Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open – Feb. 7-8
Mountain Lion Fieldhouse – Colorado Springs, Colo. [Schedule] [Live Results] [Live Video] [Meet Info]
 

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FIRST TIME ON THE ROAD
The Colorado School of Mines Men's and Women's Track & Field teams hit the road for the first time this season as they head to Colorado Springs for the Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open hosted by UCCS. While the season opened at the beginning of December, the Orediggers hosted both of their first two meets inside Steinhauer Fieldhouse. Mines' distance runners did send a small contingency to Michigan on opening weekend. However, this weekend marks the first road trip for everyone else on the team and only Mines' second-ever journey to the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse. The two-day event will be unscored and feature numerous individuals chasing low times and high marks.
 
LAST WEEKEND
Mines participated in its first action of 2020 last Friday and Saturday by hosting the Winter Classic & Multi inside Steinahauer Fieldhouse. In total, the Orediggers produced 15 NCAA Provisional qualifying marks including 11 for the men and four for the women. On the men's side, Luc Hagen stole the show in the mile as he posted the #1 time in the nation. Dylan Ko and Kyle Moran also punched their tickets in the mile. Grant Colligan and Chris Cathcart did the same in the 5,000-meter run as did the distance-medley relay of Jake Mitchem, Joey Maguire, Ben Abueg and Vincent Workman. Connor McLean upped his mark in the pole vault and Zach Clark joined the party as well. Rounding it all out for the men was Arvid Veidmark IV in the shot put along with Hayden Sather and Chase McLean in the heptathlon. For the women, Brook Eberle posted a provisional time in the mile. Zoe Baker raced the nation's #10 time in the 5K. Sophia Collins put her name at #8 in all of NCAA Division II in the long jump, and Kathleen Tomon put up a provisional mark in the shot put.
 
THE RUNDOWN
No guest was available at the time this preview was written. All the author can confirm is the attendance of Mines and UCCS. That being said, the schedule is linked above and gives fans a basic idea of what is happening. There is no pentathlon or heptathlon on the slate. That means competition kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday evening with the 60-meter hurdles on the track and the men's weight throw in the field. By the end of the evening, the hurdles, 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 5,000-meter run, DMR, weight throw, high jump and long jump will have been contested. On Saturday, competition opens at 11 a.m. with the hurdle finals on the track and the triple jump in the field. With the 200-meter dash on Friday's rundown, Saturday's running events project to conclude around 3 p.m.
 
WHAT TO WATCH
Obviously, with Mines' men ranked #3 in the nation and the Oredigger women inside the top 50, everyone brings excitement to the track. However, those trying to narrow it down can use this list right here. For the most part, Mines' distance runners will be taking the weekend to rest and train. That means fans can focus on the women's distance-medley relay set to run at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. The Oredigger throwers brought some punch last weekend thanks to a pair of NCAA marks. They also open up on Friday evening at 4 p.m. That being said, fans can rotate over to the long jump and high jump where Mines is primed to explode. On Saturday, the focus can mostly go on field events. Specifically, the men's and women's pole vault are the event set to excite. Additionally, the shot put takes place on Saturday and the final event of the day is the 4x400-meter relay where the Orediggers have continued to improve all season. As previously stated, the full schedule is linked above and at www.minesathletics.com.
 
MOUNTAIN LION FIELDHOUSE
Mountain Lion Fieldhouse on the campus of UCCS in its second season of use as construction was completed in the summer of 2018. It is stated as one of the finest indoor track & field facilities in the NCAA, boasting a 200-meter track with a radius of 19 meters. There are eight sprint lanes with two jump pits and a pole vault pit on the infield. It serves as the home of UCCS track & field and cross country, sitting at exactly 6,291 feet of elevation. The facility is located in the West Campus of UCCS, just east of parking lot 580. It kind of looks like a dome or bubble.
 
RMAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, Mines racked up three RMAC Athlete of the Week awards thanks to Luc Hagen, Arvid Veidmark IV and Sophia Collins. Hagen earned RMAC Male Track Athlete of the Week for the first time in his career. His award-winning performance came in the mile run where he finished first amidst a field of 20 runners in a raw time of 4:14.80. With conversions for track size and altitude, Hagen moved to #1 in the nation in the mile. Veidmark IV brought home RMAC Male Field Athlete of the Week. Like Hagen, it marks the first weekly award of his career. The sophomore dominated the shot put on Friday evening inside Steinhauer Fieldhouse, producing three attempts over 16.80 meters. His top throw was 16.86 meters (55-3.75) which ranks #17 in the nation and #1 in the RMAC as a NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Collins made it a trio of first-time award winners as she claimed RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Week. Nobody in the RMAC jumped further than Collins did in the long jump on Friday evening. The sophomore won the event in a field of 18 competitors thanks to a mark of 5.81 meters (19-0.75).
 
USTFCCCA NATIONAL INDEX
The USTFCCCA released its second regular-season edition of the 2019-20 Indoor Track & Field Rating Index on Tuesday afternoon. Mines' men jumped up to #3 in all of NCAA Division II. The Oredigger women slotted in at #48 in the nation. As a team, the men tout 22 different entries on the national indoor performance lists for DII. The women carry six qualifying marks. Other RMAC teams in the rankings include CSU-Pueblo's men at #9, Western Colorado's men at #14 and Adams State's men at #25. On the women's side, Adams State comes in at #9, UCCS is #12 and CSU-Pueblo is #17.
 
#1 IN THE NATION
Not one, but two Orediggers sit atop the NCAA Division II performance list in their respective events. Conner McLean is #1 in the heptathlon thanks to his record-breaking performance on opening weekend of the season at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi. In fact, Connor McLean's score of 5,630 ranked #1 across all levels of collegiate track & field until last weekend. He still ranks #1 in every division except NCAA Division I. It has been referenced a couple times, but Luc Hagen is the second Oredigger with a #1 time. His converted 4:03.41 took over for teammate Vincent Workman at the top of the mile list for NCAA Division II. Between Hagen and Workman, Mines has led DII all season long in the men's mile.
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers continue the 2019-20 season Feb. 14-15 at the Texas Tech Shootout in Lubbock, Texas. Coverage information will be available at www.minesathletics.com.