Athletes smash 6 RMAC, 10 bldg. records
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The 2016 RMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships resulted in a number of athletes breaking conference and facility records this weekend at the NPAC in Chadron. Six RMAC indoor records and 10 facility records were broken over the two-day span.
Two athletes stood out through the meet, finishing top five in every event they competed in. For the men, CSC long jumper Damarcus Simpson, sophomore of Lafayette, Georgia, was named the RMAC Men’s Athlete of the Meet and Men’s Field Athlete of the Year. For the women, New Mexico Highlands University’s Salcia Slack, graduate student of Kingston, Jamaica, was also named Women’s Athlete of the Meet.
Both Simpson and Slack are automatic qualifiers in at least two events this indoor season.
Simpson competed in the 60-meter dash, high jump, triple jump, and long jump, finishing no lower than fifth. He placed fifth in triple jump, going 46 feet, 2 inches; second in the 60, running 6.72 seconds; second in high jump clearing 6-7 1/2; and first in long jump, leaping 25-4.
Slack’s performance was impressive as well, with a win in the women’s indoor pentathlon with a score of 3,959 points. Her point total is an RMAC indoor record, breaking her previous record of 3,852, which she set in 2015. Slack also won and set another RMAC indoor record in triple jump, landing 42-7. She owned the previous record of 41-4, which she set in 2015. Slack took first in one other event, the 60 hurdles, running 8.54, a facility record.
On the men’s side, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, won its first conference title in school history notching 153.5 points, edging out CSC by eight points. The Eagles finished with 145.5, and Adams State University finished third scoring 127 points.
Colorado Mines Head Track and Field Coach Matt Sparks was named Men’s Coach of the Year, and for the Orediggers, Triston Sisneros, freshman of Aurora, Colorado, was named the RMAC’s Men’s Freshman of the Year.
On the way to a conference title, the Orediggers dominated the men’s indoor heptathlon sweeping the top three spots. The Orediggers also saw success in the distance events, scoring points in the 800, 1,600, 3,000, 5,000, and distance medley relay.
In the 800, Patrick Weaver, junior of Hugoton, Kansas, of Colorado Mines, won the event, running 1:52.21. Western State Colorado University’s Robin Butler, senior of Fort Collins, Colorado, and CSC’s Zerek Jones, senior of La Junta, Colorado, ran 1:52.62 and 1:52.92, respectively.
On the field, the men’s high jump was entertaining for the audience. Andy Bowles, freshman of New Castle, Colorado, for Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, and CSC’s Simpson battled till the end for first. Bowles took the event, clearing 6-8 3/4. The height difference between the two competitors stood out; Bowles stands nearly 6-5, whereas Simpson stands 5-6.
On the women’s side, New Mexico Highlands took home the team title for the second straight year, scoring 132 points to hold off CSC who scored 124 points. Adams State rounded out the top three scoring 99 points.
NMHU’s Slack was impressive the whole weekend, but she had help from fellow teammate Shanna Thomas, senior of Clarendon, Jamaica, who won the 200 running 25.65. Thomas also won the 60 with a time of 7.54, a facility record. Slack was named the Women’s Track Athlete of the Meet. Highlands Head Track and Field Coach Bob DeVries was named the RMAC’s Women’s Coach of the Year.
Also on the women’s side, the 4×400 relay finish came down to the wire between Adams State and CSC. CSC won the event running a 3:50.67, edging Adams State, who ran a 3:52.03. Both times are provisional qualifying marks in D-II indoors. CSC currently sits No. 12 and Adams State sits No. 13.
Field events highlighted the women’s side, especially in throwing events. Madison McLaughlin, senior of Wall, South Dakota, of Black Hills State University, won both shot put and weight throw. She cleared 59-3 in weight throw and set an RMAC indoor record in shot put, throwing 50-4. McLaughlin was named the RMAC’s Field Athlete of the Year.
Another standout performance came in the women’s mile. Adams State’s Noel Prandoni, freshman of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ran 5:03.45 to win the event. Prandoni also finished second in the 3,000, running 9:54.72.
Overall, the RMAC has 20 automatic qualifying marks and a handful of provisional qualifying marks for the indoor national championships, which will be March 11-12, in Pittsburgh, Kansas.