COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The eighth-ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's cross country team finished in second place with 68 team points this morning at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship 6k meet, held at Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
INSIDE THE RMAC CHAMPIONSHIP

• Course | Location: Monument Valley Park | Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Course Length: 6k
• Elevation: 6,109'

 
AROUND THE COURSE

• The first runner to cross the finish line was Colorado School of Mines' Grace Strongman with a time of 20:06.67. The first Mountain Lion to finish was freshman Elizabeth McQuitty with a time of 21:01.55.
• Kseniya Nikanorov was the other Mountain Lion to finish the race in the top 10, placing in 10^th with a time of 21:20.82. The next three Mountain Lions to tally points for the team were Maddie Ruszkiewicz (15^th), Madison Brosig (17^th), and Allie Grahn (20^th).
• Placing first overall as a team was Colorado School of Mines (28 points), followed by UCCS (68 points), Adams State University (84 points), Western Colorado University (92 points), and Fort Lewis College (161 points).

                       
RACE LEADERS

• Two of the top five point scorers hailed from Colorado School of Mines, being Grace Strongman (one point), and Emily LaMena (three points. Adams State University's Tristian Spence finished in second place, with Fort Lewis College's Hannah Hartwell in fourth, and Western Colorado University's Allison Beasley in fifth. 

 
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE

• CSM's Grace Strongman's time of 20:06.67 is a new course record, beating the previous best time of 21:08 set last year by Hartwell.
• Three Mountain Lions recorded career best 6k times today: McQuitty (21:01.55), and Ruszkiewicz (21:38.80).
• Freshman Allie Grahn tallied points for UCCS in her first career 6k, finishing with a time of 21:46.01.
• The Mountain Lions' second-place finish matches a program best for the RMAC Championship, last occurring in 2000.
• The Mountain Lions' second-place score marks the first time the team has defeated Adams State in the RMAC Championship.
• McQuitty wins the inaugural RMAC Freshman of the Meet award with her career-best 6k time this morning.

 
UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will head to Pueblo, Colo. for the NCAA South Central Regional 6K on Saturday, November 8, with the race scheduled to begin 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.