Mines Front Range #1 – Jan. 29-30
Steinhauer Fieldhouse – Golden, Colo. [Schedule] [Live Results] [Live Video]
 

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RETURN TO ACTION
The Colorado School of Mines Men's and Women's Track & Field teams have been on competitive hiatus for over 330 days. That changes Friday as the Orediggers return to action inside Steinhauer Fieldhouse in the first of four meets in the Mines Front Range series. After the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships with the teams already on site in Alabama, it's safe to say the Orediggers are ready to compete. Capacity will be severely limited, no spectators will be allowed and all involved will have negative COVID-19 tests accounted for, but marks will be noted and times will be recorded – officially.
 
NO SPECTATORS FOR MINES WINTER SPORTS
Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado, Colorado School of Mines' policy of not admitting spectators will continue for all winter sports – including indoor track & field - until further notice. Mines Athletics will continuously re-evaluate this policy as government guidance changes in the future. Fortunately, this weekend's meet features live video with natural sound for free on the RMAC Network at www.minesathletics.com/tv.
 
WEEKEND FORMAT
Due to the aforementioned capacity restrictions and testing requirements, this first Mines Front Range meet will have a different look and feel to it. Event fields will be much smaller and the days will be divided by event. Friday features only field events including men's and women's pole vault, long jump, triple jump, high jump, weight throw and shot put. First action will be men's pole vault and the weight throw at 4 p.m. with long jump taking off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday's slate includes just running events. The women's mile goes off at 1:30 p.m. followed by the men's and women's 400-meter dash at 1:45 p.m. Action continues at 2:10 p.m. with the men's and women's 60-meter hurdles. The men will run two sections of the 3,000 meters at 2:40 p.m. and the day concludes with the men's and women's 800-meter run at 3:10 p.m.
 
LOOKING BACK
The 2019-20 indoor track & field season was a successful one for Mines. The Oredigger men and women swept team silver at the RMAC Track & Field Championships and Mines' men put together a potential bid for a national title. However, after the teams arrived in Birmingham, Ala., for the national meet, the NCAA decided to cancel the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the disappointment, the Orediggers' success was still recognized. Connor McLean was named the National Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The USTFCCCA also named Chris Siemers the National Assistant Coach of the Year on the men's side for his work with the distance squad. In total, 57 new marks were added to Mines' indoor record book including four records from Hannah Miller (pole vault), the women's 4x400-meter relay team, Connor McLean (heptathlon) and Arvid Veidmark IV (shot put).
 
MEET THE TEAM
The 2020-21 Oredigger track & field roster boasts 89 Orediggers including 34 women and 55 men. Among those individuals are 25 fresh faces. It's worth noting that some on the roster only hold eligibility for either the indoor or outdoor season and, and may not appear until this spring. The newcomers for Mines include the following student-athletes. Abbi Gillespie, Avery Herbold and Ava Kowalski for the women. Max Bonenberger, Kale Cassidy, Caleb Coatney, Nick Engleman, Andy Gebhardt, Jack Lawson, Ben Longaker, Matthew Mettler, Joseph Pearlman, Alex Shaw and Jeremiah Vaille were all true freshmen on the Oredigger cross country team that won the 2020 RMAC Championships, and will run distance for Mines on the track. Fischer Argosino, Everett Delate, Garrett Halbrooks, Joe Hufford, Davin Kiesby, Troy Kneese, Garrett Lanker, Jonathan Malavasi, Nicholas Nijkamp, Hunter Potrykus and Isaiah Thurman round out the group of new Orediggers. This weekend at least seven true freshmen will appear in at least one event as part of the Mines squad.
 
RMAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
The Colorado School of Mines Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field teams appeared at #2 and #3 in their respective RMAC Preseason Coaches' Polls released prior to the New Year. Mines' men were voted to finish second with 113 total points including four first-place votes. The Oredigger women check into the third spot thanks to 98 points and two first-place votes. UCCS topped both lists as the defending conference champions for the men and the women. The only other team in front of Mines' women was Western Colorado holding a one-vote advantage at 99 points and one first-place vote. Just four points separated the men from UCCS as the Mountain Lions garnered 117 points and eight first-place votes. Western Colorado rounded out the men's top-three on the merit of 96 points despite zero first-place votes. The coaches' poll was voted on by all 12 head coaches. Coaches could not vote for their own institution.
 
Men's Coaches' Poll (first-place votes)

1. 1. UCCS – 117 (7)
2. 2. Colorado School of Mines – 113 (4)
3. 3. Western Colorado – 96
4. 4. Colorado Mesa – 84 (1)
5. 5. Adams State – 80
6. 6. CSU Pueblo – 78
7. 7. Chadron State – 55
8. 8. Black Hills State – 53
9. T.9. Colorado Christian – 40
10. T-9. MSU Denver – 40
11. 11. South Dakota Mines - 22
12. 12. Westminster – 14

 
Women's Coaches' Poll (first-place votes)

1. UCCS – 118 (8)
2. Western Colorado – 99 (1)
3. Colorado School of Mines – 98 (2)
4. Adams State – 95
5. Colorado Mesa – 90 (1)
6. CSU Pueblo – 73
7. Black Hills State – 57
8. MSU Denver – 45
9. Chadron State – 44
10. Colorado Christian – 31
11. South Dakota Mines – 24
12. Westminster - 18

UP NEXT
Mines continues its Front Range series next weekend inside Steinhauer Fieldhouse. As per the campus policy, fans will not be allowed, but live results will be available at www.minesathletics.com/tracklive.
 
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.