CHADRON, Neb. – The Colorado State University Pueblo men's and women's track and field teams closed out the final day of the 2023 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships here Sunday by winning five gold medals, recording nine NCAA Provisional times, and setting an RMAC record in the women's 800-meters at the Nelson Physical Activity Center hosted by Chadron State College.
 
After three days of competition at the championship meet, the CSU Pueblo men recorded a third place finish out of 13 teams with 111.50 points, while the CSU Pueblo women tallied a total of 74 points to finish in fifth place out of 14 teams. On Sunday's final day of the meet, the Pack men scored 82.50 points and the Pack women scored 35 points.
 
UCCS swept both team titles as the Mountain Lion men scored 180 points, while the Mountain Lion scored 130.50 points. Colorado Mesa was second on the men's side with 125.50 points and Western Colorado was second on the women's side with 123 points.
 
The Pack men had an outstanding final day of the championships as they won four events, recorded three second place finishes and had seven NCAA Provisional times.
 
CSU Pueblo got Sunday's final day of competition started with a fourth-place finish in the 4-x-100-meter relay with a time of 41.94. The members of the relay team were freshman Cedrick Kassi (Plano, Texas/Plano West), freshman Evan Johnson (Aurora, Colo./Grandview), freshman Ryan King (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) and freshman Keith McInnis (Denver, Colo./Denver North).
 
The next event for the Pack was the 1,500-meter run as sophomore Reece Sharman-Newell (Hampshire, England) captured the RMAC title and gold medal with an NCAA provisional time of 3:50.88. The Pack also finished seventh in the event as fifth-year senior Matisse Virey (Lyon, France) posted a time of 3:57.71.
 
Junior Tyrell Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mesa Ridge) took home the silver medal in the 400-meter run as he recorded an NCAA provisional time of 47.15.
 
Sharman-Newell and junior Kaleb Tipton (Lawton, Okla./Lawton) went first and second in the 800-meter run as Sharman-Newell captured the gold medal with an NCAA provisional time of 1:48.67, while Tipton earned a silver medal with an NCAA provisional time of 1:49.55.
 
Senior Carl Schmidt (Wiesbaden, Germany/Elly-Heuss) placed seventh in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.58.
 
In the final track event, the Pack took home first place honors and won the gold medal in the 4-x-400-meter relay with an NCAA provisional time of 3:12.47. The members of the gold medal relay team were Schmidt, Sharman-Newell, Tipton and Smith.

With his three gold medals in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters and 4-x-400 meter relay, Sharman-Newell was one of the student-athletes named the Men's Athlete of the Meet. It was the first time in league history they have had a four-way tie for Men's Athlete of the Meet. In addition to Sharman-Newell, Mines' Everett Delate, UCCS' Justice Mendoza and Western Colorado's Ismael Dembele were the other winners of the award.
 
Kassi took home a bronze medal in the first field event final on Sunday as he placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 14.51 meters (47-7.25").
 
In the next field event, the shot put, the Pack took home first and second place in the event as senior Nate Miller (Colorado Springs, Colo./Widefield) won the gold medal with an NCAA provisional mark of 18.35 meters (60-2.50") and senior Justin Jenks (Helena, Mont./Helena Capital) earned the silver medal with an NCAA provisional mark of 17.64 meters (51-10.50"). Xavier Freeman (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East) was ninth in the event with a mark of 14.59 meters (47-10.50") and sophomore Lucas Moran (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) was 14th with a mark of 14.12 meters (46-4).
 
Freshman Moosah Alsaffar (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) recorded a seventh-place finish in the javelin with a season-best toss of 53.97 meters (177-1), while freshman Zakk Thomas (Kirtland, N.M./Kirtland Central) was 16th in the event with a mark of 47.73 meters (156-7).
 
In the final event of the meet, McInnis tied for seventh in the high jump with a mark of 1.89 meters (6-2.25").
 
