PITTSBURG, KS – It has been nearly a year since Colorado Christian laced-up for a track and field meet. It was worth the wait.

At the Crimson and Gold Invitational, hosted by Pittsburg State, the Cougars had first place finishes, personal and school bests and a NCAA Championship provisional time. In the short time the program has been in existence, Saturday was arguably the best meet in school history.

WOMENS RECAP

Sprints

A pair underclassman participated in the 60m race with newcomer Hannah George posting a ninth-place finish in a school record time of 8.08 with Ramona LeMaster finishing in 8.21 seconds. George pulled double duty as she also competed in the 200m race (26.84).

The final event of the day was the 4x400 relay where the group of George, Hooper, Tack and Kuipers placed fifth in a time of 4:06.83 to place fifth overall.

Distance

The best event for the Cougars came during the 800m run. Newcomer Shannon King had the top time as she completed the race in 2:15.69 which was just over three seconds faster than the runner-up. Freshman Paige Tack had a great start to her tenure in a Cougar uniform as she finished fifth with a time of 2:20.81.

Colorado Christian was well represented in the 3000m race as four individuals competed. Callie Ketner put up the top time as the sophomore finished fourth with a time of 10:33.83. Elizabeth Mattson notched a seventh-place finish by finishing in 10:38.90. Kenzie Hartwig had a time of 11:11.47 while Elisa Hernandez, running in her home state, tallied a time of 11:37.19.

The Cougars put a trio of runners in the one-mile race with Michelle Kuipers 5:05.17 notching a fourth-place finish in her first collegiate track and field meet. Tessa Hooper placed just outside the top 10 as she crossed the finish line in 5:22.30 while Anna McLaughlin registered a time of 5:44.78.

Field Events

Winnie Spurlock represented the Cougars in the field events. The sophomore placed 11th in the long jump with a top effort of 4.93m (16 feet, 2 inches) while tallying fifth place in the triple jump at 9.97m (32 feet, 8.5 inches).

MENS RECAP

Sprints

Tyler Bradley was the solo Cougar to compete in the short races. During the 60m event he clipped the tape in 7.22. The sophomore also ran the 200m where he finished in 23-flat.

Distance

The best race for the squad came at the end. Colorado Christian had a host of runners place and put together good times with solid finishes in the 3000m. Josh Pierantoni won the event with a time of 8:16.48; just over two seconds quicker than the runner-up while hitting an NCAA provisional mark. Trent Cochran put together a top five finish (8:30.35) while Hudson Majeski (8:42.62) was the sixth finisher. Isaac Roberts (8:56.13) and Luke Meyer (9:07.60) went ninth and 10th respectively. 

Colorado Christian put together a solid showing during the one-mile race. Aiden Day ran a personal best 4:18.95 as he placed second; less than half-second behind the winner. Jeremy Miller put together a personal best as well with a time of 4:19.52. Nico Ramirez completed the race with an eighth-place finish (4:34.47).

During the 800m run, Nicholas Skinner battled for the top spot throughout before recording a second-place finish with a time of 1:54.60. Isaac Russo recorded a time of 1:59.56 in the competitive race.

In a rare event Tanner James began his collegiate track career by running the 600m. The Lone Star state native finished fifth with a time of 1:19.34

QUOTABLE: "We had strong performances across every discipline today. The team won two events and had numerous top five placements. We posted a lot personal best and Colorado Christian records, but I was most impressed with the competitive backbone of the team. Everyone was competing to win today, whether individual sections or overall races, we were trying to cross the finish line first," said head Jon Poag.

UP NEXT: The squad makes a brief drive down I-25 as they compete at the Air Force Invitational on Friday, Jan. 22.