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All-RMAC

2022 UCCS Outdoor Track & Field Season Recap

6/24/2022 10:00:00 AM

By: Tyler Tvelia, Assistant Sports Information Director
2022 Outdoor Track & Field Season in Review
  • Coming off an incredible indoor season, head coach Ross Fellows and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's and women's track & field teams continued their historical success into the 2022 outdoor track & field season. The Mountain Lions came away from the RMAC Outdoor Championships with their second consecutive sweep of the men's and women's outdoor conference titles and completed the rare 4-for-4 indoor/outdoor conference championship sweep for the second straight year. At the national level, UCCS qualified a program-best 20 student-athletes for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships and saw five student-athletes combine to earn six First Team All-America honors.
  • UCCS kicked off the 2022 outdoor season on March 18-19 at the Dr. Dan Caprioglio Early Bird Open just one weekend after the completion of the 2021-22 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. With exceptional weather in the forecast, the Mountain Lions sent a full squad of athletes to the campus of Colorado State University Pueblo and proceeded to put 12 NCAA qualifying marks on the board to begin the season. The highlight of the team's weekend came from redshirt junior Dakota Abbott in the men's triple jump, where he unleashed a monster jump of 15.66m that stood as the No. 5 mark in the nation throughout the season.
  • The Mountain Lions were back in Pueblo, Colo., the following weekend to compete at the CSU Pueblo Spank Blasing Open on March 25-26. UCCS kept their strong start to the season rolling as they tallied ten more new or improved national qualifying marks and broke three school records.
  • The weekend of April 1-2 was a historical one for the UCCS track & field teams. On Friday, April 1, three of the Mountain Lion's top distance runners travelled to Stanford, Calif. to compete at the Stanford Invitational among primarily Division I competition. In the women's 5,000m race, redshirt senior Layla Almasri (16:31.42) and Riley McGrath (16:36.32) posted NCAA qualifying times that ranked as the top two fastest times in program history. Later in the evening, redshirt junior Afewerki Zeru took on the men's 10,000m race and finished sixth in his heat with an NCAA qualifying time of 28:56.20 that shattered a 21-year-old UCCS school record. Throughout the weekend, the Mountain Lions also had athletes competing at the Maverick Classic in Grand Junction, Colo., where they claimed one event win and saw multiple personal best performances take place.
  • UCCS kept rolling along with their outdoor season on the weekend of April 8-9 as the sprinters, jumpers and throwers made their way to the Lone Star State for the Jo Meaker Classic and the distance runners went to Boulder, Colo., for the Colorado Invitational. At the Jo Meaker Classic, UCCS posted a combined 15 new or improved provisional marks over the two-day meet, with eight of them coming in the short sprint and hurdle events. UCCS added two more national qualifying marks from the distance crew at the Colorado Invitational as Layla Almasri and Evan Graff made their way onto the NCAA performance list for the 1500m.
  • Another big trip was on the docket the following weekend as the Mountain Lions sent a crew of 27 student-athletes to Southern California for a trio of large, competitive meets. UCCS started their west coast trip off at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 14-15, where they posted 11 new or improved NCAA qualifying marks and broke four school records while contending among Division I and II competition. On the evening of April 15, Zeru continued his strong season at the Mt. SAC Relays as he shattered yet another 21-year-old record with a blazing provisional time of 13:44.58 in the collegiate division of the men's 5,000m race. The Mountain Lions rounded out their trip on Saturday, April 16, at the Beach Invitational as they competed with more Division I athletes at the LBSU Jack Rose Track.
  • In their final tune up before conference championships, UCCS made their way north to Golden, Colo., for the Mines Kit Mayer Classic and wound up winning seven events, breaking two school records, and tallying two improved provisional marks. Graduate student Dawson Hopkinson put on a show in the men's pole vault as he cleared a career-best mark of 5.15m to solidify his spot inside the top-15 in the nation for his event.
  • The week of the outdoor conference championship meet got off to an unpredictable start as it was decided that the meet would be relocated to CSU Pueblo from Black Hills State University due to inclement weather in the Spearfish, S.D., area. The location change did not affect the Mountain Lions, who went on to complete the sweep of the RMAC Outdoor Championships with the women tallying 191 points and the men's team scoring 189 points to each defeat second place Colorado School of Mines. The outdoor conference championship sweep marked the second consecutive season that the men's and women's teams have swept both the indoor and outdoor conference titles. UCCS combined to post a total of 34 podium finishes, including 14 gold medalists, ten silver medalists, and ten bronze medalists.
