David Hemery Valentine Invite Results
Gorilla Classic Results

BOSTON, Mass. and PITTSBURG, Kan. - A trio of Colorado School of Mines distance records fell and nationals spots were secured as the Orediggers competed across two meets on Friday.

At the David Hemery Valentine Invite at Boston University, Riley McGrath smashed the Mines mile record, Margaux Basart set the 3,000m mark, and Zoe Baker reset her 5,000m record to lead an exceptional day of distance racing.

McGrath crossed the line in the mile in 4:42.75, the top D-II runner in a huge field of milers, to take down the long-standing record of 4:47.69 set by Mines and RMAC Hall of Famer Heather Beresford at the 2006 NCAA Championships, which coincidentally was also in Boston at the nearby Reggie Lewis Center. McGrath's run beat that time and her own collegiate PR by nearly five seconds, and secures her spot at nationals as the current #3 season performance in D-II.

A few hours later it was Basart running a massive personal best in the 3K to finish in 9:28.24; that snapped teammate Molly Maksin's program record by more than three seconds and was 37 seconds better than her own time run earlier this season in Golden. It is the #16 national performance, putting Basart right on the bubble of her first nationals spot. 

Baker closed the night leading four Orediggers in the 5K, securing her nationals spot with a 16:12.55 time to take three and a half seconds off her PR and program record set at the 2022 NCAA Championships. It is the NCAA D-II #6 time. Meanwhile, Holly Moser ran a big PR of 16:28.56, the national #13 time, and Maksin crossed in 16:33.73, the #15 time, and Grace Strongman ran 17:12.33, her personal best and an NCAA provisional standard.

Two Orediggers contested the 800m to start the day as Aryelle Wright ran a season-best 2:10.45 and Imani Fernandez-Gorbea ran a collegiate-best 2:13.14. Both were NCAA provisional times as Wright solidified her spot in the national top 10. Grace Galvin ran a 58.53 400m time.

At the Gorilla Classic in Pittsburg, Kan., only two Orediggers were in action on Friday. Lexye Wood finished sixth in the long jump with a best mark of 5.63m, and on the track, Randi Higashi ran 27.12 in the 200m dash. 

On Saturday, the bulk of Mines' squad in Kansas will be in action, while the distance men and the women's DMR will finish things up in Boston.