BOULDER, Colo. – After more than a month away from competition, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field team returned to action on Saturday afternoon as a group of track athletes made their way north to the campus of University of Colorado Boulder to compete at the Potts Invitational.
 
INSIDE THE POTTS INVITATIONAL
Location: CU Boulder IPF | Boulder, Colo.
Track Size: 300-meters
Elevation: 5,337 ft
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Junior sprinter Kymani Sterling provided the highlight of the day for the Mountain Lions as he finished second overall among a field of 39 finishers in the men's 200m dash with a mark of 21.53s. His raw time registers as a personal best and ranks second all-time in UCCS indoor program history, while his altitude-converted time of 21.60s goes down as his first NCAA qualifying mark in the event this indoor season. In addition to Sterling's big day, redshirt seniors Justice Mendoza and Brian Mosley Jr. also posted strong performances in the event with Mendoza finishing sixth overall at a time of 21.84s (21.91c) and Mosley Jr. crossing the line in eighth place with a mark of 21.92s (21.99c).
• UCCS saw a pair of student-athletes record top-ten finishes in the women's 200m dash with redshirt junior Keyanda Bolton leading the way in sixth place overall at a time of 25.40s (25.47c). Coming across the finish line just behind Bolton in seventh place was junior Victoria Farinas as she shaved more than half a second off her personal best with a time of 25.41s (25.48c). In her fifth and final season with the Mountain Lions, redshirt senior Audrey Bloomquist also made her collegiate debut in the 200m dash as she went on to finish 16^th with a raw time of 26.38s (26.45c).
• In the men's 800m, redshirt sophomore Jagger Zlotoff made his season debut and posted a personal best time of 1:55.52 (1:54.78c) to finish ninth overall in the event. Redshirt freshman TJ Saglembeni also bested his previous personal record in the race as he crossed the line with a time of 1:59.76 (1:58.99c).
• Junior Alyssa Lopez was the top Mountain Lion finisher in the women's 400m dash as she clocked a time of 59.66s (59.77c) to claim sixth place overall among 15 finishers in the event. Coming across the line just behind Lopez was junior Amber Davis, who earned a seventh-place finish with a season best time of 59.72s (59.83c).
• On the men's side of the 400m dash, it was redshirt senior Dillon Andrews that led the way for UCCS as he secured a tenth place finish in the 23-person field with a season best time of 50.83s (50.94c). Redshirt junior Ryan O'Neal also put together a strong race in his first open 400m of the indoor season, crossing the line in 12^th place at 50.85s (50.96c).

BEYOND THE RESULTS

• In addition to the top-ten finishes from Sterling, Mendoza, and Mosley Jr., the Mountain Lions also saw a trio of student-athletes record personal best times in the men's 200m dash, including Daryn Ofori-Kuragu (22.26s), Luke Trinrud (22.48s), and Chase Monestime (22.92). Donovan Mini (22.28s) and Nigel James (22.93s) also posted strong efforts as they each competed in their first 200m races in a UCCS uniform.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will return to action next weekend when they host the Colorado Running Company UCCS Invite on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.