Roadrunners Invitational – Saturday, Sept. 19 – (M) 8:30 a.m. – (W) 9:15 a.m. [Meet Info] [Live Results]
Denver, Colo. – Washington Park

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FIRST OF THE SEASON
The 2026 season opener has finally arrived for the Colorado School of Mines men's and women's cross country teams. The Orediggers will start their new campaign this Saturday at the Roadrunners Invitational hosted by MSU Denver at Washington Park. The day is packed with multiple races ranging from college to high school varsity to junior varsity. Action begins at 8:30 a.m. with the collegiate men's 8K. The gun for the collegiate women's 6K goes off at 9:15 a.m. The high school races will follow the college competitions.
 
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.
 
WEATHER REPORT
Saturday's forecast includes some rain, but it isn't projected to arrive until later in the day. Instead, the men's and women's college races should take off under sunny skies with the temperature hovering around 70 degrees. Minimal wind is expected, but humidity will be high after three straight days of showers going into the weekend. That moisture will also bring muddier conditions for fans and racers alike so dress and plan accordingly. Also couldn't hurt to bring an umbrella because, well, Colorado weather.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
There will be live results for all of Saturday's races provided by MeetPro powered by MileSplit. The college results can be found HERE. Once available, full results will also be posted at www.minesathletics.com and at https://www.tfrrs.org.
 
SCORING FORMAT
Even though entries are unlimited for teams, standard college cross country scoring will be used on Saturday. That means each team's top five runners will collect the number of points equal to their individual placement while the sixth and seventh runners serve as displacers. They don't score, but can change the scoring of another team's runner. For example, if the Orediggers finished 10-17, the top five would produce a team score of 60 points while the sixth and seventh runners would push runners behind them down two spots. A perfect team score in college cross country is 15 points.
 
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. Fans should be aware that the course is slightly adjusted from past years due to maintenance in the park.
 
OREDIGGER ENTRIES – MEN
Mines Head Coach Chris Siemers has tabbed 15 men to represent the Orediggers at Washington Park on Saturday. Mines' entries include Brian Arndt, Nathaniel Bartunek, Asher Feddock, Cole Fiorillo, Ty Forbes, Julien Frazier, Duncan Lorang, Owen Mangrum, Gael McClain Martinez, Grayson Milne, Quinton Rodriguez, Jackso nRodgers, Jack Sheehan, Curtis Smela, and Kai Wagner. Entries are subject to change based on health and coach's judgement.
 
OREDIGGER ENTRIES – WOMEN
The list of entries for the Oredigger women is slightly shorter. Fans can watch for Brooke Bundt, Kaitlyn Burns, Emma Chesterman, Grenyth Elizalde, Maria Forster, Sasha Kelly, Reese Kindig, Lilly Lukens, Sorrelle Salcido, Chloe Savoy, Kara Tokubo, Elsa Vessely, and Elise Wrenholt. Entries are subject to change based on health and coach's judgement.
 
SUCCESS AT THE INVITE
The Orediggers have competed at the Roadrunners Invitational multiple times over the years and they have won numerous titles. Saturday marks the third straight season Mines has opened its campaign at Washington Park. Last year, the Oredigger men won the team title at the women finished fifth. Chandler Wilburn was the top collegiate finisher in the men's race as well, taking third overall. In 2025, Mines' men and women swept the team titles. Paul Knight's third-place finish led the men to a total of 20 points (low score wins). Jenna Ramsey-Rutledge dominated the women's race by nearly 30 seconds for individual gold while anchoring a team score of 26. The 2023 edition saw the men finish second, only behind #17-ranked, NCAA Division I Air Force while the women won the team trophy. Also notable is the fact that Oredigger alum Chris Cathcart will holds the course record for the men's collegiate 8K thanks to his 24:17 pace in 2021.
 
WALL ON WORLD STAGE
Over the summer, Sierra Wall showed out on the world stage. She started by winning the USATF United States U20 championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on June 18 at Hayward Field in Oregon. She did it with a lifetime best of 10:08.30. That punched her ticket to the World Athletics U20 Championships, also at Hayward Field. Wall advanced through prelims, finishing seventh in the first round with a time of 10:14.92. The Boulder, Colo., native eventually finished 14th in the world at the U20 level after running 10:21.21 in smoky conditions in Oregon.
 
