Final Results

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines won its first-ever women's team title as the 2024 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships concluded on Sunday.

The Oredigger women finished a historic double after capturing the 2024 indoor crown as well, scoring 144 points to beat out Colorado Mesa (123) and Adams State (120). The men finished third in a very close team race at the top as UCCS won with 178 points, Colorado Mesa was second at 166.5, and Mines scored 164.5.

Everett Delate won the 110m hurdles and was the 400m hurdles silver medalist, Avery Wright claimed the heptathlon championship, Tim Thompson took home 800m gold, and Logan Bocovich won the 5,000m to lead Sunday's individual champions. 

The women's 5,000m proved decisive in the team race as Mines entered the meet's penultimate event with a 129-121 lead over Colorado Mesa, and clinched the team title thanks to a combined 11 team points as Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge (16:48.72) won the bronze medal a day after taking 10K gold, Molly Maksin finished sixth (17:07.53), and Holly Moser took seventh (17:11.94). Margaux Basart placed 10th in 17:35.16 and Grace Strongman was 11th in 17:37.56. 

The men needed to overcome a 27.5-point deficit with two events left, and nearly made up the gap with their 5K as they scored five runners for a combined 24 points led by Bocovich, who ran away at the end for a track-record 14:28.97 gold medal. Duncan Fuehne, the 10K champion on Friday, was third in 14:30.69, while Paul Knight (14:40.18), John O'Malley (14:46.66), and Dawson Gunn (14:47.10) took spots 6, 7, and 8 respectively. JP Rutledge ran ninth in 14:48.91, Daniel Appleford was 13th in 14:56.95, and Matt Mettler finished 14th in 14:58.12.

Delate and Rhett Cullers got on the 110m hurdle podium as Delate defended his 2023 championship in a track-record 14.07 to win by more than a half-second. Cullers ran a personal-best 14.76 for the bronze medal, and Coulton Chan added team points with his fifth-place 14.90. Delate would later add the silver medal in the 400m hurdles, taking second in a photo finish at a personal-best 51.96, the NCAA #13 time this season. Allison Comer and Aani Hardesty both scored in the women's 400m hurdle final as Comer finished fifth in 1:01.20 and Hardesty sixth in 1:01.59; those represent the two fastest times in program history as Comer reset her program record for a third time this season and Hardesty was under her previous best. 

Carrying the heptathlon lead overnight through four events, Avery Wright started Sunday off with a 5.31m long jump, but outclassed the field with a huge personal best in the javelin, throwing 38.31m (the #2 performance all-time at Mines) before running another PR in the 800m, finishing second in 2:25.46. Her total of 4,931 resets her own program record by 31 points. Meanwhile, Lisa Sutherland moved up throughout the day to finish fifth, marking 5.34m in the long jump, 27.22m in the javelin, and 2:37.92 in the 800m to compile 4,264 points, the #5 all-time program performance. 

In track finals, Thompson completed the indoor/outdoor sweep of the 800m as he won a close men's final in 1:52.26. Mines scored two men in the 1,500m final as Alberto Campa ran 3:51.46 for sixth, and Brock Drengenberg was a spot behind at 3:52.36. Riley McGrath ran 4:30.07 to finish eighth in the women's 1,500m final. Aryelle Wright doubled up on finals, finishing sixth in the 400m in 56.95 seconds, and eighth in the 800m in 2:22.05. The Oredigger women competed in the seldom-run 4x100 relay with Wright, Grace Galvin, Randi Higashi, and Lexye Wood running 48.67 for seventh place. 

Mines scored three men in the shot put led by silver medalist Brody Welch, who surpassed his personal best three times on his series before unloading a 16.75m throw - the #2 performance in program history - on his final attempt to clinch second. Franklin Rambo also hit a PR of 15.20m on his third attempt to place fifth, and Hayden Swim got into the points with his eighth-place 14.77m. Cade Whish was 10th at 14.25m. Kitt Rupar finished fourth in the women's shot put with a best toss of 14.42m.

Claire Kintzley and Nicholas Nijkamp both scored in the triple jump, with Kintzley fourth in the women's event and Nijkamp eighth in the men's. Kintzley carried a best jump of 11.88m - her personal best and only a centimeter off the program record - forward from the first round to stay in fourth place. Meanwhile Nijkamp was eighth after making finals from the first flight, recording first-round best of 13.35m, but bettering that in finals with a 13.58m fifth attempt to score a team point. 

The meet-ending 4x400 relay didn't end up mattering for the Mines women, who ran 3:48.08 for fifth with Higashi, Galvin, Hardesty, and Comer on the baton. The men ran a 4x400 for the first time all season and came away with a seventh-place 3:23.25 with Elijah Quinby, Cullers, Delate, and Thompson on the relay. 

Pending any last chance additions, the Orediggers will next compete at the NCAA Championships in Emporia, Kan. on May 23-25.