Mines men, women place fifth at
2008 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships

GUNNISON, Colo. (May 6, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's track & field teams both finished in fifth place at the 2008 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which were held on Sunday - Tuesday, May 4th - 6th, at the Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison, Colo. (hosted by Western State College). CLICK HERE FOR FINAL RESULTS.

Individually, the CSM women registered a pair of first-place finishes, two second-place finishes and three third-place showings while establishing six new school records. Overall, the Oredigger men and women established 49 personal or season-best performances.

Melanie Peddle brought home first place in the 3,000m run with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 10:31.14 and Kaity Edmiston placed first in the 400m hurdles with a new CSM school-record time of 1:03.73.

Savannah Afoa placed second in the discus with an NCAA provisional and school-record toss of 46.44m. Jennifer Picucci took second place in the triple jump with her school-record and NCAA provisional qualifying leap of 11.70m, and Kiera Benson placed second in the 100m dash with a time of 12.10. Picucci also placed third in the javelin (35.92m) and fourth in the long jump with a school-record leap of 5.75m. Melissa Rhodes tied for third place in the pole vault (3.14m), as well.

Benson also ran a school-record time (24.96) in the preliminaries of the 200m dash and the women's 4x100m relay team comprised of Edmiston, Benson, Melissa Rhodes and Anna MacLeay, which finished fourth, registered a school-record time of 48.31.

Joel Hamilton took first place in the men's 10,000m run, completing the event in a time of 32:12.53. Sean Cusick (9:36.1) and Ryan Miles (9:38.0), both of whom recorded NCAA provisional times, placed third and fourth, respectively, in the men's 3,000m steeplechase. The CSM men got a second-place finish from Ian Storz in the 400m dash (48.79) while the 4x400m relay team of Chris Fitzpatrick, Jordan Foss, Nick Maynard and Mark Husted took second place with a time of 3:16.20.

Storz also took second place in the 110m hurdles (15.23) while Michael Calhoun finished third in the 400m hurdles (55.89).

The CSM outdoor track & field teams will have the opportunity to send selected student-athletes to Western State College's Last Chance Meet on Sunday, May 11th, in Gunnison, Colo.

The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships will be held on Thursday - Saturday, May 22nd - 24th, at Mt. SAC in Walnut, Calif. (hosted by Cal Poly Pomona).

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Sports Information Director Jeff Duggan at jduggan@mines.edu.

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Oredigger track & field teams compete at Jack Christiansen Invitational

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Apr. 26, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's track & field teams battled mother nature this afternoon as they competed in both snow and wind at the Jack Christiansen Invitational held by Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

For MEN'S results, click here.
For WOMEN'S results, click here.

Despite the harsh winds and cold weather, the Orediggers turned in some top performances. CSM had three individual winners on the day along with many other notable performances.

Kiera Benson won the women's 100-meters with a school-record time of 12.08. Benson's finish also topped her previous provisional qualifying mark of 12.09. Melanie Peddle also was victorious in her event as she won the women's 1500 meters in a time of 4:51.87. The third Oredigger to win their event was Ian Storz, who leaped to a 6.84 meter victory in the men's long jump.

Also turning in top performances were Jennifer Picucci, Joel Hamilton and Mark Husted. Picucci finished second in the women's triple jump with a provisional qualifying jump of 11.68 meters. Picucci's marks in the triple jump and long jump (5.50m) both established new school records. Joel Hamilton ran to a third-place finish in the men's 1500-meters with a time of 4:00.64 while Husted finished second in the 800-meters in a time of 1:52.97.

Next up for the CSM track & field teams will be the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships, which will be held by Western State College in Gunnison, Colo., on May 4th - 6th.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Track & Field team qualifies six over the weekend

CHICO, Calif. (April 11-12, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines track & field team was split into two squads this weekend. Athletes took part in both the Chico State Invitational on Friday and Saturday while others competed at the University of Colorado Invitational on Saturday.

For Chico State Invitational complete results, click here.
For CU Invitational complete results, click here.

At the Chico State Invitational, the Orediggers had six athletes qualify for the national meet, four win their events and two break school records.

On Friday night, Ryan Miles broke the school record in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Miles finished second in the event with a provisional national qualifying time of 9:09.64. His time broke his previous school record of 9:15.67 he set in 2006. Also running a provisional qualifying time in the men's steeplechase was Sean Cusick. Cusick finished fifth in the race in a time of 9:22.31. The third Oredigger male to run a provisional qualifying time was Nick Maynard in the men's 800-meters. Maynard finished third overall with a qualifying time of 1:52.23. For the women, Melanie Peddle ran a provisional qualifying time in the women's 3000-meters, her time of 10:06.51 also placed her second overall in the event.