  • After sending a light group of athletes to the Air Force Twilight Open on May 6, the Mountain Lions returned to Pueblo, Colo., on May 15 for the CSU Pueblo Last Chance Invitational looking to bolster their standing on the NCAA performance list. The team came away with a total of 20 provisional marks for the meet, with four of them registering as new or improved marks on the national list.
  • With the qualifying season in the books after the CSU Pueblo last chance meet, the NCAA national office announced the qualifiers for the outdoor national championship meet on May 17, with UCCS garnering a program-best 20 qualifiers for the national meet. At the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships on May 26-28, the UCCS men's team posted a program-best 13th place finish with 23 points while the women's team registered nine points for a 28th place finish. The Mountain Lions finished the national meet with six First Team All-Americans and three Second Team All-Americans. Afewerki Zeru, who place third in the 10,000m race and won the individual national championship in the 5,000m race, was named as the USTFCCCA Co-Men's High Point Athlete of the Meet after scoring 16 points for the Mountain Lion men.
  • After the conclusion of the season, the UCCS men's and women's teams were each recognized among the top-ten of the 2022 USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings, with the men's team finishing seventh in the standings with 43 points and the women's team tying for eighth place with 50.5 points.
Award Winners
MEN
Dakota Abbott: USTFCCCA First Team All-America (Triple Jump), USTFCCCA All-Region (Triple Jump), RMAC Male Field Athlete of the Year, All-RMAC First Team (Triple Jump), RMAC All-Academic First Team, CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-America, CoSIDA Academic All-District, RMAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week (3/30)
Jaren Albrighton: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Dillon Andrews: USTFCCCA All-Region (400m Hurdles), All-RMAC First Team (400m Hurdles, 4x400m)
Peterson Bohannon: USTFCCCA First Team All-America (Long Jump), USTFCCCA All-Region (Long Jump), All-RMAC First Team (Long Jump)
Branden Bohling: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Skye Ciccarelli: All-RMAC First Team (High Jump), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, CoSIDA Academic All-District
Holden Daniels: All-RMAC Second Team (Pole Vault), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Daniel Furcron: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Evan Graff: USTFCCCA All-Region (1500m), All-RMAC First Team (1500m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Joseph Hamilton: All-RMAC First Team (4x400m)
Thorben Hast: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, CoSIDA Academic All-District
Dawson Hopkinson: USTFCCCA All-Region (Pole Vault), All-RMAC First Team (Pole Vault), RMAC All-Academic First Team, RMAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week (4/27)
Chris Hudnall: USTFCCCA All-Region (110m Hurdles, 4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (4x100m), All-RMAC Second Team (110m Hurdles)
Angel Laca: All-RMAC First Team (400m, 4x400m)
Justyn Loper: USTFCCCA All-Region (Hammer Throw), All-RMAC First Team (Hammer Throw)
Jarell Lucas: All-RMAC Second Team (Shot Put)
Justice Mendoza: USTFCCCA All-Region (4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (4x100m), All-RMAC Second Team (100m)
Chase Monestime: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Brian Mosley Jr.: USTFCCCA All-Region (4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (4x100m), All-RMAC Second Team (100m, 200m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Ryan O'Neal: All-RMAC First Team (400m, 4x400m)
Sam Repsher: All-RMAC Second Team (Decathlon), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Seth Richmond: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Walker Rudolph: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Kymani Sterling: USTFCCCA All-Region (4x100m), RMAC Male Freshman of the Year, All-RMAC First Team (100m, 200m, 4x100m)
Peyton Turnage: All-RMAC First Team (Triple Jump), All-RMAC Second Team (Long Jump), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Tanner Walsh: All-RMAC First Team (High Jump), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Daryon Wilson: All-RMAC Second Team (Long Jump)
Will Young: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Afewerki Zeru: USTFCCCA First Team All-America (5,000m, 10,000m), USTFCCCA Co-Men's High Point Athlete of the Meet for NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, USTFCCCA All-Region (5,000m, 10,000m), RMAC Male Track Athlete of the Year, All-RMAC First Team (5,000m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, RMAC Man of the Year Honorable Mention
 
