Roadrunners Invitational – Saturday, Sept. 20 – 8:30 a.m. [Meet Info] [Live Results]
Denver, Colo. – Washington Park

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LET'S GET IT STARTED
Many collegiate cross country teams have already kicked off their 2024 campaigns, but Colorado School of Mines has not. That all changes Saturday morning when the Oredigger men and women toe the line at the 2024 Roadrunners Invitational hosted by MSU Denver at Washington Park. It's a full day of racing with both collegiate and high school competitions. The collegiate men's race is slated to start at 8:30 a.m. The collegiate women's race follows at 9:15 a.m. There will be awards for the college races before prep action begins at 10 a.m.
 
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING
Saturday marks one of the best opportunities for Oredigger fans in the Denver metro to catch Mines' men and women in person. With that in mind, those planning to attend should read this section carefully. The official address of iconic Washington Park is 1700 E Louisiana Ave., Denver, CO, 80210. The best parking will be at Denver South High School in the lot on the corner of Louisiana Avenue and Franklin Street. The Washington Park entrance closest to the start line is at Mississippi and Franklin. Specific directions can be found at the Meet Information link above.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The best way to keep up with the races would be to attend in person, especially since its free. If traveling to Washington Park is not an option, there will be live results available for both college races. There will not be any live video.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Despite a late-weekend outlook filled with moisture and cooler temperatures, Saturday morning offers potentially perfect race conditions. At 7 a.m. on Saturday, the forecast is clear with a light wind and a temperature just below 60 degrees. By 9 a.m., the clear conditions and light breeze should hold while the temperature barely breaks the 60-degree mark. By noon, well after the completion of collegiate racing, some clouds will move in, but the temps will stay under 70 degrees. No need for rain jackets, but sunscreen and multiple layers of clothing would be advised.
 
COURSE PREVIEW
Part of what makes Washington Park a great venue for cross country and what will make Saturday morning a thrilling experience for fans is the compact, spectator-friendly nature of the course. A large majority of the race will take place in the green space of Washington Park between Grasmere Lake to the south and Smith Lake to the north. The starting line is located closest to Grasmere Lake, just north of the Franklin Street parking lots. The women's 6K is two 3,000-meter loops and the men's 8K is one 2,000-meter loop followed by two 3K laps. The terrain is relatively flat and the course is mostly grass making for an extremely fast race.
 
GUEST LIST
The list of programs entered in the 2024 Roadrunners Invitational cross country race is hefty. Part of that could have to do with the 2024 NCAA Division II South Central Region Championships slated to run the same course, but we'll cover that part later. According to the entries on the live results, the men's side features Adams State, Central Wyoming (NJCAA), Chadron State, Colorado (DI), Colorado Christian, Colorado College (DIII), Colorado Mesa, Colorado Mountain College (NJCAA), Colorado School of Mines, CSU Pueblo, Fort Lewis, MSU Denver, New Mexico Highlands, Regis, St. Edward's, Texas A&M-International, UCCS, and Westminster – a total of 18 programs with student-athletes running in uniform. The women's race includes all of the same teams except for Colorado College and CSU Pueblo while Colorado Sate (DI) is a unique addition for a total of 17 schools. Not every team listed has five individuals entered to participate in the team scoring. Additionally, the list of programs entered does not include unattached competitors. Overall, 12 out of 15 schools from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will be represented. Absentee RMAC programs are Black Hills State, South Dakota Mines, and Western Colorado.
 
HEAVY HITTERS
Saturday's event will bring together a plethora of nationally-ranked cross country programs across all three divisions of the NCAA. Eight men's teams and eight women's teams are ranked or receiving votes in their respective national polls put together by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA). For the men, Mines is tied for #2, Adams State is #6, CSU Pueblo sits #14, Colorado Christian is #15, Fort Lewis is #18, and UCCS is #20 at the NCAA Division II level. Additionally, Colorado is #21 in NCAA Division I and Colorado College's men are receiving votes in the DIII poll. The women's race features top-ranked Adams State along with #9 UCCS, #12 Mines, #19 Fort Lewis, and #23 Colorado Christian with MSU Denver receiving votes. Both DI programs in the entries for the women are ranked as well with Colorado at #27 and Colorado State receiving votes.
 
OREDIGGER ENTRIES – MEN
Mines Head Coach Chris Siemers has 12 men entered to race in uniform on Saturday. Friends and families may notice other Orediggers running unattached as well. For the men, Max Bonenberger, Jeremy Gillett, Ethan Grolnic, Paul Knight, Matthew Mettler, Rowan Nicholas, Andreas O'Malley, Alex Shaw, Braden Struhs, Shalom Trowbridge, Jeremiah Vaille, and Chandler Wilburn will represent and look to score for Mines. Of those 12 men, Gillett, Nicholas, O'Malley, Trowbridge, and Wilburn will be racing in a collegiate cross country race wearing an Oredigger uniform for the first time.
 
