GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's and women's track & field teams completed day one of the 2024 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday with the men's team sitting tied for second place with 22 points and the women's team holding down third place with 16 points. The Mountain Lions posted a total of nine NCAA provisional qualifying marks on day one of the meet to go along with three podium finishes, including an individual event title in the women's discus throw by junior Victoria Malaki.
 
INSIDE THE 2024 RMAC OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
UCCS Men's Day 1 Score: 22 points – T2^nd place
UCCS Women's Day 1 Score: 16 points – 3^rd place
Host School: Colorado Mesa University
Location: CMU Track & Field Complex | Grand Junction, Colo.
Elevation: 4,631 ft.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Malaki posted a season best NCAA provisional qualifying toss of 46.82m to narrowly edge out Colorado School of Mines' Kitt Rupar (46.78m) and earn the individual event title in the women's discus throw. In addition to scoring ten points for the UCCS women's team, Malaki's mark strengthens her hold on the No. 2 position in program history for the event. Freshman Casey Moran also scored two points for the Mountain Lions in the event as she recorded a mark of 42.60m to finish in seventh place overall.
• In the men's discus throw, sophomore Michael Roberts recorded a personal best throw of 46.07m to finish second overall in the event and score eight points for the Mountain Lion men's team.
• Junior Luke Hard scored eight points in the men's hammer throw as he posted a personal best and improved NCAA provisional qualifying toss of 57.91m to take second place overall in the event. Hard's mark also bolstered his hold on the No. 2 position in outdoor men's program history for the hammer throw.
• In the women's hammer throw, redshirt senior Anna Holland was the top finisher for UCCS as she recorded a toss of 50.50m to claim fifth place overall and collect four points for the women's team.
• At the men's high jump pit, redshirt senior Skye Ciccarelli cleared a bar height of 1.99m to finish in fourth place and score four points for the men's team.
• Junior Logan Cole added one point in the men's 10,000m race as he clocked an improved NCAA provisional qualifying time of 30:13.43c to finish eighth overall in the event.
• Senior Thorben Hast opened the first five events of the men's decathlon on Friday and went on to post a day one score of 3,629 points to sit in second place overall. Hast notched season-bests in the 100m (11.28s), shot put (12.01m), and 400m (49.79s) while also putting forth strong marks in the long jump (6.64m) and high jump (1.85m).
• In the preliminary round of the women's 1500m, junior Anna Fauske posted a season-best NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a converted time of 4:23.76 and qualified for Sunday's event final with the tenth quickest time in the field. On the men's side, redshirt sophomore Jagger Zlotoff was the lone Mountain Lion to make his way through the preliminary round of the men's 1500m race as he clocked the third-fastest time in the field at a converted time of 3:46.45, which also registers as an NCAA provisional qualifying mark for the event.
• The Mountain Lions saw three student-athletes advance through the preliminary round of the men's 400m dash, led by freshman Ashton Whisler, who crossed the line second overall among the field with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 47.64c. Whisler was joined in Sunday's event final by junior Kymani Sterling and sophomore Sebastien Jean as Sterling posted the fourth-fastest time in the field at a season-best of 48.08c and Jean recorded the fifth-fastest time with a season-best of 48.14c. Whisler's raw time of 47.53s moved him into second place all-time in outdoor program history for the men's 400m.
• UCCS also pushed three student-athletes through the preliminary round of the men's 100m dash with redshirt senior Brian Mosley Jr., sophomore Daryn Ofori-Kuragu, and redshirt junior Donovan Mini each qualifying for the final in the event. Mosley Jr. led the group with the fastest overall time in the prelim field at a converted 10.46s, which also registered as an improvement on his NCAA provisional qualifying time for this season. He was followed by Ofori-Kuragu with a converted time of 10.62s that was good for third in the field and Mini with a converted time of 10.64s that had him as the sixth-fastest in the field.
• The Mountain Lion women's team advanced two student-athletes to the final of the women's 100m dash, led by redshirt senior Audrey Bloomquist with a personal best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 11.75c that was good for second overall in the preliminary field. Bloomquist's raw time of 11.72s also moved her into third place all-time in program history for the event. Junior Victoria Farinas also qualified for the final as she raced to a converted time of 11.85s to take the sixth position overall in the prelim field.
• In the preliminary round of the women's 400m hurdles, freshman Krissie Sanders was the lone Mountain Lion to qualify for the event final as she posted the second-fastest time in the field with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 1:01.64c. On the men's side, a pair of Mountain Lions made their way through the preliminary round of the men's 400m hurdles with redshirt senior Dillon Andrews recording the third-fastest time in the field at 54.04c and freshman Nigel James taking the fifth position with a time of 54.62c.

DAY ONE STANDINGS (MEN) – 4-OF-21 EVENTS SCORED

1. Colorado School of Mines – 48 points
2. UCCS – 22 points
3. Colorado Mesa – 22 points
4. CSU Pueblo – 20 points
5. Black Hills State – 18 points
6. Western Colorado – 6.50 points
7. Adams State – 6 points
8. Chadron State – 5 points
9. South Dakota Mines – 5 points
10. MSU Denver – 2.50 points
11. Westminster – 1 point                  

DAY ONE STANDINGS (WOMEN) – 3-OF-21 EVENTS SCORED

1. Colorado Mesa – 47.50 points
2. Colorado School of Mines – 17.50 points
3. UCCS – 16 points
4. Western Colorado – 15 points
5. New Mexico Highlands – 9 points
6. CSU Pueblo – 9 points
7. MSU Denver – 3 points

BEYOND THE RESULTS

• The Mountain Lions recorded outdoor record book updates in four events on day one of the conference championship, including the women's 100m, men's 400m, men's hammer throw, and women's discus throw.
  • Audrey Bloomquist – 100m (3^rd all-time)
  • Ashton Whisler – 400m (2^nd all-time)
  • Luke Hard – Hammer Throw (2^nd all-time)
  • Victoria Malaki – Discus Throw (2^nd all-time)

UP NEXT

• Day two of the 2024 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships is set to get underway at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning from the CMU Track & Field Complex in Grand Junction, Colo.

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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.