Day 1 Results
Championship Central

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Duncan Fuehne's meet record led a Colorado School of Mines sweep in the men's 10,000m, and Kitt Rupar collected a pair of medals to highlight the first day of the 2024 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Colorado Mesa.

Fuehne, Dawson Gunn, and John O'Malley stood on the podium as Mines took the top seven places in the 10K, while Rupar won silver in the discus and bronze in the hammer with Grant Redmond earning the men's high jump bronze as well.

With four events scored, the Mines men lead the meet with 48 points, while the second are second with 17.5 through three events. The first day of the meet was twice delayed by lightning, and the women's 10,000m was halted six laps in by the second lightning delay; that race will be made up at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Fuehne and Gunn both ran under the previous meet record of 30:10.06 set by Oredigger Luc Hagan in 2019 as Fuehne set a pace of 29:56.82 and Gunn crossed in 29:57.26. They were just two of seven Orediggers that controlled the race from gun to tape, with O'Malley coming in third in 30:23.46, JP Rutledge fourth in 30:31.13, Paul Knight fifth at 30:31.24, Logan Bocovich sixth in 30:31.29, and Andrew Kaye seventh in 30:31.47. In total, Mines scored a massive 38 points from the event.

Rupar double medaled on Day 1, earning silver in the discus and bronze in the hammer throw to score 14 team points for the Orediggers. Rupar started off her three-event weekend with a 51.16m hammer best for third place, and after the second lightning delay, uncorked a personal-best 46.78m - the #2 performance all-time at Mines - to take second in the discus. Davin Kiesby scored in the men's hammer throwing 53.32m for sixth, with Brody Welch ninth at 50.68m and Hayden Swim 22nd at 41.48m. Cade Whish scored in the discus with a personal-best 42.40m to place eighth, and Franklin Rambo was a spot behind at 42.09m with Swim 23rd at 35.06m.

Redmond earned the bronze medal in the men's high jump, clearing 1.99m to add six team points to Mines' total. Lexye Wood tied for fifth in the women's high jump with a best bar of 1.62m, scoring 3.5 team points.

In track prelims, Riley McGrath went through on time to the women's 1,500m final in 4:33.68, while Brock Drengenberg (3:52.00) and Alberto Campa (3:52.32) were automatic qualifiers in the men's prelims. Matt Mettler finished 17th in 4:00.51 and Daniel Appleford was 24th in 4:11.18. In the women's 400m dash, Aryelle Wright ran just two ticks off her personal best to automatically qualify for finals in 56.48, with Grace Galvin finishing 10th in 58.07 and Randi Higashi 13th in 58.60. Allison Comer and Aani Hardesty both moved through the 400m hurdle finals as Comer ran 1:02.27 and Hardesty 1:03.97. Defending champion Everett Delate qualified for the men's final in 54.04, with Elijah Quinby finishing 13th in 56.16 and Rhett Cullers 14th in 56.26.

Day 2 of the meet starts at 8 a.m. Saturday.