GOLDEN, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field team continued their strong start to the indoor season on Saturday as the men's and women's squads combined to record a total of seven NCAA provisional qualifying marks on day two of the Mines Alumni Classic.
INSIDE THE MINES ALUMNI CLASSIC
Location: CSM Steinhauer Fieldhouse | Golden, Colo.
Track Size: 193-meters (flat)
Elevation: 5,675 ft
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Mountain Lions opened Saturday's action with a pair of NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the men's weight throw as senior Michael Roberts unleashed a personal best toss of 19.28m to win the 13-person competition and junior Hayden Cuevas recorded a personal best mark of 18.66m for a third-place finish. After spending his first two collegiate seasons at Bellarmine University, James Bronzwaig also put forth a strong performance in his Mountain Lion debut as he secured a fourth-place finish with a personal best throw of 16.43m.
- After posting a provisional qualifying mark in the shot put last night, senior Savannah Jorgens stepped back into the throws ring for the women's weight throw on Saturday morning and put forth another strong showing as she uncorked a personal best NCAA provisional qualifying toss of 17.81m to finish second overall in the competition. A transfer from Metropolitan State University Denver, redshirt junior Grace Solarin finished just behind Jorgens as she placed third overall in the event and easily surpassed her personal best with a toss of 17.10m.
- The Mountain Lions had a group of 10 sprinters competing in the men's 60m dash and saw six of them advance through the preliminary round of the event, led by senior Daryn Ofori-Kuragu and freshman Noah Brown with NCAA provisional qualifying times of 6.80c and 6.81c, respectively. Joining Ofori-Kuragu and Brown inside the top eight finishers in the preliminary round were junior Luke Trinrud (6.86c), freshman Michael Ryan Cruzado (6.88c), freshman Revano Plummer (6.99c), and senior Broden Cahoon (6.99c). Brown went on to lead the Mountain Lions in the event final, posting an improved NCAA provisional qualifying time of 6.77c for a second-place finish. Ofori-Kuragu took fourth place with a time of 6.85c and was followed across the finish line by Cruzado in fifth place at 6.89c, Trinrud in sixth place at 6.94c, Cahoon in seventh place at 6.95c, and Plummer in eighth place at 6.98c.
- Each of the Mountain Lions' four competitors in the women's 60m hurdles qualified for the event final with junior Krissie Sanders pacing the 12-person preliminary field at an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 8.74c. Senior Abigail Frey joined Sanders in the event final as she posted a personal best time of 8.90c for the second-fastest time in the field, while freshman Colette Bibeault (9.05c) and sophomore Payton Rodgers (9.24c) also advanced through the preliminary round. In the event final, Sanders cruised to a first-place finish with a personal best NCAA provisional qualifying time of 8.63c with Frey right on her tail in second place with a personal best time of 8.84c. Bibeault crossed the line in fourth place with an improved time of 8.98c, while Rodgers took fifth place in an improved time of 9.10c.
- Redshirt senior Jake Hall led a group of three Mountain Lions competing in the men's high jump as he cleared an NCAA provisional qualifying bar height of 2.05m to win the modest four-person competition. Freshmen Lyai Lyai and Luke Masterson made their collegiate debuts in the event, posting respective marks of 1.95m and 1.85m.
- UCCS advanced six sprinters through the preliminary round of the women's 60m dash with freshman Leiava Holliman posting the second-fastest time in the field at 7.70c. Holliman was joined in the event final by freshman Katie Jewell (7.74c), junior Danaya Kinnard (7.79c), junior Taryn Fettig (7.81c), freshman Emili Voelker (7.83c), and junior Zane Bullock (7.86c). Kinnard made a strong improvement in the event final as she surged for a second-place finish with a time of 7.67c. Holliman finished third overall in the race with a slightly improved time of 7.68c Jewell (7.74c), Fettig (7.79c), Voelker (7.85c), and Bullock (7.91c) crossed the finish line in fourth through seventh place, respectively.
- In the men's 60m hurdles, freshman Xavier Sutherlin clocked a time of 8.57c in the preliminary round of the event to secure the eighth and final advancing spot. Sutherlin went on to match his time in the event final, crossing the line in 8.57c for a sixth-place finish.
- UCCS took the top two spots in a small five-person field for the women's triple jump as freshman Tristyn Buss secured a first-place finish with a leap of 11.24m and sophomore Sophia Bowser notched a second-place finish with a mark of 11.11m. Freshman Jason Lomosi was the lone Mountain Lion competing in the men's triple jump and he logged a solid effort in his collegiate debut as he finished first out of three competitors with a mark of 14.43m.
- In the women's high jump, junior Dallis Robinson and Evelyn McClellan matched each other with marks of 1.61m to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in their first competition of the indoor season.
BEYOND THE RESULTS
- The Mountain Lions posted updates to the top five list in the indoor record book for four different events on Saturday, including the men's 60m, women's 60m hurdles, men's weight throw, and women's weight throw.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will host the Colorado Running Company Pre-Holiday Invite & Multi inside the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13. Friday's action is scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m. with the men's weight throw and Saturday's events are set to start at 10 a.m. with the heptathlon 60m hurdles.
SOCIAL
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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.
