GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Hardrocker men's track and field squads concluded its best-ever Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships with several more strong performances Sunday afternoon in Grand Junction, Colo.                                               

In the team scoring, the Hardrocker men finished in sixth place with 45 points, the highest finish since joining the conference, while the 'Rocker women were 10th with 14 points. The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs won the men's division with 178 points and Colorado School of Mines won the women's division with 144 points.

Highlights of the three-day meet saw the Hardrocker men's and women's teams combined to score in three times more events than last season with a total of 13 point-scoring events and setting five school records. Allyson Heiden broke the school-record  in the 10K, running it in a time of 38:34.55 on Saturday. Jaycie Stubbs won her fourth straight javelin title, earning a First-Team All-Conference honor, with a second-team award in the shot put, also setting a school record and Aidan Thompson earned First-Team All-Conference honors and setting a school scoring record in the decathlon, as well as second-team honors in the open discus. The 4x400m Men's relay team also set a school record on Sunday in addition to the men's school record in sixth place and 45 points. 

On Sunday, that relay team of Lane Thomas, Eddie Johnson, Ethan Pitlick and Thomas Greisen finished in third place with a school-record time of 3:15.99.

Ian Cone had the top finish of the day for the men as individuals by placing fourth in the shot put at 15.78 meters or 51-feet, 9 ¼ inches, a personal best, while Cooper Stevens was sixth at 15.03m (49-3 ½), both earning all-conference nods. Reid Kaiser placed 14^th at 13.58m (44-6 ½) and Kevin Osmanski was 20^th at 12.47m (40-10 ¾).

Also for the 'Rocker men, Taegen Wells placed seventh in the 110 hurdles in personal record time of 15.03, while Merek Ranstrom finished sixth in the 400 hurdles in 54.74, also earning an all-conference nod and Cole Dobberstein took seventh in 55.67.

Sawyer Nelson earned a pair of team points by placing seventh in the triple jump at 13.90m (45-7), while Weston Pierce just finished out of the scoring with a ninth-place finish at 13.26m (43-6). Trevor Fredenburg was 12^th at 12.27m (40-3).

For the Hardrocker women, Stubbs followed up on her win in Saturday's javelin by placing fifth in the shot put at 14.15m (46-5), earning her third all-conference selection of the meet. Amanda Cooley just missed the top eight as she placed ninth at 12.54m (41-1 ½). Adisyn Schenck was 20^th at 11.05m (36-3). 

Overall, the Hardrockers earned the following all-conference nods:
Thomas Greisen - Second Team, 800m Run, 4th, 1:53.49
Merek Ranstrom - Second Team, 400m Hurdles, 6th, 54.74 
Aidan Thompson - First Team, Decathon, 2nd, School Record, 6,445 Points
Aidan Thompson - Second Team, Discus Throw, 4th, 45.09m
Jaycie Stubbs - First Team, Javelin Throw, 1st, School Record, 42.47m
Jaycie Stubbs - Second Team, Shot Put, 5th School Record, 14.15m
Ian Cone - Second Team, Shot Put, 4th, 15.78m
Cooper Stevens - Second Team, Shot Put, 6th, 15.03m

You can follow along with the track and cross country teams all year long by following them on Instagram (@hardrockertrackfieldxc) X (@hardrockertfxc) and Facebook (Hardrocker Track and Field & Cross Country).

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 13 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.