GOLDEN – Two more school records fell by the wayside Tuesday as the Colorado School of Mines men's and women's track and field teams finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the 2013 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Golden.
Led by a First Team All-RMAC and runner-up effort in the pole vault by sophomore Ben Timmer, the Oredigger men took fourth out of eight teams with 101 points, while senior Hannah Schuster steered the women to a fifth-place total of 62, twice garnering Second Team All-RMAC merit.
Timmer set the school record for the fourth time in five weeks, clearing the NCAA Provisional requirement for the fifth time this outdoor season with a launch of 16-03.25 (4.96 meters), the No. 16 height in Division II.
Senior Cody Walega and sophomore Justin Gildemeister recorded personal-records and respective fourth- and sixth-place finishes in the event as Walega earned Second Team All-RMAC honors with a height of 15-03.50 (4.66 meters), the No. 2 mark at Mines, and Gildemeister topped 14-09.50 (4.51 meters) for Third Team All-RMAC distinction.
Schuster took third place out of 24 in 4:40.73 in the 1500 and third in the 27-runner, 800-field in 2:14.33, both Provisional times. In the final race of the championships, Schuster anchored the 4x400 with freshman McKenzie Zeman, senior Erin Beach and freshman Margarita Schvachko to fifth place and program-record time of 4:00.27.
Beach was a Second Team All-RMAC performer in the 100 hurdles, ranking fourth overall with a collegiate-best time of 15.03, third-fastest in school lore. Junior Kayla Johnson captured sixth place and Third Team All-RMAC praise in 15.56 and shortly thereafter, claimed seventh in the long jump with a distance of 17-01.50 (5.22 meters).
Sophomore Seun Ogunmodede placed third in the high jump, receiving Third Team All-RMAC laurels with a personal-best and the school's No. 6 height of 6-7.00 (1.92 meters). Classmate Austin Roup was an All-RMAC Second Teamer in the discus with a fourth-place throw of 156-09 (47.78 meters).
Junior Frank Socha collected sixth out of 25 in the 1500 in 3:54.85 for Third Team All-RMAC recognition and senior Russell Drummond scored points in eighth with a time of 3:56.90.
Out of 23 runners in the men's 5000, Mines had four inside the top-eight as junior Sean Gildea and sophomore Phil Schneider went 2-3 in 14:55.01 and 14:57.13, respectively, for First and Second Team All-RMAC accords. Junior Andrew Epperson sat seventh in 15:15.46 and red-shirt freshman Derek Alcorn followed in eighth in 15:18.78.
The Orediggers conclude their stretch of consecutive meets at the Stermole Track & Field Complex/Crouch Field Events Complex on Sunday, May 12 with the CSM Division II Last Chance Qualifier.
RESULTS | CHAMPIONSHIP HEADQUARTERS
