Emporia, KS - The likes of Mateo Luna, Matthew Storer, and Zach Vance raced on the biggest stage this weekend at the Division II National Championships. Vance garnered a top 20 finish in the 1500m, with Storer bringing home All-American Honors with a 10^th place finish in the 10k, and Luna doing the same, finishing 10^th in the 1500 meter.

Thursday

Zach Vance kicked things off in the 1500m, toeing the line with the nation's best. Coming off an incredible qualifier at Colorado State, Vance enters the race as the 18^th-placed runner. As the gun went off, the race saw a bunched start, racers all fighting for position. Vance would get out in the middle of the pack, coming through the first 300 in 47 seconds. The second lap would be an antsy one, Vance falling into last and then pushing himself back into the middle of the pack. Only coming through the second lap in 68 seconds, the pack turned up the speed for the final 800 meters. Vance flew through the third lap in 59 seconds, holding position in 7-8th. The final lap was nothing short of a dead sprint. Churning the legs, Vance's final lap would turn a 56, closing his final 800 in 1:55. Vance's kick pushed him past several runners, closing with a 7^th place heat finish, 18^th overall finish, and final time of 3:51.37.  

This leaves Vance as the 18^th fastest 1500-meter runner in the nation to cap an incredible track season. A breakout season for Zach, the Wisconsin native wraps up his junior year breaking school records, his first national meet under his belt, and an All-American Honorable mention. Just the starting point for Vance, he will look to come back stronger in August to help push his team to another nationally relevant year. 

Matthew Storer closed out his storied career with a bang, taking on the sizable 10k. The 25-lap race saw an extremely tactical start, the first two laps going out in just under 90 seconds, a pedestrian pace for the nation's fastest distance runners. Antsy, a West Texas runner took off, quickly speeding up the race to a sub-5 pace. As the pace quickened, Storer would sit in 7^th place, methodically cranking out 70 second laps. The pace true, runners in the pack would slowly but surely start to drop off. Digging deep, Storer would fight as the final 1k drew to a close, the top 6 runners pulling away. Closing strong with a final time of 29:46, Storer ends the season as the 10^th fastest 10K runner in the nation. 

A perfect finish for the most decorated Cougar, this top 10 national finish brings Storer his 12^th All-American accolade. Storer walks away an elite amongst the elite, a reliable powerhouse for the Cougars the past 4 years. Having helped the Cougars to a program-high 3rd-place Cross Country national finish, and a personal best 2^nd place national individual finish on the track, Storer leaves the program in a much better place, with shoes that will be hard to fill. 

Mateo Luna would also take on the 1500m prelims, eager to best his 6^th place national mile finish at the Indoor National Championships. Looking to get out of the prelims for the final race two days later, the race would get out strong, coming through the first 300 meters in 46 seconds. Calmly sitting in 7th, laps 2 and 3 would slow down to 63-second laps, Luna patiently waiting behind the pack of runners bunched ahead. Knowing he needed a 4^th-place finish, Luna would wait until the last 100 meters to make his move. Exploding out of a canon, Luna would fly through a gap, jumping up 4 spots and flying to a 3^rd place finish. With a final lap of 56 seconds, Luna would come across the line with a time of 3:49 and a final qualifier. With a day's rest, Luna would step on the track with 11 other runners to race for the podium. 

Saturday

The final day of the outdoor season saw Luna toe the line, hopes high with 11 other opponents. The gun went off with a relaxed start, the pack going through the first 300 in 48 seconds. The first lap saw Luna off the back in 9^th place, falling into 11^th through the second lap, an even slower pace than the first with a 68 second lap. A tactical affair, the race within the race began with 800 meters left. Clocking a 59 second third lap, Luna would surge into 8^th place amongst the crowded group, the last lap a sprint for every racer. Churning the legs, Luna would tick off an incredible final lap of 54 seconds. The final time of 3:50 would garner Luna a 10^th place finish, his second top 10 finish at nationals this year.  

A breakout year for the senior, Luna walks home with two All-American Honors from the Indoor & Outdoor season. With another year of eligibility, Luna has another year to display his versatility, grit, and experience to continue to push the Cougars program foreword.

A wrap of the year for Cougars Track and Field, the program walks away with nearly every school record shattered, several All-American accolades, and new appearances on the national stage. While the Cougars will see many seniors & grad students hang up the spikes, a strong class and program point to an even stronger year for the 2026-27 season.