Meanwhile, on the women's side, the Pack got things started with a sixth-place finish in the 4-x-100-meter relay with a time of 49.89. The members of the relay team were senior Erin Case (Parker, Colo./Loveland), senior Ashley Miller (Monroe, Iowa/Minot State), freshman Gabielle Dunich (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo Central) and freshman Skyler Kimble (Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor).
 
The next event the Pack women competed in was the 800-meter run as sophomore Helen Braybrook (Frieston, United Kingdom/Oakham School) had a run to remember as she not only captured the gold medal, but Braybrook did it in RMAC record fashion as she established a new league record in the event with a time of 2:06.34. The time, which was an NCAA provisional mark, bettered the old RMAC record of 2:09.08 set by Adams State's Ava O'Connor at the 2022 championships.
 
In the final track event for the Pack women, they took home sixth place in the 4-x-400-meter relay with a time of 3:55.14. The members of the relay team were Braybrook, sophomore Taylor Holland (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County), freshman Jadyn Herron-Jonap (Queen Creek, Casteel) and sophomore Ella Harris (Star, Idaho/Eagle).
 
The Pack started the field event finals with a fifth-place finish by sophomore Mikayla Jones (Aurora, Colo./Vista Peak Prep) in the triple jump with a season-best leap of 11.51 meters (37-09.25").
 
In the shot put, the Pack recorded a second and fourth place finish as sophomore Katherine Higgins (Mead, Colo./Ponderosa) earned a silver medal in the event with an NCAA provisional mark of 14.75 meters (48-04.75") and freshman Febe Wessels (Pretoria, South Africa) was fourth in the event with an NCAA provisional mark of 14.31 meters (46-11.50"). Sophomore Olivia Mikaelian (Albuquerque, N.M./El Dorado) was 14th with a mark of 11.51 meters (37-09.25:").
 
The Pack will return to the track next weekend (May 6) as they compete in an NCAA Last Chance Meet held at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
 
Here is a list of the Pack men's and women's track and field student-athletes that earned All-RMAC honors at this year's RMAC Championships.
 
RMAC CHAMPIONS
Terrel Johnson – Men's Decathlon
Nate Miller – Men's Shot Put
Reece Sharman-Newell – Men's 800-meters and Men's 1,500 meters
4-x-400 Meter Relay Team – Carl Schmidt, Reece Sharman-Newell, Kaleb Tipton, Tyrell Smith
Helen Braybrook – Women's 800-Meters
 
ALL-CONFERENCE PERFORMERS
Men
Daniel Beam, Second Team (10,000 Meters)
Kaleb Beloy, Second Team (3,000-Meter Steeplechase)
Justin Jenks, First Team (Hammer) – Silver Medal, First Team (Shot Put) – Silver Medal
Terrel Johnson, First Team (Decathlon) – Gold Medal
Cedrick Kassi, First Team (Triple jump) – Bronze Medal
Nate Miller, Second Team (Hammer), First Team (Shot Put) – Gold Medal
Carl Schmidt, First Team (4-x-400 Meter Relay) – Gold Medal
Reece Sharman-Newell, First Team (800 Meters, 1,500 Meters, 4-x-400 Meter Relay) – Gold Medal (3)
Tyrell Smith, First Team (4-x-400 Meter Relay) – Gold Medal, First Team (400 meters) – Silver Medal
Kaleb Tipton, First Team (800 Meters) – Silver Medal, First Team (4-x-400 Meter Relay) – Gold Medal
 
Women
Helen Braybrook, First Team (800 Meters) – Gold Medal / RMAC Record
Katherine Higgins, First Team (Shot Put) – Silver Medal
Mikayla Jones, First Team (High jump) – Silver Medal, Second Team (Triple jump)
Bailey Graves, First Team (Javelin) – Bronze Medal
Olivia Mikaelian, Second Team (Hammer)
Sarah Renberg, Second Team (10,000 Meters)
Margot Thomas-Gatel, Second Team (3,000-meter Stepplechase)
Febe Wessels, First Team (Javelin) – Silver Medal, Second Team (Shot Put)