Saturday proved to be just as successful for the Orediggers as Joel Hamilton, Ian Storz, Kiera Benson and Jennifer Picucci all won their events. Hamilton won the men's 10,000-meters in an automatic qualifying time of 29:39.03 while Storz claimed victory in the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.82. Benson not only won both the women's 100 and 200-meter events, but she broke school records in both and ran a provisional qualifying time of 12.09 in the 100-meters. Picucci was the last Oredigger who was victorious as she won the women's triple jump with a leap of 36'-07.75"

Also on Saturday, Peddle ran her second provisional qualifying time of the weekend, this time Peddle finished fourth in the 1500-meters in a time of 4:38.32.

Kaity Edmiston led the way in Boulder as she finished second in the women's 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.56. Edmiston also competed in the 400-meter hurdles where she finished fifth (1:07.60).

Next up for the Orediggers will be the Jack Christiansen Invitational (hosted by Colorado State University) on Saturday, Apr. 26th, in Fort Collins, Colo.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Track & Field Team Competes at Tom Benich Classic;
Hamilton qualifies at Stanford Invitational

GREELEY, Colo. (Apr. 5, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines track & field team competed at the Tom Benich Classic held by the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Saturday, April 5th. For complete results, click here.

While the majority of the team competed in Greeley, one Oredigger made the trip to California where he took part in the Stanford Invitational. Joel Hamilton competed on Friday, April 4th, in the distance carnival in the men's 5,000-meter event. Hamilton ran to an 11th place finish with an automatic national qualifying time of 14:09.38. For complete results, click here.

In Greeley, Savannah Afoa broke her own school record that she set last week in the discus throw. Afoa improved upon her national mark and school record by more than four feet. Afoa finished fourth on Saturday with a throw of 149'-11", bettering her toss of 145'-7" from last weekend.

Jennifer Picucci finished first in the women's long jump with a leap of 17'-10.25" and was second in the triple jump with a leap of 36'-06.25". Also winning their events in Greeley were Melanie Peddle and Kiera Benson. Peddle was victorious in the 800-meters with a time of 2:17.99 while Benson won the 100-meter dash in a time of 12.51.

For the men, two Orediggers came away with second-place finishes. Mark Husted finished second in the men's 800 with a provisional national qualifying time of 1:52.63 while Ian Storz was second in the 110-meter hurdles (15.21).

The Orediggers will return to action next weekend with the Chico Invitational (April 11th & 12th) and the University of Colorado Invitational (April 12th).

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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CSM track & field team opens up outdoor season

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (March 30, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines track & field team opened up its 2008 outdoor season this weekend. The Orediggers split the squad into two, as some stayed in Colorado to compete in the Rob Upton Invite hosted by Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and others made the trip to Kansas to compete in two separate meets (FHSU Rock 'n' Roll Distance Classic & Alex Francis Classic) hosted by Fort Hays State University.

Click here for FHSU Rock 'n' Roll Distance Classic RESULTS.
Click here for Alex Francis Classic RESULTS.
Click here for Rob Upton Invitational RESULTS.

CSM had four individual victories, one provisional qualifier and two school records broken over the weekend.

Savannah Afoa highlighted the weekend as she won the women's discus throw at the Alex Francis Classic in Hays, Kan. Her throw of 145'07" was not only a national provisional qualifying mark, but it also broke her previous school record of 143'5". Teammate Fallon Donohoue also claimed an individual victory in Hays as she won the women's hammer throw with a school record breaking toss of 148'01".

Nick Maynard ran to victory in the men's 1500 meters at the FHSU Rock 'n' Roll Distance Classic in Hays, Kan. His time of 3:59.87 was three seconds faster than second place.

Here in Colorado, Robbie McGourty tied for first in the men's pole vault at the Rob Upton Invitational held in Fort Collins. McGourty cleared a height of 13'01.50", tying him with Northern Colorado's Matt Kaplan. Also fairing well in Fort Collins was Jennifer Picucci, who finished second in the triple jump (37'06.00").

The Orediggers will return to action on Saturday, April 5th, at the Tom Benich Classic in Greeley, Colo. (hosted by the University of Northern Colorado).

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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CSM men's track & field team places 14th
at NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships

MANKATO, Minn. (March 15, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines men's track & field team finished 14th at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships held on March 14th and 15th at Minnesota State University - Mankato's Myers Fieldhouse. For complete results, click here.

