Results

PUEBLO, Colo. - Kitt Rupar and Claire Kintzley set new program records and four Orediggers put themselves into likely nationals contention at the CSU Pueblo Last Chance on Saturday.

Rupar not only set the Mines hammer throw record, but put herself into the NCAA Division II top 15 in the process, and Noah Kelly (pole vault) and Alberto Campa and Brock Drengenberg (1,500m) added to the national top-15 performances on the penultimate weekend for qualifying.

Rupar - whose previous hammer throw best was 52.69m - went over 56 meters twice in her series, first breaking the previous Mines record of 54.34m on her fifth throw with a 56.12m mark, then improving on her sixth and final attempt to hit 56.42m. That puts her in a tie for 11th nationally; she surpassed the 2019 program record set by Gina Coleman. Competing just a day after doubling up in the shot put and discus at Air Force, Rupar again threw two events on Saturday and came in just under her personal discus best, placing second at 46.55m. 

A week after setting a personal best of 11.88m at the RMAC Championships, Kintzley recorded a solid first attempt of 11.75m, but snapped the decade-old program record on her third jump marking 11.94m under legal wind. That bests Kayla Johnson's mark of 11.89m set in 2014 for the best triple jump performance in Mines history.

Kelly cleared a new personal best of 5.08m in the men's pole vault, putting him into 11th place nationally and making his prospects for NCAA qualification more secure. Hunter Potrykus made the same height with Aidan Bennett checking in at 4.93m. Hannah Miller continued her outstanding senior season with a 4.20m pole vault best to win the women's event, while Avery Herbold came close to her season best with a 3.98m clearance, and Ava Kowalski and Dale Thompson each got over 3.83m. Grant Redmond rounded out the field performances, clearing  2.05m to top the high jump standings. 

Both Campa and Drengenberg improved their national standing in the 1,500m as Campa ran 3:48.55 and Drengenberg 3:48.60; those times convert to 3:43.74 (#10 nationally) and 3:43.79 (#12), respectively. Campa had come into the weekend ranked 26th and Drengenberg 31st. 

Other men's track results included Tim Thompson winning the 800m in a time of 1:51.69, John O'Malley running 15:16.88 to place fifth in the 5,000m, and Alex Shaw running 9:18.00 for second in the 3,000m steeplechase. For the women, Imani Fernandez-Gorbea ran a personal-best and NCAA-provisional 2:11.78 to win the 800m, Riley McGrath was fifth in the 1,500m with a 4:33.08, and Allison Comer ran 1:01.73 and Aani Hardesty 1:02.24 for second and third, respectively, in the 400m hurdles.

The Orediggers will compete in one more round of last chance action with meets at Nebraska-Kearney and Azusa Pacific next weekend.