OREDIGGER ENTRIES – WOMEN
Coach Siemers also has 12 women entered to race in uniform on Saturday with a number of unattached runners as well. Margaux Basart, Avary Catchings, Imani Fernandez-Gorbea, Maria Forster, Lexi Herr, Gabriela Kenly, Emily LeMena, Ashleigh Loe, Josie Mejia, Emma Nelson, Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, and Grace Strongman will be those from Mines in an Oredigger uniform. Catchings, Forster, and LaMena are all slated to make their collegiate cross country debuts with Mines on their chest.
 
ROADRUNNERS INVITATIONAL HISTORY
The Orediggers have competed at the Roadrunners Invitational multiple times over the years and they have won numerous titles. Last season, the men finished second as a team, trailing only nationally-ranked Air Force. Jeremiah Vaille was the top individual for Mines in third place. The women won the team title in 2023, putting on a display of team running with Molly Maksin leading the way as she took seventh. Josie Mejia, Ashleigh Loe, Callen Nash, and Imani Fernandez-Gorbea put all five of the Oredigger scorers inside the top-20. Additional notable history for Mines at the Roadrunners Invitational are some of the top times in course history. Alum and cross country all-American Chris Cathcart still owns the men's 8K record thanks to his 24:17 pace in 2021. Fellow all-American and alum Duncan Fuehne also ranks fifth on the all-time list with his 24:39 in the same race. The women's all-time list features Mines GOAT Zoe Baker at eighth with a 21:31 in 2021. Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge is right behind, touting a 21:31 from 2022. It's worth noting that the men's course in 2022 was actually 7.8K so no times from that race appear on the all-time list.
 
WE'LL BE BACK
Mines cross country is slated to return to Washington Park later this season to compete at the 2024 NCAA Division II South Central Region Championships on Saturday, Nov. 9. The regional race was also run at Washing Park in 2022 with the 2023 RMAC Cross Country Championships hosted there as well. Mines' men won gold at each of the races listed and the Oredigger women brought home silver. The hope for November is matching or improving on those finishes. Those accomplishments don't include multiple individual titles and numerous all-region finishes – all at iconic Washington Park.
 
IN THE POLLS
Both the RMAC and USTFCCCA released their preseason coaches' polls earlier this month. The USTFCCCA rankings placed the men of Mines #3 in the nation and the Oredigger women #14. The first national rankings of the regular season, released earlier this week, saw the men climb into a tie for #2 and the women up to #12 without even running a race. Within the RMAC, Mines' men were picked to win a sixth consecutive title while the women came in at #2.
 
KEY RETURNERS
The beauty of teams coached by Chris Siemers is fans never really know what the Orediggers have until a new star emerges. That makes the potential list of key returners quite lengthy as anyone could explode at any time. Even so, there are some proven performers on Mines' 2024 rosters. The men's squad brings back cross country all-Americans in Logan Bocovich, and Loci Scomparin. Additionally, the aforementioned trio along with Max Bonenberger and Alberto Campa boast all-American finishes on the track. Cross country all-American returners for the women include Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge and Grace Strongman. That duo owns multiple all-American awards on the track as do Margaux Basart and Imani Fernandez-Gorbea.
 
FRESH FACES
Coach Siemers brought 17 newcomers to Golden in the offseason to bolster his men's and women's rosters. That number includes 15 true freshmen, one transfer, and one addition from the Mines track & field roster. Karina Andersen represents Mines' lone transfer in 2024 after she competed at NCAA Division I Colorado the last three years. Avary Catchings has raced for Oredigger track & field since 2022-23 and joins the cross country team for the first time in 2024. The true freshmen for the men and women are James Beam, Zach Dykstra, Daniel Falk, Cole Fiorillo, Connor Graves, Julian Ryter, Jacob Schwarting, Ryan Willems, Parker Wood, Cody Wyman, Angela Friedman, Haley Hilderbrant, Abby Malinowski, Katie Price, and Kara Tokubo.
 
REMEMBERING 2023
One paragraph for any given Mines cross country season never seems sufficient, but the writer will do his best. Last season, the Oredigger men won a fifth consecutive RMAC title and a fifth straight region title. They ended up as the national runner-up to Wingate at the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships thanks to all-American finishes from Loic Scomparin, Duncan Fuehne, Logan Bocovich, and Paul Knight. Mines' women swept silver at the conference and regional races. At the national meet, they matched the best finish in program history with team bronze. Holly Moser, Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge, Clare Peters, and Molly Maksin were all-Americans for the Oredigger women.
 
