COLORADO SPRINGS - Academic Athletes of the Year Zoe Baker and Dillon Powell led a strong showing by Colorado School of Mines on the RMAC's Outdoor Track & Field All-Academic teams announced Monday.

Baker earned the conference's highest academic honor for an incredible eighth time in her career, including all three seasons in 2022-23, while Powell captures what may be the only award he had yet to win in his decorated career. Overall, Mines student-athletes won five of the six RMAC Academic Athlete of the Year awards between cross country, indoor, and outdoor seasons this academic year.

The Oredigger men had five of the 10 First-Team Academic All-RMAC slots as Powell was joined by Everett Delate, Duncan Fuehne, Hunter Potrykus, and Loic Scomparin; Baker was joined by Hannah Miller on the women's First Team.

In addition to their seven first-team selections, Mines had 40 Academic Honor Roll selections. The 21 men on the Honor Roll included Garrett Halbrooks, Nicholas Nijkamp, Shane Conley, Joey Maguire, Andrew Kaye, Matt Mettler, Ethan Grolnic, Steven Goldy, Fischer James Espiritu Argosino, Grant Redmond, Noah Kelly, Jeremiah Vaille, Andy Gebhardt, Alberto Campa, Chris Cathcart, Arvid Veidmark IV, Davin Kiesby, Garrett Lanker, Max Sevcik, Coulton Chan, and John O'Malley. Mines' 19 women honored were Dale Thompson, Margaux Basart, Grace Strongman, Ashleigh Loe, Claire Kintzley, Allison Comer, Abbi Gillespie, Miranda Manfre, Lexi Herr, Molly Maksin, Mackenzie Duck, Lexye Wood, Lauren Kelly, Holly Moser, Aryelle Wright, Randi Higashi, Brin Strouse, Gabbi Varela, and Alex Raichart.

First-team selections must carry a 3.5 or higher GPA and be outstanding contributors on the mat, and are selected by the RMAC's sports information directors. Honor roll recipients must hold a 3.3 or greater GPA while using a season of eligibility. 

Baker, the RMAC's outdoor Academic Athlete of the Year for a second straight spring, is a double-qualifier for this week's NCAA Division II Championships in Pueblo with entries in the 5,000m and 10,000m. She is seeded fifth nationally in the 5K after breaking the program record at 16:07.72 this season, and is seeded 12th in the 10K. Baker was the RMAC silver medalist in the 5K and a First-Team All-RMAC selection. Baker is a computer science graduate student having earned her bachelor's degree in computer science last spring.

Powell also set the Mines 5K record this spring as he owns the nation's fastest time of the season at 13:30.93. Also a double-NCAA qualifier in the 5K and 10K, Powell has already captured a pair of national individual titles in cross country and the indoor 5K, and he is the defending outdoor 10K champion. Powell received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering on May 12.