2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships – May 26-28
GVSU Lacrosse/Track & Field Stadium – Allendale, Mich. [Schedule] [Entries] [Live Results] [Live Video]

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ULTIMATE FINALE
Thursday, Friday and Saturday mark the ultimate season finale for the Colorado School of Mines Men's and Women's Track & Field teams as they head to the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The three-day event will be held in Allendale, Mich., on the campus of Grand Valley State. Everything from podium appearances to all-America awards and even NCAA Division II National Championships will be on the line as some Orediggers put a bow on their careers while others make their debut at the national meet.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Free live video and live results will be offered for all three days of the NCAA Championships. Video is provided by the NCAA and linked at www.minesathletics.com, above, or by going to www.ncaa.com/live. Live results are linked HERE and above.
 
WEATHER FORECAST
The first two days of the national meet offer a less than favorable forecast with rain, showers and temperatures ranging from 50-75 degrees. Championship Saturday gives way to partly cloudy skies and a high of 73 degrees with only a 20-percent chance of precipitation. The wind projection for all three days appears to be no more than 15 mph. Layers, rain jackets and some sunscreen will all be critical for spectators.
 
HOW IT WORKS
The overall format has been covered in the past for both the conference championships and the indoor national meet. However, some may be new to the game or have forgotten how postseason track & field works. Outside of the hardware on the line, the biggest difference between the NCAA Championships and the regular season is team scoring. In events considered finals, first place earns 10 team points, second takes eight points, third claims six points while fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth places bring home five, four, three, two and one points, respectively. Preliminary events historically advance anywhere from 9-12 individuals to finals with the top one or two from each heat advancing regardless of time rankings. Individual awards feature First-Team All-America and Second-Team All-America. The top eight finishers in individual and relay events earn First-Team All-America honors from the USTFCCCA. Individuals finishing 9-12 take home Second-Team All-America distinction while relays ranked 9-10 are Second-Team All-America. While it may seem obvious, it bears noting that individual first-place finishers in events considered finals will be crowned national champions. Each men's and women's team with the most total points after three days will also bring home a national title.
 
OREDIGGER QUALIFIERS
Mines' men and women will send a total of 17 Orediggers to compete in Michigan with a total of 20 entries in tow. Making up the group for the Oredigger men are Duncan Fuehne, Steven Goldy, Luke Julian, Andrew Kaye, Dylan Ko, Jake Mitchem, Kyle Moran, Hunter Potrykus, Dillon Powell, Grant Redmond and Loic Scomparin. Representing Mines' women will be Zoe Baker, Avery Herbold, Molly Maksin, Hannah Miller, Lexye Wood and Aryelle Wright. Further down this preview is an in-depth look at each event featuring Orediggers.
 
BASIC SCHEDULE
A full schedule of events can be found linked above, at www.minesathletics.com and on the live results page as well. That being said, here is a basic breakdown of when Orediggers will be competing. All times listed are mountain Mines' Thursday starts at 12 p.m. (MT) with the men's pole vault. Opening day also features the 1,500-meter prelims, the 3,000-meter steeplechase prelims, the men's final in the 10,000-meter run and the women's 10K final. Friday's slate is small for the Orediggers as the men's high jump goes off at 1:30 p.m. (MT) with the women's 800-meter prelims and the men's steeplechase final to follow. Championship Saturday starts at 10:30 a.m. Events that day featuring Mines include the women's pole vault, the women's high jump, the men's 1,500-meter final, the women's 800-meter final, the men's 5,000-meter final and the women's 5K final.
 
GVSU LACROSSE/TRACK & FIELD STADIUM
In an effort to learn more about the facility hosting this weekend's events, the author has copy and pasted the exact description from Grand Valley State's website. In replacing the old intramural fields near The Meadows driving range, GVSU has built a new facility to meet the needs of the growing athletic department. Located on the west side of the soccer field, this complex is the host to the outdoor track and field programs as well as the new women's varsity lacrosse team. The new track area has become a practice facility and is able to host visiting teams for track meets. With a full nine lane, 400m track, the facility also has areas for field events such as the pole vault and throws. Inside the track there is a full-sized field lined for lacrosse that serves as the home stadium when the Lakers compete in the spring.
The facility also has team and visiting locker rooms, control room, and a press box near the stadium stands. Intramural fields also have been added on the west side of the track/lacrosse stadium. All of the fields have lights for competition at night. And now you know.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association released its pre-national rankings on Tuesday with Mines' men sitting ninth and the women checking in at 26. West Texas A&M is the favorite to win the men's title, but host squad Grand Valley State is right behind at #2. Azusa Pacific is #1 on the women's side with WTAMU's women sitting #2 and the hosting Lakers locked in at #3. Other RMAC men's programs in the top-25 include Adams State (5), CSU Pueblo (11) and UCCS (14). Women's teams from the conference in the top-25 are Adams State (5), UCCS (14), Colorado Mesa (16) and CSU Pueblo (24).
 
