GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Cross Country and Track & Field team welcomed their 2020 freshman class to campus this week as 25 new Orediggers arrived in Golden to start the 2020-21 school year.
 
Head Cross Country Coach Chris Siemers and Head Track & Field Coach Matt Sparks looked to maintain their national prominence with a diversified class. Among the new Orediggers are 11 distance runners, four sprinters, three pole vaulters, two hurdlers, two middle distance runners and two throwers with the potential for four competing in jump events. Eleven of the freshmen call Colorado home. California, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin are represented as well for a total of nine states.
 
Below is a roster of the 2020-21 freshman class and breakdown by event.
 

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Distance
With the Mines cross country teams fresh off a historic season that featured a national title and the first podium finish in women's program history, these 11 fresh faces will look to continue and build on that success. It would appear this group is up to the job. Their combined resume features 12 top-40 finishes in their respective state cross country championships including one individual title and one silver medal. The track portion of their combined resume is equally impressive with one state title and numerous podium finishes. One of the names to know in this crew is Matthew Mettler out of Air Academy in Colorado Springs. He comes from a program that produced the likes of Luc Hagen and Dillon Powell. Mettler finished sixth in Colorado's 4A race in 2019 and 20th in 2018. Andrew Gebhardt out of Salmon, Idaho, boasts finishes of third, second and seventh in the Idaho 2A race along with an individual crown in 2018. Gebhardt also has eight podium finishes to his name at the state track & field meet. Kale Cassidy out of Haines, Ore., touts a runner-up finish in the 4A state race with a gold medal in the 3K as well. Max Bonenberger (Breckenridge, Colo.), Nick Engleman (Severna, Md.), Joseph Pearlman (Goleta, Calif.) and Jeremiah Vaille (Dillon, Colo.) bring top-40 finishes in cross country to the table as well. Caleb Coatney (Boone, N.C.) and Alex Shaw (Pittsburgh, Pa.) bring experience from their state cross country championships as well, while Jack Lawson (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Ben Longaker (Fair Oaks, Calif.) round out the group. It's notable that Longaker hails from the same hometown as Mines' all-region runner Brook Eberle. Both Bonenberger and Vaille come to Golden out of Summit High School.
 
Sprints
This quartet of freshly minted Orediggers features Garrett Halbrooks, Joe Hufford, Jonathan Malavasi and Nicholas Nijkamp. All four boast some impressive marks even without competing in the 2020 outdoor season. Halbrooks arrives in the Front Range out of Huffman-Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, and boasts elite speed with a 10.81 100-meter dash. He also provides some versatility with potential in the long jump. Hufford hails from Parker, Colo., and Ponderosa High School where he ran an 11.05 100 meters and a 22.84 200-meter dash. Both Hufford and Halbrooks would rank in the top-10 in Mines' record books based on their high school times alone. Rounding out the group is a dynamic duo of Colorado natives with Malavasi out of Broomfield, Colo., and Jefferson Academy while Nijkamp arrives after his prep career at Woodland Park.
 
Jumps
One of the four leaping artists was already introduced as Garrett Halbrooks parlayed his sprinting ability into a 6.78 meter (22-3.0) long jump in high school. That mark would rank 10th in Mines' outdoor record book. Troy Kneese joins the squad out of Fredericksburg, Texas where he posted a long jump of 6.65 meters (21-10.) while also posing a threat in the middle distance and distance races. Fischer Argosino from Parker, Colo., and Lutheran High School rounds out the men's side after closing his senior indoor season ranked #2 in Colorado in the triple jump thanks to a mark of 13.81 meters (45-4.0). That leap would put the true freshman sixth in Mines' indoor and outdoor record books. Argosino also flexes some potential on the hurdles scene as well. Abbi Gillespie represents the women and rounds out the jumping crew with a prep high jump mark of 1.60 meters (5-3.0) which slots inside the top five in both the Orediggers' record books. Fans could also see Gillespie try her hand as a heptathlete as well.

