in the high jump with a height of 6-8.75 (2.05 meters), his fourth Provisional mark this season.
In the women's field specialties, junior Kayla Johnson took fourth overall and Second Team All-RMAC honors in the pentathlon with a cumulative score of 3,241. Senior Erin Beach was close behind in sixth with a total of 3,207, good for Third Team All-RMAC credit. Both marks eclipsed the previous school record of 3,103, set earlier this season by Beach at the Air Force Invitational.
The two then went sixth and seventh in the long jump with Johnson leaping a new personal-record and Third Team All-RMAC distance of 16-11.25 (5.16 meters) and Beach clearing 16-10.00 (5.13 meters).
Beach also won her preliminary heat of the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 9.27 to advance to today's finals.
Seniors Hannah Cooling and Jackie Henderson captured Second Team All-RMAC and Third Team All-RMAC merit in the women's 5000 as Cooling took third overall in 18:03.95 and Henderson crossed in fifth place in 18:30.48.
Both Mines' distance medley relay teams earned Third Team All-RMAC honors, clocking third-place finishes and NCAA Provisional times. Junior Frank Socha, freshmen Logan Stout and Marty Andrie and senior Russell Drummond combined for a time 10:16.11 in the men's race, while the women's foursome of senior Marie Patton and freshmen McKenzie Zeman, Ann Miller and Chloe Gustafson finished in 12:22.17 over the 4000 meter distance.
Along with Beach, sophomore Justin Gildemeister, senior Peter Jenkins and sophomore Garrett Hoch advanced out of the preliminary heats to today's finals in their respective events. Gildemeister earned the eighth and final spot in the 60-meter dash (7.05) and Jenkins and Hoch qualified second and third in the 400 prelims in times of 50.27 and 50.52.
The Championships conclude in Spearfish, S.D. today, beginning with the final three events of the men's heptathlon early this morning.
2013 RMAC CHAMPIONSHIP HEADQUARTERS