The Orediggers came away with two individual All-Americans and a relay team that also earned All-American recognition.

Mark Husted and Nick Maynard both earned All-American honors (top eight individuals earn All-American) in the men's 800 meters. Husted finished 6th overall in a time of 1:53.16 while Maynard was right behind in 7th with a time of 1:53.69. Joel Hamilton just missed All-American status in the 5000-meter event, finishing 10th with a time of 14:45.73.

Husted, Maynard, Hamilton and Sean Cusick comprised CSM's Distance Medley Relay team that finished second (10:02.32) at the national meet and earned All-American accolades.

Kiera Benson, Mines' lone woman to make the trip to nationals, missed making it to the finals in the 60-meter dash and finished 15th overall with a time of 7.71.

The Orediggers will open up their 2008 outdoor season on March 29th at the Rob Upton Invitational (hosted by Colorado State University) in Fort Collins, Colo.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Mines Track & Field Competes at RMAC Championships

KEARNEY, Neb. (Mar. 1, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's track & field teams were busy competing over the past two days at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in Kearney, Nebraska.

The Oredigger men finished fifth out of seven teams while the women were sixth out of nine. Adams State College took home the women's team title while the men's team title was won by Western State College. For complete results, click here.

CSM had one conference champion while a total of seven Orediggers earned All-RMAC honors.

Joel Hamilton was the lone Oredigger to come away with an individual title as he won the men's 3,000 meters. His time of 8:29.81 also earned him first team All-RMAC (top three earn first team, while 4-6 earn second team).

Mark Husted finished third in the men's 400 meters in a time of 50.37, earning him first team All-RMAC. Teammate Chris Fitzpatrick finished right behind Husted in fourth with a time of 50.87, good enough for second team All-RMAC. Husted also earned second team All-RMAC honors with his fourth place finish in the 800 meters. Ian Storz (3rd, 60m hurdles) and Michael Rooney (3rd, 5000) rounded out the men's first team All-RMAC award winners.

For the women, Melissa Rhodes earned first team All-RMAC accolades with her second place finish in the pole vault, clearing a height of 3.25 meters. Kiera Benson earned First Team All-RMAC in the 200 meters (25.91) with her third-place finish. Benson also finished fourth in the 60 meters to earn Second Team All-RMAC honors. Benson ran 7.62 in the prelims of the 60 meter dash, which breaks her previous school record (7.68), ranks her ninth in the country and qualifies her for the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships.

The NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships will be held on Mar.14-15 in Mankato, Minn. Only a handful of Orediggers will compete, while the rest will gear up for the outdoor season.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Mines Track & Field Hosts CSM Twilight Open; Others Compete at
Prairie Wolf Invite

GOLDEN, Colo. (Feb. 22, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's track & field teams were divided into two squads on Friday evening. The majority of the team stayed home to compete in the Twilight Open at Steinhauer Fieldhouse while a handful made the trip to compete in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Prairie Wolf Invitational.

In Lincoln, the Orediggers had two school records broken and one national automatic qualifying time. Joel Hamilton led the way with his first-place finish in the 5000 meters. His time of 14:10.93 was not only an automatic qualifying time, but it crushed his previous school record of 14:26 that he set in 2006.

For the women, Kiera Benson broke her own school record set earlier this season in the 200 meter dash. Benson, whose time of 25.50 broke her old record of 25.60, finished seventh in the event and fourth in the 60 meter dash in a time of 7.78.

Other highlights on the night came from Sean Cusick who finished second in the mile in a time of 4:16.61 and Mark Husted's second-place finish in the 800 meters (1:54.27). For complete results from the Prairie Wolf Invitational, click here.

At the Twilight Open, CSM had four individuals win their events. For the women, Kaity Edmiston won the women's 400 meter dash (1:01.42) and placed second in the 60 meter hurdles (9.50).

On the men's side, Jason Lehman was victorious in the 200 meters (23.46) while Chris Fitzpatrick won the 400 meters (51.07) and was second in the 200. Ian Storz rounded out the individual victories, taking first place in the long jump with an NCAA provisional mark of 7.18m (currently 12th best in the country). For complete results from the CSM Twilight Open, click here.

Next up for the Orediggers is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships which will be held at the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Feb. 29 through Mar. 1.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Mines Track & Field Teams Host All-Comers Meet

GOLDEN, Colo. (Feb. 16, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's track & field teams hosted the annual CSM All-Comers meet on Saturday, February 16th, at Steinhauer Fieldhouse. For complete results, click here.