Pole Vault
Mines continues its run at the title of "Pole Vault U" with a trio of individuals added to one of the best, young groups in the country. With an individual national champion and a national runner-up still on the roster, this group's development promises to be strong. Ava Kowalski out of Conroe, Texas, and Oak Ridge High School joins Avery Herbold out of Austin, Texas, and Anderson High School as the women's freshman duo set to join program record holder Hannah Miller. Kowalski's prep best was 3.58 meters (11-9.0) while Herbold cleared 3.65 meters (12-0.0). Those marks are good enough for top five in the program's indoor and outdoor record books. Hunter Potrykus joins the men's team after a prep career at Silvercreek High School in Berthoud, Colo., that featured a gold medal at the Colorado State Championships. With a top vault of 4.90 meters (16-1.0) he looks to immediately threaten at the national level. Potrykus would also rank top five in both indoor and outdoor on the Orediggers' all-time lists.
 
Hurdles
This group features two additions to the men's squad in Everett Delate and the previously mentioned Fischer Argosino. Delate competed at Cherry Creek High School and hails from Centennial, Colo. was the top-ranked 300-meter hurdler among juniors in the state of Colorado in 2019 thanks to a time of 38.30. He also boasts a 110-meter hurdle time of 14.85. That would rank him sixth in Mines' record book. Argosino not only competes in the triple jump, but holds a time of 15.31 in the 110-meter hurdles which would slot him inside the program's all-time top-10.
 
Middle Distance
While fans can expect to see a good amount of crossover from the distance group in this area, there are two specialists arriving as part of this freshman class. Troy Kneese, who we met in the jumps section, also boasts running range from the 100-meter dash all the way to cross country level running. His best event is the 400 meters with a time of 49.22 that would put him 10^th in the program's indoor record book. Nicholas Beckman out of Aurora, Colo., and Grand View High School makes it a duo of middle distance runners, adding depth to the current Orediggers squad.
 
Throws
This area sees much-needed depth added to the men's side in all throwing events. Davin Kiesby hails from Scotts Valley, Calif., and Scotts Valley High School where he threw the discus 47.70 meters (156-6.0). With that mark, Kiesby would already rank sixth in the Mines outdoor record book. Isaiah Thurman makes it a duo of throwers as he makes the short trip down from Broomfield, Colo., and Jefferson Academy. Thurman competed in high school with fellow freshman, Malavasi. He will look to learn under the proven leadership of Mines' throws coach Michael Gusbeth.
 

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Fischer Argosino	Hurdles/Jumps	Parker, Colo. / Lutheran HS
Nicholas Beckman	Mid-Distance	Aurora, Colo. / Grandview HS
Max Bonenberger	Distance	Breckenridge, Colo. / Summit HS
Kale Cassidy	Distance	Haines, Ore. / Baker HS
Caleb Coatney	Distance	Boone, N.C. / Watauga HS
Everett Delate	Hurdles	Centennial, Colo. / Cherry Creek HS
Nick Engleman	Distance	Severna, Md. / Severna HS
Andrew Gebhardt	Distance	Salmon, Idaho / Salmon HS
Abbi Gillespie	Jumps	New London, Wisc. / New London HS
Garrett Halbrooks	Jumps/Sprints	Huffman, Texas / Huffman-Hargrave HS
Avery Herbold	Pole Vault	Austin, Texas / Anderson HS
Joe Hufford	Sprints	Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa HS
Davin Kiesby	Throws	Scotts Valley, Calif. / Scotts Valley HS
Troy Kneese	Jumps/Mid-Distance	Fredericksburg, Texas / Fredericksburg HS
Ava Kowalski	Pole Vault	Conroe, Texas / Oak Ridge HS
Jack Lawson	Distance	Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Mission Viejo HS
Ben Longaker	Distance	Fair Oaks, Calif. / Oakmont HS
Jonathan Malavasi	Sprints	Broomfield, Colo. / Jefferson Academy
Matthew Mettler	Distance	Colorado Springs, Colo. / Air Academy
Nicholas Nijkamp	Sprints	Woodland Park, Colo. / Woodland Park HS
Joseph Pearlman	Distance	Goleta, Calif. / Dos Pueblos Senior HS
Hunter Potrykus	Pole Vault	Berthoud, Colo. / Silver Creek HS
Alex Shaw	Distance	Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper St. Clair HS
Isaiah Thurman	Throws	Broomfield, Colo. / Jefferson Academy
Jeremiah Vaille	Distance	Dillon, Colo. / Summit HS

 
Fans can keep up with Mines track & field on Twitter and Instagram at @csmtrack. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.