Results

EMPORIA, Kan. - Paul Knight earned the silver medal in the 10,000m and Braden Struhs and Jennifer Jarnagin captured podium finishes to begin Colorado School of Mines' meet at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday.

Knight was second and Struhs eighth in the men's 10,000m race, and Jarnagin finished fifth in the women's hammer throw to lead the Orediggers on the first of three days at Emporia State's Welch Stadium.

Jarnagin began the meet by becoming Mines' first women's hammer all-American, qualifying for finals in eighth place via an opening throw of 56.55m. As cloudy conditions quickly turned to a steady rain over her final three throws, she remained stuck there until her closing effort of 58.07m vaulted her up three spots to fifth place for her first podium finish. Jarnagin closes her decorated Mines career as the program recordholder in the event.

Knight finished his Oredigger career with his 11th all-America honor and highest-ever finish, working at or near the front of the race the entire way in a 29:22.11 second-place showing. Struhs, who had teamed with Knight at the front through the middle of the race, had to battle back from ninth place at the bell with the race's fastest closing split - 1:01.66 - to earn his way back onto the podium with an eighth-place 29:36.43. Jeremiah Vaille earned second-team all-America honors in his finale, placing 11th in a personal-best 29:53.98, and Rowan Nicholas was 20th in 31:37.24 in his NCAA debut.

In track prelims, the Orediggers pushed three steeplechasers through to Friday finals in dominant displays by Max Bonenberger, Emily LaMena, and Sierra Wall. Bonenberger controlled the back half of his race, clocking 8:52.85 to automatically qualify. LaMena and Wall went 1-2 in the opening heat of the women's race as LeMena went out quickly and soloed a 10:23.91 first-place showing, and Wall surged to the finish in 10:24.65.

Aani Hardesty finished 19th in the 400m hurdles in 1:01.14, and Andreas O'Malley finished 22nd in the 1,500m in 3:55.03. Garrett Mackey was 21st in the steeplechase in 9:18.63.

Mines' lineup on Friday includes the steeplechase finals and prelims in the men's and women's 800m and men's 4x400 relay.