Pueblo, CO – The Cougars traveled south to nearby CSU-Pueblo for the RMAC Championships, CCU dropping several strong performances and a podium finish.

Saturday

Ethan Nowakowski and Josiah Weeda each took on the 110H competing amongst a very strong RMAC field. Nowakowski would set a PR himself, coming across the line in 15.11, Weeda just a hair behind with 15.13. This would notch the Cougars as the 13^th &14^th  fastest marks, keeping them out of the finals.

Nowakowski and Weeda, along with Jacob Dymond would race the 400H just a few hours later. The group of Cougars saw a strong day overall, Weeda getting off the line strong and hanging on, Nowakowski ramping up speed to see an impressive finish. Nowakowski would come across the line in 55.89, the final time qualifying spot, as Nowakowski would take on the final a day later. Weeda would come across the line in 56.38, with Dymond also having a strong day with a PR of 1:00.61. Both Weeda and Dymond see their seasons come to a close, adding immense strides to the sprints side all this year.

Schwarz would tow the line in the 800 prelims, the top 2 in each prelim automatically qualifying as well as the second fastest runners outside of the automatic qualifiers. Schwarz would get off the line hot, sitting in 6^th as the front pack would fly out the gate. Sprinting through the first 400, the leaders would come through  the line in a whopping 52 seconds, Schwarz several steps behind coming through in a 54 high. As two packs would form, Schwarz would lead the second pack, hanging on as the last 200 would come around. Schwarz and a UCCS runner would go back and forth, neck and neck for the home stretch, Schwarz able to pull ahead at the line. Schwarz would close for a 5^th place heat finish and time of 1:54.77, 16^th place overall finish. Schwarz closes out a phenomenal year, breaking through in the 800, setting both indoor and outdoor records on the men's side. Schwarz will gear up to continue to push to see what he can do alongside Luna next year in the 800m.

Joseph Lethlean would take on the 3k Steeplechase, coming off an extremely fast race in California. Competing amongst an incredible field, Lethlean would go into the day looking to hang on and make a statement. The gun would go off, Lethlean sitting in a great spot near the middle of the pack, running and jumping smooth and controlled. Lethlean would settle into pace, staying in the middle of the pack and running a fairly even race. Lethlean would come into the final lap sitting in 13^th, managing to hawk down one racer as he would close in a 75 for a 12^th/24^th place finish and final time of 9:38. Although a "bland" race on paper, the strong race serves as a testament to the composure and professionalism from the true freshman, having capped an absolutely electric track season. Just getting started, Lethlean looks to build on his strong base as one of the fastest freshman CCU has seen and help lead the team to take strides forward in the future.

The 1500m prelims would see Zach Vance and Klay Grant tow the line, competing in a field of 12 competitors, an extremely strong and nationally relevant field. The gun would go off, the boys coming through 300 meters very conservative in 51 seconds. Vance would come through in the back, Grant in excellent position sitting 4^th just behind the leaders. The second lap would see almost a complete reversal, Grant falling back into 9^th place, Vance swinging three wide to jump into 4^th place. 800 meters to go, the pace turned true, the leaders picking up speed, all searching to qualify for the final. Vance would fall two spots throughout the 3^rd lap sitting in 6^th, Grant flexing his raw speed and jumping back up into 2^nd despite the increased pace. The crowd going nuts, the final 400 to ensue was pure mayhem. Legs churning and lungs burning, the front pack flew through the first 200 of the final lap, Grant hanging on best he could. The final 200 would have one name written all over it. Zach Vance. Swinging three lanes wide, Vance would fly past nearly everyone, closing in a 57 second final lap and 2^nd place finish, just .23 seconds away from catching the leader and final time of 3:59. Vance would manage to close the final 800 sub 2, enough for an automatic qualifier for the finals on Sunday. Grant would finish in 6^th place with a final time of 4:02, running an extremely gusty race and competing extremely well.

Sunday

Nowakowski would take on the 400mH finals Sunday, looking to make an RMAC statement and score for the Cougars. A rambunctious crowd would see the sprinters get out strong, Nowakowski flying through on the outside lane getting over the hurdles extremely well. The freshman would come through 200m just behind the leaders, lined up in a great spot to make something happen. Nowakowski would hang on well, grinding the end to the grueling race and flying to a 56.53 final time, enough for a 6^th place RMAC finish. An extremely impressive feat for the true freshman, Nowakowski ends a fantastic freshman season on a high, scoring points for the Cougars and garnering a Second Team All-Conference Honor.

The Men's 5k would see three Cougars compete, Klay Grant, Ethan Wampler, and Sam Schwarting all lining up for the distance event. The gun going off, Grant would fly to the front, taking ahold of the reigns and strategically slowing the race down immediately. The race would see several 85 second laps, (5:42 pace), a pedestrian pace for everyone on the track. Antsy, Mines refused to see a kick fest, speeding up the race as it would unfold. As the pace quickened, Wampler would surge up to the front finding himself in a great spot, Schwarting sitting the back middle of the back. Schwarting would calmy and patiently ease into his pace for 2 miles, and then go. Slowly but surely reeling racers in, Schwarting would pass someone nearly every lap. Wampler would grit through the pain and sit in 14^th place the rest of the race, Grant close behind. Schwarting would see a textbook close, picking of runner after runner, garnering a 9^th place finish and final time of 15:17, an extremely impressive time despite the slow start. Wampler would come through the line 11^th with a time 15:23, Grant in 17^th with a time of 15:41. This serves as Klay Grant's final career race, an extremely hard goodbye for the Cougars. Although one of the Cougars most talented runners, Grant's leadership and ability to shine Christ's light will be an irreplaceable asset to the program.

The highlight of the weekend would come from none other than Zach Vance, taking on the 1500m final. The race would get out, Vance sitting in the middle of the pack, the field easing into a manageable 4:40 pace. Vance would slip into the back pack through the second lap, preparing for what was inevitable to come. The runners would come through the first 700 meters, the real race just beginning. Antsy, the pace would come out flying with two laps left, the race demanding speed, composure, and pure grit. Vance would display all three. Flying outside, Vance would manage to pass three racers on the backend curve, flying through in a 58 second lap and putting himself in 4^th. Unphased, Vance would continue to churn the legs, flying through his last lap in a 57, closing in and passing the 3^rd place runner for an incredible 3^rd place finish. Vance would close his final 800 in an unfathomable 1:56, closing for a final time of 3:54. A display of his raw speed and talent, the 3^rd place finish earns Vance his 1^st First Team All-Conference finish.

Vance currently sits 33^rd on the national list from his 3:45 performance in California, as he will look to decide to race at a last chance meet to make a final push for a national qualifier.

An extremely successful day, the Cougars walk away from a historic season as the majority of racers end their track season. Matt Storer and Mateo Luna will gear up for nationals, set in Emporia, KS on May 21-23^rd.