WOMEN
Layla Almasri: USTFCCCA Second Team All-America (1500m), All-RMAC First Team (5,000m), All-RMAC Second Team (1500m), RMAC All-Academic First Team, RMAC Woman of the Year Honorable Mention
Nadine Almasri: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Emily Arseneau: All-RMAC First Team (Shot Put)
Sarah Bassett: All-RMAC First Team (10,000m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Liz Bindert: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Audrey Bloomquist: USTFCCCA All-Region (4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (Triple Jump, 4x100m), All-RMAC Second Team (Long Jump), RMAC All-Academic First Team
Kamryn Bohlken: All-RMAC First Team (Javelin Throw), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Keyanda Bolton: USTFCCCA All-Region (4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (4x100m), All-RMAC Second Team (200m)
Amber Davis: All-RMAC Second Team (400m)
Hannah Ellis: All-RMAC First Team (10,000m), RMAC All-Academic First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District
Brittany Fuchs: USTFCCCA All-Region (4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (100m, 200m, 4x100m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Rachel Goodrich: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Kate Hedlund: USTFCCCA Second Team All-America (1500m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Anna Holland: All-RMAC Second Team (Discus Throw), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Mason Ingallinera: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Marissa Kuik: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Jentry Largent: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Riley McGrath: USTFCCCA Second Team All-America (1500m), USTFCCCA All-Region (1500m), All-RMAC First Team (1500m), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America, CoSIDA Academic All-District
Ella McKinna-Worrell: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Hannah Meek: USTFCCCA First Team All-America (Long Jump), USTFCCCA All-Region (Long Jump), RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year, All-RMAC First Team (Long Jump), All-RMAC Second Team (Triple Jump)
Melissa Moreni: USTFCCCA First Team All-America (100m Hurdles), USTFCCCA All-Region (100m Hurdles), All-RMAC First Team (100m Hurdles), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll, CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-America, CoSIDA Academic All-District
Faith Novess: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Lydia Pavlenko: USTFCCCA All-Region (High Jump), All-RMAC First Team (High Jump, Triple Jump), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Maggie Remsberg: All-RMAC First Team (Heptathlon), All-RMAC Second Team (Javelin Throw), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Rachel Richtman: All-RMAC Second Team (3,000m Steeplechase), RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Kelsey Rycenga: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Terra Valadez: All-RMAC Second Team (100m Hurdles)
Caroline Walters: All-RMAC First Team (Javelin Throw)
Lizzie Waters: All-RMAC Second Team (400m Hurdles)
Grace Wenham: RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll
Kayla Zink: USTFCCCA All-Region (100m, 4x100m), All-RMAC First Team (100m, 200m, 4x100m), RMAC All-Academic First Team, CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America, CoSIDA Academic All-District, RMAC Women's Track Athlete of the Week (4/13)
 
School Records *All school record marks and times are raw/unconverted.
 
2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor T&F National Rankings
  • The UCCS men's and women's track & field teams were extremely consistent in the USTFCCCA national rankings for the 2022 outdoor season as the men's team never fell below #15 and the women's team never dipped below #17.
 
3/29:     MEN: #6
             WOMEN: #6
 
4/5:       MEN: #11
             WOMEN: #17
 
4/12:     MEN: #9
             WOMEN: #11
 
4/19:     MEN: #8
             WOMEN: #14
 
4/26:     MEN: #9
             WOMEN: #17
 
5/3:       MEN: #8
             WOMEN: #10
 
5/10:     MEN: #12
             WOMEN: #14
 
5/17:     MEN: #15
             WOMEN: #17
 
5/23:     MEN: #14
             WOMEN: #14
 
FINAL:   MEN: #13 (23 points)
              WOMEN: #T28 (9 points)
 
