SPEARFISH, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines Track and Field teams got a new school record as well as six first-place finishers on its' way to a solid opening outing.
 
Early in the meet in the Heptathlon the Hardrockers got great performances from Jonathan Hopkins and Travis Kleinsasser. Hopkins finished first in the long jump (21-06.75), tied for second in the high jump (5-11.25), first in the 60m hurdles (8.56), and second in the pole vault (14-07.25) to come in second overall in the event with 4708 points to set a new school record in the event. Kleinsasser was not far behind him, finishing in fourth overall, and moving into second place on the school records with 4492 points thanks to a great performance in the pole vault (first, 14-11.00).
 
Ryan Moen and Mateo Casados also recorded first-place finishes in the 5000-meter run and 60-meter dash. Other good performances from the men came from Aidan Thompson and Jade Cass in the heptathlon high jump (tied for 2nd, 5-11.25), Zach Hentschel in the 5000-meter run (2nd, 16:04.37), Isaac Orozco who finished 3rd in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.46. Last, but not least the A relay team of Adam Namyst, Ethan Pitlick, Thomas Massa, and Caden Kokes finished in second with a time of 3:31.04. All these performances powered the men to a second-place finish overall.
 
On the women's side of things, Adeline Wilson won the 5000-meter run, running it in a time of 20:16.92. In addition to her, Melissa May ran a time of 8.74 in the 60-meter dash, finishing in 2nd place, and Samantha Smith also recorded a second-place finish in the 3000-meter run (13:28.35). The women finished the event in third place overall.

Up Next
The Hardrocker Track & Field teams have a little over a month off before heading back to Spearfish for the Myrle Hanson Open hosted by Black Hills State on January 3rd and 4th. 
 
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.