GOLDEN, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs track & field team had a group of distance runners competing at Colorado School of Mines' Kit Mayer Classic on Saturday and saw a string of solid performances as three Mountain Lions won their respective events and redshirt senior Enzo Knapp recorded an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the men's 1500m.
 
INSIDE THE KIT MAYER CLASSIC
Location: CSM Stermole Track & Field Complex | Golden, Colo.
Elevation: 5,739 ft.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Redshirt junior Enzo Knapp posted the lone NCAA provisional qualifying mark of the day for UCCS as he raced to a personal best converted time of 3:46.86 in the men's 1500m for a second-place finish among the 36-person field. Freshman Elijah Dafoe was the 10^th overall finisher in the race with a personal best converted time of 3:54.93, while redshirt freshman Jacob Kinne also nabbed a slight personal best with a converted time of 3:55.48 that placed him 11^th overall.
• In the women's 1500m, redshirt junior Maddie Ruszkiewicz shaved nearly six seconds off her personal best with a converted time of 4:36.24 that was good for second overall in the 22-person field. Freshman Ella Hopkins also made her collegiate debut in the 1500m and had a strong finish as she clocked a converted time of 4:46.83 for a seventh-place finish.
• The Mountain Lions had the top two finishers in the women's 3,000m steeplechase as redshirt junior Audrey Brunken won the race in a converted time of 11:09.67 with redshirt junior Megan Ericksen right on her tail in second place out of the 14-person field with a converted time of 11:15.01.
• UCCS took the top two positions in the men's 5,000m with redshirt junior Michael Burke Jr. earning the event win with a personal best converted time of 14:43.53 and redshirt junior Caden Leal finishing second overall in a converted time of 14:48.97.
• Freshman Allie Grahn cruised to a first place finish out of 11 competitors in the women's 5,000m race as she clocked a converted time of 17:52.16, while freshman Mazie Olkowski was the third overall finisher in the event with a converted time of 18:31.61.
• Freshman Elizabeth McQuitty put forth a strong effort in her first collegiate 10,000m race as she posted a second place finish out of 15 competitors in the event with a converted time of 36:59.20 while redshirt junior Kaya Pillivant finished third overall and recorded a converted time of 37:05.43.
• The Mountain Lions had a pair of top five finishers in the women's 800m with redshirt sophomore Olivia Sargent clocking a season-best converted time of 2:14.97 for a third-place finish in the 22-person field and redshirt freshman Ceanna Dietz claimed fourth overall with a personal best converted time of 2:15.33.
• Freshman Jackson Dalleck was the first UCCS student-athlete to cross the finish line in the men's 3,000m steeplechase, taking sixth overall out of 29 competitors with a personal best converted time of 9:31.40. Redshirt senior Jack Donze was the 11^th place finisher in the event, posting a season-best converted time of 9:38.90.
• Redshirt junior Koy Cunningham was the first Mountain Lion across the finish line in the men's 10,000m as he took seventh place overall in the 21-person field with a converted time of 31:31.49. Redshirt junior Turner Schad also finished inside the top 10, logging a ninth-place finish with a converted time of 31:40.83.
• Redshirt senior Joseph Hamilton led the Mountain Lions in the men's 800m as he posted a converted time of 1:54.71 for an eighth-place finish in the 25-person field, while redshirt junior Anthony Economou notched a personal best converted time of 1:56.96 for a 13^th-place finish.

BEYOND THE RESULTS

• With less than two weeks until the 2026 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, UCCS has recorded a total of 28 NCAA provisional qualifying marks, including 12 on the men's side and 16 on the women's side.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will compete at their final meet prior to the outdoor conference championship meet next weekend when they head back to Golden, Colo. for the Mines Pre-Conference meet on April 17-18.

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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.