Colorado Running Company UCCS Invitational
Hosted by UCCS - Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - Colorado Springs, Colo.
[Schedule] [RMAC Network] [Live Results] [Heat Sheets]

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OREDIGGERS RETURN AT UCCS
After a long winter break, the indoor track & field season resumes Saturday as Colorado School of Mines heads to Colorado Springs for the UCCS Invitational. The one-day meet will feature a full slate of Oredigger field athletes as well as track sprinters; the meet will stream live on the RMAC Network with live results available courtesy of UCCS. Saturday's schedule begins in the field at 11:30 a.m. with track events starting at 12:30 p.m.

IN THE POLLS
Coming off the first conference indoor championship in program history, the Mines women topped the RMAC preseason coaches' poll announced earlier this week, with the men appearing third. With large groups of returning NCAA scorers, both teams should figure into the national polls when the USTFCCCA announces its first ratings index on Jan. 22.

SEASON REWIND
For most of the team, this will be their first action since Dec. 1-2; only pentathlete Avery Wright competed at the UCCS Pre-Holiday Invite on Dec. 8. Mines' pole vaulters highlighted the first night of the Mines Alumni Classic on Dec. 1 as the men swept the top four places led by Hunter Potrykus' 5.12m and Kai Miller's 4.82m, and the women had three NCAA provisional clearances led by Hannah Miller's 4.11m along with Dale Thompson and Avery Herbold getting over 3.86m. On Dec. 2, it was Loic Scomparin who stole the show in Boston at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, running his collegiate all-conditions best of 13:29.35 for the third-fastest 5K in NCAA Division II history. Meanwhile in Golden, the Orediggers collected a pair of event wins including Elijah Quinby in the 400m and Fischer James Espiritu Argosino in the triple jump, while Avery Wright ran the third-fastest 60 in program history at 7.74 seconds and Garrett Halbrooks had a good season-opening 60 of 6.95. 

WHO'S BACK
The Orediggers return a wealth of experience and national-caliber performers for 2023-24, including a dozen 2023 indoor all-Americans. The group is headlined by defending national pole vault champion Hannah Miller, who leads another very strong vault group for the Orediggers this season. She's joined by first-team all-Americans Zoe Baker (5,000m), Aryelle Wright (800m), Loic Scomparin (3,000m), and Hunter Potrykus (PV), and second-team All-Americans Avery Herbold (PV), Lexye Wood (LJ), Tim Thompson (800m), Molly Maksin (3,000m and 5,000m), Duncan Fuehne (5,000m), and Everett Delate (60mH). Combined, that group of returners set or were a part of seven different program indoor records in 2022-23.

NATIONAL LIST EARLY LOOK
The Orediggers already have several entries on the national performance list early in the season, led by the aforementioned pole vault group where Miller is currently third in D-II with Thompson and Herbold tied for ninth; Lexye Wood owns a provisional long jump mark of 5.71m and is 23rd, and Avery Wright is 28th at 3,299 points in the pentathlon. For the men, Scomparin is the #2-ranked 5K runner with Max Bonenberger (14:18.81 converted) and Dawson Gunn (14:19.17 converted) 20th and 21st; Potrykus is third in the pole vault with Miller 12th. 

GETTING THAT SILVER
Six current and former Mines cross country and track & field student-athletes earned degrees at the university's winter commencement on Dec. 15, earning their silver diplomas. Current team members Max Bonenberger (B.S., chemical engineering), Matt Mettler (B.S., chemical engineering), Everett Delate (B.S., economics), and Hannah Miller (B.S., quantitative biosciences & engineering) earned their undergraduate degrees, while team alumni Clare Peters (M.S., advanced energy systems) and Amena Nelson (M.S., advanced manufacturing) received master's degrees. In addition, Delate and Miller were selected as the Presidential Senior Scholar-Athletes as the overall most outstanding graduates from Mines Athletics; Delate is a two-time all-American hurdler, while Miller was the 2023 NCAA indoor pole vault champion and a five-time NCAA podium finisher. They were also each selected as the outstanding graduates for their respective academic departments. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Orediggers will be at home next weekend for the Mines Winter Classic on Jan. 26-27 before heading to the Western Colorado Invite in Gunnison on Feb. 3.