COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field team hosted day one of the Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi on Friday and composed an impressive showing that saw the team record a total of nine NCAA provisional qualifying marks, including six that registered as new or improved marks for the 2024-25 indoor season.

INSIDE THE COLORADO RUNNING COMPANY PRE-HOLIDAY INVITE & MULTI
Location: Mountain Lion Fieldhouse | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Track Size: 200-meters (flat)
Elevation: 6,291 ft
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Macktinger put on an impressive show in the men's pole vault as he established a new indoor program record for the event with a season-best mark of 5.00m. In addition to finishing second overall in the competition, Macktinger's bar clearance also registered as an NCAA provisional qualifying mark for the event and makes him just the second RMAC student-athlete to surpass the 5-meter mark this season.
• The Mountain Lions had a strong group of student-athletes in the men's long jump that was led by redshirt senior Richard Safoh and sophomore Jeffrey Franquemont. Safoh earned a second-place finish in the event with a season-best NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 7.58m, while Franquemont finished third overall with a provisional qualifying leap of 7.45m that was just shy of his best for the season.
• After matching the NCAA provisional qualifying threshold for the women's pole vault in her season-debut last week at Mines, junior Brooke Peterson raised the bar once again on Friday as she posted a season-best mark of 3.77m to finish second overall in the competition. In addition to improving her standing on the NCAA Division II provisional list, her mark also bolstered her hold on the No. 2 position in the women's indoor record book.
• UCCS filled up the top three positions in the men's 400m race, which consisted of a total of 21 student-athletes. Junior Sebastien Jean was the first-place finisher in the event as he sprinted to a personal best and NCAA provisional qualifying converted time of 48.22s. Crossing the line immediately behind Jean was sophomore Ashton Whisler, who clocked a personal best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 48.33s. Freshman Peyton Nelson made a strong impression in his season and collegiate debut, posting a converted time of 49.80s to finish third overall.
• Sophomore Paige Cordero paced the Mountain Lions in the women's long jump as she hit an NCAA provisional qualifying leap of 5.70m for the second consecutive week for a fourth-place finish in the event. UCCS had three additional women's jumpers surpass the 5.50m mark, including redshirt senior Chelsea Howard in fifth-place with a season-best 5.59m, sophomore Zane Bullock in seventh-place with a personal best 5.57m, and redshirt junior Madissyn Moore in ninth-place with a mark of 5.52m.
• Four men's student-athletes competed in the first four events of the heptathlon to begin the day, including redshirt senior Thorben Hast, junior Broden Cahoon, junior Dillon Arvayo, and sophomore Evan Atkin. Hast finished the first day of action in the lead for UCCS as he currently sits in ninth-place among the 19-person field with a point total of 2,873. He was followed closely by Cahoon in 10^th place with 2,850 points and Atkin in 11^th place with 2,832 points. As part of his strong start on Friday, Cahoon also posted an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 7.28m in the long jump, which registered as a personal best by more than half a meter.
• UCCS had a dominant showing in the men's weight throw as junior Michael Roberts, senior Luke Hard, and sophomore Hayden Cuevas claimed the top three spots in the competition, respectively. Roberts was just shy of his personal best with an event winning mark of 17.87m, while Hard recorded a toss of 17.85m and Cuevas notched a personal best for the second straight week with a throw of 17.21m.
• In the preliminary round of the women's 60m dash, the Mountain Lions secured five of the eight spots in tomorrow's final race, with senior Victoria Farinas highlighting the group as the top finisher in the preliminary field with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.60c. Sophomore Taryn Fettig raced to a personal best converted time of 7.78s for the second-fastest time in the field, while sophomore Danaya Kinnard logged the third-fastest qualifying time at 7.82c. Moore made her way into the final with a fifth-place finish in the preliminary field at 7.84c, while Bullock snuck in with the eighth and final qualifying spot with a time of 7.89c.
• A pair of UCCS student-athletes advanced through the preliminary round of the men's 60m dash as sophomore Gunnar Betts clocked the sixth-fastest time in the field at 7.01c and sophomore TJ Nissen claimed the seventh position in a time of 7.04c.
• Sophomore Krissie Sanders made quick work of the preliminary field in the women's 60m hurdles as she clocked the fastest time in the field at 8.84c. She was joined in tomorrow's final by junior Abigail Frey, who raced to a time of 9.11c to grab the fifth position in the field.
• Sanders returned to the track later in the afternoon to compete in her first open indoor 400m race and once again put forth an impressive showing as she finished second overall among 17 competitors with a converted time of 58.66s. Redshirt junior Gigi Douillard also claimed a position inside the top five of the race as she posted a nearly two-second personal best with a converted time of 1:00.24.
• Sophomores Nigel James and Bryce Joshlin found their way through the preliminary round of the men's 60m hurdles to secure a spot in tomorrow's event final. James posted the second-fastest time in the field at 8.22c, while Joshlin was seventh overall at 8.94c.
• In the men's 800m, redshirt junior Joseph Hamilton finished third overall in the field of 13 competitors with a converted time of 1:53.91. Freshman Jacob Silvis also made his collegiate debut in the event, posting a converted time of 1:55.86 to finish in fourth place.
• For a second straight week, junior Savannah Jorgens led the Mountain Lions in the women's weight throw, tossing to a mark of 15.75m that was good for fourth place overall.
• In the women's pentathlon, junior Kathryn Carroll competed in the first combined event of her collegiate career and did well to finish sixth overall in a field of 23 student-athletes with a score of 3,072 points. Freshman Payton Rodgers also competed in the first pentathlon of her collegiate career on Friday, finishing tenth with a tally of 2,901 points. Sophomore Lilyana Delagarza took 12^th place while posting a personal best of more than 300 points with a score of 2,862 points.

BEYOND THE RESULTS

• UCCS recorded updates to the top five lists in the indoor record book for - different events on day two of the Mines Alumni Classic, including the men's 400m, men's and women's pole vault, and men's weight throw.
  • Sebastien Jean – Men's 400m (4^th all-time)
  • Caiden Macktinger – Men's Pole Vault (School Record)
  • Brooke Peterson – Women's Pole Vault (2^nd all-time)
  • Hayden Cuevas – Men's Weight Throw (5^th all-time).
• Safoh's provisional qualifying leap of 7.58m in the men's long jump was just one centimeter shy of his indoor personal best in the event of 7.59m, which he attained last year on his way to earning a selection to the 2023-24 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

UP NEXT

• The Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi will continue tomorrow from the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse with the Heptathlon 60m hurdles getting the action started at 10 a.m.

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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.