BOULDER, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field team put together a strong day of competition on day two of the Colorado Classic that was highlighted by the men's 4x400m relay team shattering the indoor school record in the event for the second consecutive weekend.
 
INSIDE THE COLORADO CLASSIC
Location: Ford Practice Facility | Boulder, Colo.
Track Size: 300-meters (flat)
Elevation: 5,337 ft
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountain Lions saved Saturday's biggest performance for last as the men's 4x400m relay team consisting of senior Sebastien Jean, freshman Hayden Fox, freshman Joshua Gross, and redshirt junior Andrew Muncy passed the baton around the track to the tune of a school record raw time of 3:11.06 that placed the group first overall out of 12 teams, including six from the NCAA Division I level. UCCS' altitude converted time of 3:11.50 also registered as a season-best NCAA provisional qualifying time and is likely to move the group inside the top five on the NCAA Division II performance list.
• Junior Krissie Sanders had a strong showing at the straightaway lanes as she posted an NCAA provisional qualifying converted mark of 8.69s that registered as the fastest time out of 23 competitors in the preliminary round of the women's 60m hurdles. In the event final, Sanders went on to match her personal best raw time in the event at 8.60s while improving her season-best provisional qualifying mark to a converted time of 8.62s as she claimed a second-place overall finish.
• In the men's 200m dash, senior Daryn Ofori-Kuragu was the Mountain Lions' top finisher as he clocked an indoor personal best converted time of 21.63s to finish eighth overall out of 64 competitors. Junior Zamari Burrell claimed 16^th place with a personal best converted time of 22.15s while freshman Noah Brown rattled off a personal best converted time of 22.22s for a 19^th place finish. Freshman Julian Brantley also raced to a personal best mark in the event, posting a converted time of 22.48s that was good for 28^th place.
• UCCS had five student-athletes place inside the top 15 out of 47 competitors in the women's 200m dash, led by junior Danaya Kinnard in fifth place with an altitude adjusted time of 24.99s. Freshman Katie Jewell was the next Mountain Lion to cross the finish line as she claimed seventh place with a personal best converted time of 25.29s, while sophomore Payton Rodgers (25.56c), junior Taryn Fettig (25.61c), and freshman Leiava Holliman (25.75c) each posted personal best marks to secure 11^th, 13^th, and 14^th place, respectively.
• Redshirt senior Joseph Hamilton led the Mountain Lions in the men's 800m as he raced to a personal best converted time of 1:52.37 to finish 13^th out of 46 competitors in the event. In addition, sophomore Jacob Silvis (1:54.10c) and redshirt freshman Jacob Kinne (1:55.29) both shaved more than a full second off their previous personal bests in the event with Silvis finishing 19^th and Kinne taking 25^th place.
• Redshirt junior Joseph Impellitteri secured an 11^th place finish out of 68 competitors in the men's mile as he posted a personal best converted time of 4:09.85. He was joined inside the top half of the field by freshman Elijah Dafoe, who recorded a converted time of 4:18.45 in his first collegiate mile race.
• UCCS had a trio of student-athletes secure top 10 finishes in the women's 3,000m with senior Kseniya Nikanorov taking third place out of 32 competitors with a personal best converted time of 9:52.34. Junior Emma Montoya was right on Nikanorov's tail as she claimed fourth place with a personal best converted time of 9:53.52, while redshirt sophomore Madison Brosig was the sixth overall finisher in a personal best converted time of 9:58.59.
• In the men's 3,000m, redshirt junior Enzo Knapp crossed the finish line first for the Mountain Lions as was eighth overall out of 48 competitors with a personal best converted time of 8:23.19. Redshirt juniors Koy Cunningham (8:25.19c) and Caden Leal (8:26.28c) also notched personal best times and finished inside the top 15 with Cunningham taking 11^th place and Leal securing 13^th place.
• Sophomore Cienna Dietz clocked a season-best converted time of 2:17.08 in the women's 800m as she finished 16^th overall out of 36 competitors. Redshirt sophomore Olivia Sargent also made her season debut in the event, finishing 20^th overall with a personal best converted time of 2:19.57.
• Freshman Revano Plummer trimmed more than a full second off his previous personal best in the men's 400m as he posted an altitude adjusted time of 48.87s in the event to finish ninth overall out of 40 sprinters. Redshirt freshman Harvey Trevino-Patton galloped to a personal best converted time of 49.78s for a 19^th place finish in the event, while freshman Braydon Candelarie also put forth a personal best performance with a converted time of 50.29s that was good for 25^th place.
• Freshman Allie Grahn made her indoor collegiate debut in the women's 5,000m and led a large group of UCCS student-athletes competing in the event, clocking a converted time of 17:31.38 for a third place finish out of 22 competitors. Redshirt junior Madison Chavez (17:56.16c) and redshirt sophomore Kaley Fergus (17:57.81c) also notched personal best times in the event while finishing ninth and tenth overall, respectively.
• In the women's mile, freshman Kate Henderson completed her first collegiate race and went on to secure a 15^th place finish out of 44 competitors with a converted time of 5:06.60.
• A pair of Mountain Lion student-athletes competed in the men's 5,000m race for the first time in their respective collegiate careers with freshman Scott Clark finishing fifth overall out of 12 competitors with a converted time of 15:06.72 and redshirt freshman Caden Weadon claiming sixth place at a converted time of 15:29.84.
• UCCS had three student-athletes competing in the preliminary round of the men's 60m hurdles with freshman Xavier Sutherlin leading the group at a converted time of 8.51s that registered as the 17^th-fastest time in the field. Junior Tre Garcia posted a personal best converted time of 8.65s in the event for 22^nd place, while junior Bryce Joshlin ran a converted time of 8.76s to take 26^th place.
• A pair of freshman student-athletes toed the line for the Mountain Lions in the women's 400m as Michelle Headley clocked a converted time of 1:00.06 for a 16^th place finish and Bentley Fitzgerald notched a converted time of 1:00.89 for a 21^st place finish.

BEYOND THE RESULTS

• The Mountain Lions posted updates to the top five list in the indoor record book for three different events on Saturday, including the men's 200m, men's 800m, and men's 4x400m relay.
  • Daryn Ofori-Kuragu – Men's 200m (4^th all-time)
  • Joseph Hamilton – Men's 800m (4^th all-time)
  • Jean, Gross, Fox, Muncy – Men's 4x400m Relay (School Record)

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will host their third and final home meet of the indoor season on Saturday, Feb. 14 when they welcome teams inside the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse for the Colorado Running Company Mountain Lion Open.

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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.