MINES AT THE NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
This season marks the second consecutive year that Grand Valley State as hosted the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Last year, Mines' men had their most successful NCAA Championships in program history by finishing #6 with 36 total points. It marked the highest finish and the most team points ever scored by an Oredigger men's track & field team. Mines' women found success as well, finishing 35th with 6.5 teams points. It marked the third-most points in program history and the most since totaling 14 in 2004. It also marked the fourth-highest ranking and the best ranking since finishing tied for #33 in 2006. Overall, the Oredigger men and women collected 15 USTFCCCA All-America awards which marked a combined program best. The previous high was 11 all-Americans in 2019. Eleven of the 15 2021 all-Americans were on the first team resulting in another program record. Mines' previous top mark in podium appearances (first-team) was seven in 2000. The Oredigger men have scored points at 15 consecutive national meets and 21 total dating back to 1987. Mines' women have scored points in six of the last seven NCAA Outdoor Championships and 12 overall. Their highest finish came in 1987 with a tie for 13th. Mines' women scored their highest point total in 2004 with 14. In total, Colorado School of Mines Track & Field touts five individual national champions including Jake Pinkston (pole vault) in 2018, Mark Husted (800m) in 2010, Mack McLain (1,500m) in 2010, Hannah Dave-Briggs (steeplechase) in 2004, and Jason Brockel (400m hurdles) in 1989.
 
THE RUNDOWN
As promised, below is a breakdown of each event featuring Orediggers. The list runs in the order in which Mines will compete on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
 
MEN'S POLE VAULT – THURSDAY – 2 P.M. (ET)/12 P.M. (MT)
Hunter Potrykus is Mines' lone representative in the men's pole vault and he will be the first Oredigger to enter competition this weekend. It marks Potrykus' third appearance at a national meet but it is his outdoor championships debut. While the true sophomore cleared the NCAA-provisional height multiple times throughout the season, his top bar was 5.20 meters (17-0.75) which sends him to Allendale tied for #9 in the nation. His top national finish in his career was #14 at the 2022 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships earlier this spring in Pittsburg, Kan.
 
MEN'S 1,500-METER RUN – THURSDAY – 5:10 P.M. (ET)/3:10 P.M. (MT)
This preliminary race features an Oredigger mainstay in Luke Julian. The RMAC's defending champion in the event punched his ticket on the very last weekend of competition at the CSU Pueblo Last Chance Invitational. His converted seed time of 3:45.00 sends him to Michigan ranked #23 in the nation, but he did race to USTFCCCA First-Team All-America distinction in the event in 2019 when he finished #6 in Kingsville, Texas. Julian also owns three all-America awards in the indoor mile. If he's able to advance to the finals, he will run again on Saturday at 2:25 p.m. (ET)/12:25 p.m. (MT).
 
MEN'S 3,000-METER STEEPLECHASE – THURSDAY – 6:40 P.M. (ET)/4:40 P.M. (MT)
Jake Mitchem returns to Grand Valley State to run the 3,000-meter steeplechase after finishing #3 in the nation in the very same event on the very same track in 2021. Overall, he's a two-time all-American in the event and enters the weekend ranked #2 in the nation. His seed time of 8:37.87 came at the Stanford Invitational earlier this season and is unofficially the 10th fastest time in the history of NCAA Division II. If Mitchem advances to the finals, he'll race for a national title on Friday at 7:15 p.m. (ET)/5:15 p.m. (MT).
 
MEN'S 10,000-METER RUN – THURSDAY – 8:10 P.M. (ET)/6:10 P.M. (MT)
It's the biggest event of the day and the second-largest Oredigger field of the weekend. Mines owns four spots in the 23-man final event including Dillon Powell, Kyle Moran, Duncan Fuehne and Andrew Kaye. No other team has more individuals entered, but the home squad Grand Valley State does have three Lakers entered including Isaac Harding who was the national runner-up in 2021. Powell is seeded #2 thanks to his 28:22.78 performance at the Stanford Invitational. He also raced to RMAC gold in the same event less than a month ago. Moran and Fuehne enter the race ranked #7 and #8, respectively. They earned their spots by racing at the Mines Kit Mayer Classic in the middle of the week after dark. Kaye rounds out the Oredigger field ranked #21 thanks to his run at the Mt. SAC Relays. Last season, Dylan Ko and Kyle Moran finished #3 and #6 in the nation, respectively. Powell focused on the 5K at outdoor nationals in 2021.
 
WOMEN'S 10,000-METER RUN – THURSDAY – 8:50 P.M. (ET)/6:50 P.M. (MT)
The first Oredigger women of the weekend will be Zoe Baker and Molly Maksin in the final event of the opening day. In 2021, Baker finished #7 in the nation in the 10K. She'll enter the 2022 edition of the race ranked #6 in all of NCAA Division II. Maksin is a three-time all-American between cross country and indoor track & field, but Thursday will mark her debut at outdoor nationals. She's currently ranked #15 in the nation in the 10K. Of note is her top-25 finish at the cross country championships in the fall and a #8 finish in the 5K at last year's indoor championships. Both Baker and Maksin punched their tickets at the Stanford Invitational, running at sea level.
 