Hot Takes
  • The Mountain Lions finished the outdoor season with a total of 42 provisional marks, including 22 on the women's side and 20 on the men's side. UCCS had at least one athlete meet the provisional qualifying threshold in 15 of the 21 eligible events on the men's side and in 12 of the 21 events on the women's side.
  • Four individual Mountain Lion men finished the outdoor season at the top of the RMAC performance list for their event, including Dillon Andrews (400mh), Peterson Bohannon (LJ), Dakota Abbott (TJ), and Sawyer Christopher (JT). The men's 4x100m relay team of Kymani Sterling, Brian Mosley Jr., Justice Mendoza, and Chris Hudnall also ended the season as the top relay group in the conference.
  • Two individual UCCS women finished the outdoor season at the top of the RMAC performance list for their event, including Melissa Moreni (100mh) and Hannah Meek (LJ). The women's 4x100m relay team of Audrey Bloomquist, Keyanda Bolton, Brittany Fuchs, and Kayla Zink also reigned supreme as the fastest in the conference.
  • Bohannon, Abbott and Meek also ended the season as the top performers in the South Central region for their respective event groups.
  • In the final 2022 USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings, the UCCS men's team finished with the top long jump and triple jump event groups in Division II. In the long jump, Peterson Bohannon, Peyton Turnage, Daryon Wilson, and Dakota Abbott joined up to average 7.45m for their season-best jumps. In the triple jump, Abbott, Turnage, Richard Safoh, and Bohannon were the top-four Mountain Lion performers and combined to record a nation-leading average of 14.49m on their season-best jumps.
  • With his 5K individual national championship, Afewerki Zeru became the just the second men's student-athlete to win a national title in program history and the first since Moses Tum won the 1500m race at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
  • Redshirt senior Hannah Meek was named as the UCCS Female Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 academic year after putting together yet another highly decorated indoor and outdoor season. The fifth-year jumper earned RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year honors for both the indoor and outdoor seasons as she collected four All-RMAC selections and was the individual long jump champion for both seasons. At the national level, Meek earned First Team All-America accolades in the indoor and outdoor long jump competitions while adding a Second Team All-America nod for the indoor triple jump. Meek's event winning jump of 6.58m at the RMAC Outdoor Championships registered as a personal best and school record mark that broke the RMAC Championship meet record.
  • As a team, the Mountain Lions collected 63 All-RMAC honors and claimed six RMAC major awards, including a sweep of the major awards on the men's side. For the men, Afewerki Zeru was named the RMAC Male Track Athlete of the Year, Dakota Abbott took home RMAC Male Field Athlete of the Year honors, and Kymani Sterling earned RMAC Male Freshman of the Year accolades. On the women's side, Meek earned the title of RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Week. Head coach Ross Fellows rounded out UCCS' major awards as the RMAC Male and Female Coach of the Year.
  • UCCS excelled in the classroom for the 2021-22 academic year, as the men's and women's teams combined to tally 42 RMAC All-Academic honors for the outdoor season, including six individuals on the all-academic first team – Dakota Abbott, Layla Almasri, Audrey Bloomquist, Hannah Ellis, Dawson Hopkinson, and Kayla Zink.
  • The Mountain Lions also landed seven student-athletes as CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, including Dakota Abbott, Skye Ciccarelli, Hannah Ellis, Thorben Hast, Riley McGrath, Melissa Moreni, and Kayla Zink. McGrath moved through the selection process to be named as a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American, and was joined by Kayla Zink on the second team and Dakota Abbott and Melissa Moreni on the third team.
2022-2023 Season Outlook
  • Head coach Ross Fellows is set to return for his fifth season as the sole head coach of the men's and women's track & field teams in 2022-23 and expressed optimism about the future direction of both programs.
  • "On the men's side, as far as the athletes that were at nationals, we're not losing anybody," said Fellows. "We're finishing up our recruiting class here and bringing in some top-quality athletes that I think could be at the national meet next year and we've got a lot of young kids too. I think our men's team is to the point now where you're going to start seeing some huge performances there. For the women's side, we kind of have our first real graduating class since we started up the track program, and we're losing some big-time contributors in Layla Almasri, Kayla Zink and Hannah Meek. They're going to be a little bit irreplaceable because they kind of started the program up and brought it through. We'll be able to replace their points, times, and marks, but not them as people. We're going to be really good next year regardless, but it hurts to lose those leaders and great people that helped our program get to where it is today."
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