IN THE POLLS
Mines' men and women were prominent in both the conference's preseason coaches' poll and the latest national rankings. The RMAC coaches voted the Oredigger men and women to sweep the conference crowns. Both squads claimed exactly eight first-place votes and six second-place votes to finish just a few points ahead of Adams State on both lists. In the latest national polls put together by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA), Mines' men held strong at #2 in the nation and the women stayed at #4 nationally.
 
TOP RETURNERS
The 2026 Colorado School of Mines men's and women's cross country rosters feature nine different individuals who have at least one all-American finish in either cross country or track & field in their respective careers. Oredigger all-Americans on the men's roster include Daniel Appleford, Brock Drengenberg, Ethan Grolnic, Dawson Gunn, Rowan Nicholas, Andreas O'Malley, and Braden Struhs. Most notable is Gunn who was the national runner-up in the indoor and outdoor 5K last season. Mines' all-American women are Emily LaMena and Sierra Wall. LaMena was the NCAA Division II Champion in the steeplechase last season. While all-Americans grab headlines, there is always a high likelihood of new names emerging on any Chris Siemers' coached team.
 
FRESH FACES
During the offseason, Head Coach Chris Siemers added 15 true freshmen to his squads. Newcomers for the men included Brian Arndt, Nathaniel Bartunek, Asher Feddock, Ty Forbes, Duncan Lorang, Owen Mangrum, and Grayson Milne. Fresh faces for the women are Kaitlyn Burns, Emma Chesterman, Gwenyth Elizalde, Reese Kindig, Madison Miles, Olivia Olson, Elsa Vessely, and Elise Wrenholt.
 
2025 RECAP
Last season was another historic campaign for Mines, specifically the women. It started with their first-ever team title at the RMAC Cross Country Championships with Grace Strongman winning individual gold as well. The women punched their ticket to the national meet by finishing third. At the 2025 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, Mines' women took second in the nation – the best team finish in program history. It was anchored by Grace Strongman's national runner-up finish as an individual which was also the best in program history. All-American finishes from Strongman, Emily LaMena, Lexi Herr, Sierra Wall, and Margaux Basart capped the historic season. The Oredigger men found their own success as well. At the conference meet, Paul Knight raced to the individual title and anchored Mines' second-place finish. It was second again for the Orediggers at the regional meet before they took another national podium with team bronze at the DII championships. The all-Americans for the men included Paul Knight, Dawson Gunn, Ethan Grolnic, and Max Bonenberger.
 
SCHEDULE SNAPSHOT
Mines' 2026 schedule features a few more events than past seasons. The campaign starts with the Roadrunners Invitational on Sept. 19. Next is the Gans Greek Classic hosted by the University of Missouri on Sept. 25 in Columbia, Mo. The Orediggers split squads the weekend of Oct. 10-11 with part of the team headed to the FHSU Tiger Open in Hays, Kan., on Saturday while the other half goes to the national preview in Lawrence, Kan., on Sunday. The regular season closes with the UCCS XC Open on Oct. 24. Postseason racing starts with the RMAC Championships on Nov. 7 in Rapid City, S.D. The South Central Region Championships are Nov. 21 in Lubbock, Texas. The 2026 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships will run Friday, Nov. 4, at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan.
 
CHRIS SIEMERS
Colorado School of Mines Cross Country Head Coach Chris Siemers is starting his 15th season at the helm for the Oredigger men and women. Headlining his resume are four NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships which Mines' men brought home in 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2024 along with a national runner-up finish for the women in 2025. Siemers' men's teams have had 30 individuals earn 56 cross country all-America honors. That has led to eight RMAC crowns (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and seven NCAA South Central Regional titles (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). No men's team coached by Siemers has ever finished lower than fifth in the nation. On the women's side, 15 individuals have posted 21 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 podium in 2021 by taking fourth place. The 2022 and 2023 seasons saw the women make it four straight podiums before a program-best finish of second in 2025. Mines' women also won its first-ever team title at the RMAC Championships in 2025 and have finished as high as #2 at the regional championships on multiple occasions.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines races next at the Gans Creek Classic on Friday, Sept. 25, in Columbia, Mo.
 
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.