The Oredigger men's Distance Medley Relay Team (Ben Zywicki, 1200m leg; Mark Husted, 400m leg; Nick Maynard, 800m leg; Joel Hamilton, 1600m leg) highlighted the meet, as they ran the fastest time in the country (NCAA Division II) so far this season. Their time of 9:50.90 not only won the event, but it was also an NCAA automatic qualifying time.

Also running a qualifying time was Sean Cusick. Cusick won the men's mile in a provisional qualifying time of 4:12.51.

For the women, freshman sprinter Kiera Benson led the way as she was victorious in both the 60 and 200 meters. Benson won the 60 in a time of 7.68 and the 200 in a time of 26.32.

Mines will host the CSM Twilight Open on Friday night, Feb. 22nd. CSM will also send selected athletes to the Prairie Wolf Invite in Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 22nd.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Mines Track & Field Teams Compete at Air Force

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 9, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines track & field teams competed in the Don Barrett Air Force Open on Saturday, Feb. 9th, at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. For complete results, click here.

The Orediggers turned in some great performances, as Joel Hamilton highlighted the meet with his first-place finish in the 3000 meters. Hamilton captured the victory with a time of 8:46.06 (more than 10 seconds ahead of second place).

Also running well for the men was Nick Maynard who finished second in the men's 800 meters. His time of 1:54.14 was the fastest time for Division II runners and was an NCAA provisional qualifying time. Michael Rooney finished third overall and first for Division II runners in the men's mile with a time of 4:27.03.

In the field events, Ian Storz finished second overall, first in Division II with a personal best jump of 23-00.00.

Kiera Benson led the way for the Oredigger women, as she finished third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.70. Benson also went on to break her own school record in the 200-meter dash (25.60) that she set just one week ago. Benson was the first Division II athlete in both events. Melissa Rhodes also performed well, tying the school record in the pole-vault. Rhodes cleared a height of 10'8" placing her 10th overall.

The Orediggers will host the CSM All-Comers meet on Saturday, Feb. 15th, at the Steinhauer Fieldhouse in Golden.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Mines Track & Field Hosts Joe Davies Open

GOLDEN, Colo. (Jan. 26, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines track & field teams hosted the Joe Davies Open this afternoon at Steinhauer Fieldhouse. The Orediggers came away with four individual meet champions on the day. For complete results, click here.

CSM's Mark Husted won the men's 800 meters, improving his time from last week with an automatic national qualifying time. His time of 1:53.68 was seven seconds faster than second place. Husted also set a new school record in the men's 600 meters with a time of 1:23.17. Also capturing an individual title was cross country All-American Ben Zywicki. Zywicki won the men's mile event in a time of 4:23.41. Rounding out the men's victories was Chris Fitzpatrick, who ran to victory in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.45.

Kiera Benson led the Oredigger women once again as she was victorious in both the 60 meter dash and 200 meter dashes. Her time of 26.23 in the 200 meters set a new school record.

The Orediggers will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 9th, at the U.S Air Force Academy Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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Mines Indoor Track & Field Teams Open Season at Potts Indoor Invitational

BOULDER, Colo. (Jan. 19, 2008) - The Colorado School of Mines track & field teams opened up their 2008 indoor season at the Potts Invitational (hosted by the University of Colorado) on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18th & 19th. The Orediggers competed in the two-day event against CU, Air Force and Metro State. For complete results, click here.

Ian Storz led the way for the Orediggers as he claimed the victory in two events. Storz won the men's long jump with a leap of 22-01.00 and the 60 meter hurdles in a time of 8.47. Jonathan Whitmore won the men's triple jump with a jump of 41-01.50, while Robbie McGourty was victorious in the pole vault, clearing a height of 13-05.25. Mark Husted was the lone male Oredigger to run a National Provisional qualifying time. Husted finished second in the men's 800 meters running a converted time of 1:54.43 qualifying him for the Indoor National Meet.

On the women's side, freshman sprinter Kiera Benson won the 60 meters. Benson's time of 7.70 is a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships along with a new school record. Justina Larsen rounded out the victories for the Orediggers, winning the women's high jump with a mark of 4-09.00.

The Orediggers will return to action on Saturday, January 26th, when they host their first of three home meets, the Joe Davies Open.

For more information, please visit http://athletics.mines.edu or contact CSM Assistant S.I.D. Lori Walker at lhubbart@mines.edu.

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