SCHEDULE SNAPSHOT
Overall, the Mines cross country schedule features six guaranteed races with high hopes for a seventh. Regular-season running will take place at the Roadrunners Invitational, the Ted Castaneda Classic hosted by Colorado College in Colorado Springs on Oct. 5, the UCCS XC Open in Colorado Springs on Oct. 11, and the Lewis Crossover Invitational in Romeoville, Ill., on Oct. 12. Postseason competition begins at the RMAC Cross Country Championships in Las Vegas, N.M, on Oct. 26. The regional championships are slated for Oct. 9 at Washington Park. If all goes well, the Orediggers will close their season at the 2024 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships on Nov. 23 in Sacramento, Calif.
 
THE BOSS
Still not Bruce Springsteen, but still potentially equally legendary. Colorado School of Mines Cross Country Head Coach Chris Siemers is in his 13th season at the helm for the Oredigger men and women. Headlining his resume are three NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships which Mines' men brought home in 2015, 2019, and 2022. Siemers' men's teams have had 35 individuals earn 63 cross country all-America honors. That has led to seven RMAC crowns (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) and six NCAA South Central Regional titles (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023). No men's team coached by Siemers has ever finished lower than fifth in the nation. On the women's side, 10 individuals have posted 15 Cross Country All-America finishes. As a team, the women earned their first national podium finish in 2019 by finishing third at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. They added a second in 2021 by taking fourth place. The last two seasons have seen the women match their best finish in program history at the national race, taking third and extending their podium run to four straight. Mines' women have finished as high as #2 at both the RMAC and regional championships on multiple occasions including 2023.
 
MORE SIEMERS
One section just wasn't enough for a Mines legend. Thanks to the team accomplishments listed above, Coach Siemers boasts the following awards on his resume. He is a three-time USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country National Coach of the Year, a CaptainU Division II Men's Cross Country College Coach of the Year, six-time USTFCCCA South Central Region Men's Coach of the Year and seven-time RMAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. In the classroom, Siemers' squads have had 23 Orediggers rack up 49 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America honors along with three Academic All-America of the Year awards. They have also brought home two Brechler Awards honoring the RMAC's highest team GPA. Finally, and arguably most importantly, Siemers was inducted into the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 30, 2023, as part of the men's 2015 national championship team.
 
HUSTED HITS GOLD – AGAIN
Oredigger assistant coach, Colorado School of Mines graduate, and Mines Athletics Hall of Fame member Dr. Mark Husted has won multiple world titles after a successful summer at the World Masters Athletics Championships. He took gold in the 5,000-meter run which added to his 5K crown won in 2022. While a student-athlete at Mines, Dr. Husted was a six-time USTFCCCA All-American and two-time NCAA Division II National Champion.
 
LEGENDS ON STAFF
The Colorado School of Mines cross country coaching staff is chalk full of decorated alumni. While the aforementioned Dr. Husted has worked with the team since 2011, both Grant Colligan and Chloe Colligan (nee Cook) joined the staff in 2022, and Dr. Chloe Gustafson came on board over the summer of 2024. Grant Colligan competed in cross country and track & field at Mines from 2014-2020 and earned 10 USTFCCCA All-America awards while helping the Oredigger men win the first national championship in the history of Mines Athletics in 2015. He was part of the Hall of Fame induction in 2023. Chloe Colligan, who competed at Mines as Chloe Cook from 2014-19 was a three-time USTFCCCA All-American including two honors in the mile. She was the #1 runner for Mines' women in 2019 when they took third in the nation, marking the first podium finish in program history. Gustafson ran for Mines from 2011-15. She was a two-time USTFCCCA All-American for the Orediggers including a seventh-place finish in the 3,000-meter run at the 2015 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, and a 13th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.  Also on staff are volunteer assistants Steven Goldy and Max Sevcik. Goldy was a four-time USTFCCCA All-American between cross country and track & field and a member of the 2022 national championship team. Sevcik was a member of the 2019 men's cross country team and the 2022 squad, both which won national titles. He was also a USTFCCCA All-Region and First-Team All-RMAC runner for the cross country team. Goldy and Sevcik are both pursuing doctoral degrees from Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines has two weeks off before heading to Colorado Springs on Oct. 5 for the Ted Castaneda Classic hosted by Colorado College at Monument Valley Park North. A full preview and applicable live coverage information will be posted the week of the race at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines cross country on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @csmtrack. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.