COLORADO SPRINGS - Former Colorado School of Mines distance running star Heather Beresford has been elected to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2023.

Beresford, a 2019 inductee to the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame, will be inducted on Thursday, July 13 at the RMAC's annual awards banquet in Colorado Springs. 

The cross country and track standout helped led the formative years of turning the Mines womens' programs into national powers, earning nine combined all-America awards across the three seasons. In cross country, Beresford was the program's first-ever women's all-American, finishing 22nd in 2003, and she again earned the honor in 2005. On the track, Beresford was a three-time all-American in the indoor mile and also a member of the 2006 distance medley relay that reached the podium, and she also earned outdoor all-America status in the 1500m (twice) and 3000m. She was a three-time NCAA medalist with national runner-up finishes in the mile and DMR and a 1500m bronze. 

While her individual achievements speak for themselves, Beresford was part of a larger push to take Mines' program to new heights. As a freshman in 2002, she led the Oredigger cross country team's first-ever appearance at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship, and she later Mines to a fifth-place finish at the 2005 meet, the highest team finish in program history to that point. On the track, she helped Mines score for the first time ever at the NCAA outdoor meet, and the first time at the indoor meet since 1987; the Orediggers' 10th-place indoor finish in 2006 was their best in program history until just last month when the team finished eighth. 

Beresford still holds the program's indoor mile and outdoor 1500m records, and at the time of her graduation, she also held the program indoor records in the 800m, 5000m, and DMR (with the DMR not being broken until this season) plus the outdoor 800m and 5000m. 

Beresford joins former teammate and 2018 inductee Hannah Davey-Briggs in the RMAC Hall of Fame.