Boulder, CO- A cold January day saw a historic meet for the Cougars as several men opened up the latter half of the indoor season with superb performances. With a small crew running the Colorado Invite at CU Boulder's indoor facility, the Cougars walked away with two school record's broken, a national provisional, and several RMAC qualifiers.

Josiah Weeda, the true freshman, had an explosive day on the track in his third ever collegiate meet. Weeda wrote his name in the record book in not just one, but two events as he competed in the 60H and 200m. Weeda started in the 60H prelims, running the short burst in 8.38 seconds, earning the last spot in the finals. Weeda would run the exact same time of 8.38 in the finals, the fastest ever 60H in CCU history, and only .2 seconds from a national provisional. Weeda would compete later in the 200, blazing to a 23.96, the 5^th fastest men's 200m in CCU history. Weeda is currently sitting 6^th on the RMAC list in the 60H. With 4-5 indoor meets left in the season, Weeda will look to hit the national provisional time in the 60H and continue to get closer to qualifying for RMAC in the 200.

Dymond, Nowakowski, Junker, and McCasland had solid days in the 60, 60H, 200, & 400 to wrap up a great meet for the sprints.

Senior Mateo Luna, the Florida native, showcased his raw speed and composure in the grueling 800m for the best half-mile performance CCU has seen. His first 800 in 2 years, Luna opened up off the back, running a smooth 29 second 200 before starting to work his way up. Luna would work his way up to the front of the heat before turning on the jets with 200m left, winning his heat by almost 2 seconds for a time of 1:52.67. This is the fastest ever 800, indoor or outdoor, in CCU history, shattering the indoor record by almost two seconds. The 1:52.67 will convert to a 1:51.9 at altitude, a national provisional, leaving Luna 26^th on the national list and 4^th on the RMAC list. Yet to open up in the mile, Luna will continue to push to make the national meet for the mile. Luna would also run the 3k just hours later, running an 8:52, an extremely impressive feat for his second race on the day. Running the 2^nd fastest 10k for the Cougars at Cross Country Nationals in November, Luna has proven to be one of the most versatile runners the Cougars have seen.

Tyler Schwarz also had an excellent 800m race, running a 1:56.04, converting to a 1:55.29, 11^th on the RMAC list. This will leave Schwarz close to qualifying for RMAC Indoors as he continues to build in the 800, eyes set to make his mark during the RMAC Indoor Championships in Gunnison. Tate Fletcher also ran a 2:00 flat, converting to a 1:59 to wrap up a solid 800m for the Cougs.

The likes of Zach Vance saw another incredible race in the men's 3,000, his third outstanding race in three meets. The 3,000m (1.86 miles) opened up with Vance calmly sitting in the middle of the pack, waiting to make his move. Smooth and determined, Vance patiently moved up, making his move with 500 meters left. Vance would blaze his way to gap the rest of the heat by 3 seconds, finishing 9^th in the overall race of 38 with a time of 8:34. Vance is coming off of an impressive converted 14:39 5k and a converted 4:07 mile, which is also a national provisional time. Vance is sitting 16^th on the RMAC Indoor list for the 5k, 14^th in the 3k, and 10^th in the mile. Vance's 4:07 mile also lands him 22^nd on the national indoor list. Vance looks ahead to the next few meets to qualify for the National meet in the mile, looking to leave his mark on the national stage.

Head Coach Evan Verbal had the following to say after the meet "I loved how the men competed. A year ago we came up to CU and did not perform how we wanted. But today we focused on competing well and trying to win heats. The men's 800 and Zach Vance's 3000m performance were really encouraging on the distance side. Anytime you can run a provisional standard, that's a good day. Mateo was able to do that with a 1:51.9 conversion in the 800."

The Cougars will travel to Topeka, KS next week to run at Washburn, a banked track at sea level. This meet serves as an excellent opportunity for continued strides on the men's side.