USTFCCCA National Athletes of the Week

NEW ORLEANS – Mines redshirt junior Dillon Powell earned another National Athlete of the Week award from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) after winning the 2022 RMAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Durango, Colo.
 
In just his second race of the 2022 season, Powell dominated again on his way to a second straight individual crown and RMAC Runner of the Year distinction. He traversed the 8,000-meter course in 24:05.6 to win by 14.2 seconds over runner-up Afewerki Zeru of UCCS after leading by nearly 10 seconds at the 5K mark. Powell's performance anchored a 1-3-5-7-9 finish for Mines' scorers. That helped the Oredigger men bring home their fourth straight RMAC title and sixth in the last seven years thanks to 26 points. Adams State finished second as a team with 46 points. All five of Mines' scorers crossed the finish line before the Grizzlies had three.
 
Monday's announcement marks Powell's second USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week award this season. He has won the honor three times in cross country and once during indoor track & field in his career. The Air Academy graduate has run eight cross country races in uniform in his collegiate career and owns five wins.
 
The next action for the Oredigger men and women will be the NCAA South Central Region Championships on Nov. 19 at Washington Park in Denver. A full preview and live coverage information will be released at www.minesathletics.com the week leading up to the event.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines cross country 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.