Gunnison, CO – 7,723 feet up, the Cougars took on the RMAC Championships over the weekend. The final meet for the majority of the team, the Championships saw several impressive races with new PR's and another national provisional.

Zach Vance, already running an incredible and historic season for the Cougars saw his final race in an extremely competitive mile. A tough feat running at this altitude, Vance elected to run off the back when the gun went off, rolling through the first 200 in 34 seconds. Still off the back, the pace would quicken slightly, Vance rolling through the next couple laps in 33's. Vance ran the race calm and collected, remaining patient and trusting himself as the pack continued to pick up the pace. The last 600 of the race saw a masterpiece from Vance, closing in an astounding 1:30. As the pack started to slowly die, Vance picked up the pace, running a 31, then 29 and 30 for the final 400. The push saw Vance finish fourth in the heat, outkicking 4 runners in the heat, with an overall finish of 4^th in the RMAC mile.

Vance would come across the line in 4:17, which would convert to a 4:02.9 at the extreme altitude. This places him 27^th on the national list and be a 5 second PR converted. Proving to be a national threat in the mile, 3k, and 5k, Vance looks ahead to the outdoor season to race at the national stage.

Mateo Luna would double in the mile and 800 for the Indoor Championships, already having a national provisional for both races under his belt. Luna would open up in the mile, running alongside Zach Vance in one of the nations most competitive fields. Luna would elect to run a faster and more evenly paced strategy than Vance, sitting in 5^th for the entirety of the race. Settling into 33 second laps, Luna would sit in 5^th and let the race unfold. Luna would close well with the rest of the pack, closing the last 600 with two 31's and a 30 second lap to finish 5^th in his heat and 5^th overall in the RMAC mile. Luna would cross the line in a time of 4:18 right behind Vance, converting roughly to a 4:03 mile.

Luna, just an hour later, would take on the 800 meter, a grueling race at 7,700 feet especially fresh off of the mile. The heat of 6 competitors would see a waterfall start, Luna getting off the line and racing the first 150 meters by his lonesome. Luna would fall into fourth finishing the 2^nd lap, coming through the first 400 in 57.02. The name of the game was to hold on. The pack went through the 3^rd lap in an 29, Luna falling back into 5^th going into the bell lap. Luna would do what he has done well all season, waiting for the last 50 meters to kick, swinging wide and churning the legs to push him to a 3^rd place heat finish, just .10 seconds from the winner. This would place him 7^th overall with a final time of 1:55.23, converting to a 1:52, just off of his PR ran earlier this season.

After two top-10 finishes at the Indoor Championships, Luna eagerly awaits the national mile, currently sitting 24^th on the list. While on the outside looking in, Luna will await scratches to hopefully make his mark on the national stage. Regardless, Luna has had a phenomenal and historic season, breaking the school record in the 800 and running the second fastest mile ever for the Cougars, looking to leave not doubt about his national caliber in the 800 and 1500 meter as outdoor approaches.

The 5k would see three different Cougars compete as Ethan Wampler, Tyler Scholl, and Matthew Storer would all tow the line together. A heat filled with unbelievable talent and 18 runners, the race got off fast, Storer sitting near the front while Wampler and Scholl elected to race off of the back pack. Storer would come through the first mile in 4:50, while Wampler and Scholl opened up in 4:53 and 4:54. The strategy was different for each Cougar. Storer would see a patient race, hovering in 4&5^th place for the first half of the race. As the grueling pace continued, Scholl would unflinchingly stick to the pack, trusting his ability and mental fortitude to hang on. Wampler would elect so sit back, settle into his pace, and watch the pack comeback to him. While vastly different, each strategy worked. The fastest runners in the heat would separate, Storer included. Soon three Mines runners would take off, a bold move while Storer elected to trust his own pace. The middle pack would continue at a steady pace, with Scholl hanging on and Wampler running steps behind by himself in no mans land. Storer's veteran move was brilliant, finishing out well and seeing a blazing fast 31 closing lap, out kicking two of the Mines runners who went early for a second place finish and time of 14:58, a 13:59 converted. Wampler's grind and patience would pay dividends, closing each lap faster and faster as the field slowly came back to him. Wampler would close in a 62 closing 400, for a 9^th place finish and national provisional at 15:18. The seniors display was one of guts and determination, running the majority of the race by himself, waiting to give everything he had. A 14:19 converted, this would see a PR for Wampler by 15 seconds converted, and his first national provisional. The race would see Scholl finish just 3 seconds behind Wampler, similarly running an extremely strong race to finish 11^th, with a time of 15:21, 14:22 converted. This 14:22 would see a 10 second PR for Scholl, as he continues to prove one of the most reliable distance runners in the Cougars depth.

Storer currently sits 18^th on the national list in the 5k, so will look to Virginia Beach to continue his national streak in the indoor 5k.

Ethan Nowakowski and Josiah Weeda each competed in the 60 Hurdles, with times of 8.51 and 8.87 respectively. This landed Nowakowski and Weeda the 15^th & 18^th in the RMAC standings to cap off strong indoor seasons. Both sprinters look to their first collegiate outdoor seasons to continue to cap an impressive collegiate debut.

With the top 6 runners in each competition finishing All-conference, the Cougars would have Vance, Luna, and Storer finish with conference recognitions. With nationals set for March 13th & 14^th, the Cougars will wait two weeks before being back in action for the last time on the indoor track.