MEN'S HIGH JUMP – FRIDAY – 3:30 P.M. (ET)/1:30 P.M. (MT)
Grant Redmond returns to the venue where he earned his best national finish ever after placing #6 in the nation at last year's NCAA Championships. All Redmond has done is qualify for national meets. The true junior has never failed to qualify for any NCAA Championship – indoor or outdoor. This season, he enters the weekend tied for #10 in the nation after clearing 2.12 meters (6-11.5) to claim RMAC gold at the conference championships less than a month ago. Fans may recognize or have heard of Redmond from his feature and cameo appearances on @CSMtrack's Instagram.
 
WOMEN'S 800-METER RUN – FRIDAY – 6:15 P.M. (ET)/4:15 P.M. (MT)
Aryelle Wright is another Oredigger that has perennially qualified for NCAA Championships. Since the COVID-19 shutdown, the true junior has punched her ticket to three consecutive national meets including two indoor editions and the 2021 outdoor event. Wright is the fastest 800m runner in the history of Mines women's track & field and she carries a converted seed time of 2:09.41 from the Kit Mayer Classic. She's ranked #23 in the nation, but will look to punch her first ticket to a national final ever which would be run on Saturday at 3:55 p.m. (ET)/1:55 p.m. (MT). Wright's best national finish in the 800 meters was #9 at the indoor championships earlier this spring.
 
WOMEN'S POLE VAULT – SATURDAY – 12:30 P.M. (ET)/10:30 A.M. (MT)
Hannah Miller and Avery Herbold will open Championship Saturday for Mines in the women's pole vault. Miller is a four-time all-American in the event with a top national finish of #4 from last year's outdoor championships. Herbold will be making her NCAA Championships debut after winning RMAC gold less than a month ago. She upped her ranking to a tied for #14 after clearing 4.05 meters (13-3.5) at the CSU Pueblo Last Chance Invitational. Miller enters the weekend ranked #4 in the nation thanks to her bar of 4.20 meters (13-9.25) on April 20 at the Kit Mayer Classic.
 
WOMEN'S HIGH JUMP – SATURDAY – 2:05 P.M. (ET)/12:05 P.M. (MT)
The final day of the outdoor championships is a day for the Oredigger women and Lexye Wood continues it by making her NCAA Championships debut. Wood, the best woman high jumper in Oredigger history, earned her berth on the final weekend of competition in a wild, tiebreaking jump-off at the CSU Pueblo Last Chance Invite. She eventually cleared 1.71 meters (5-7.25) which gave her the program record and tied her for #20 in the nation this season. Wood's clearance broke the record previously held by Gina Nichols who is the only Mines woman to earn all-America status in the high jump – ever. If Wood can finish top-12, she'll be the first Oredigger woman to be a high jump all-American since 2003.
 
MEN'S 5,000-METER RUN – SATURDAY – 5:00 P.M. (ET)/3:00 P.M. (MT)
This event marks Mines' biggest race of the weekend with Duncan Fuehne, Steven Goldy, Dylan Ko, Dillon Powell and Loic Scomparin all in finals race. It's also the second-to-last track event prior to the running of the relays which mark the end of the championships. Ko, Powell and Scomparin have all claimed all-America status in the 5K multiple times and they did all three did it last season on the same track. In that race, Scomparin led the way by taking #4 in the nation and Powell was right behind at #5 on the podium. Fuehne's run will be his first at an outdoor national meet, and Goldy will be making his DII championship debut. The seeding for Saturday's 5K includes Scomparin at #12, Powell at #13, Ko at #16, Goldy at #22 and Fuehne at #23. Also notable is that the men's 5K marks the second race of the weekend for Fuehne and Powell who are the only Orediggers competing in multiple events at the 2022 championships.
 
WOMEN'S 5,000-METER RUN – SATURDAY – 5:25 P.M. (ET)/5:25 P.M. (MT)
Zoe Baker will close Mines' appearance at the 2022 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships by appearing in the third national 5K of her career. However, it will mark the first time that Baker will run the 5,000 meters at the outdoor national meet. Her best finish indoors was #3 in 2021. Arguably the best distance runner in the history of Mines' women, the Longmont, Colo., holds program record in the 3K, indoor 5K, outdoor 5K and the 10K – all by hefty margins. She's also an eight-time USTFCCCA All-American between cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. Baker's seed time of 16:27.83 came at the Mt. SAC Relays, but she also won RMAC silver at the conference championships. She enters the weekend ranked #17 in the 5K which will also be her second race of the weekend.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
After the NCAA Championships, Mines will prepare for competition next fall with cross country and next winter with indoor track & field. Multiple awards have yet to be announced including the CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America teams. All awards will be posted at www.minesathletics.com and on Twitter at @MinesAthletics.
 
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.