GUNNISON, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University women's track and field team got their long-awaited indoor season off to a jumping start as freshman
Josie Coffey set a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference-leading, NCAA Division II Championship provisional qualifying and school-record mark in the high jump while
Chian DeLoach won both the long and triple jumps to highlight the Mavericks' efforts in a 70-62 win over rival Western Colorado University in Friday's Western Slope Challenge dual meet in the Mountaineer Fieldhouse.
The Maverick men also had two NCAA provisional qualifying efforts in the mile and a school-record setting effort from Eljiah Williams in the 60 meters during a 67 ½-59 ½ win over the Mountaineers.
Coffey, a 2-time Jeffco League Champion while at Bear Creek High School, cleared 1.72 meters (5 feet, 7 ¾ inches) to break the Maverick record of 1.69 meters (5-6.5), which had been set by now graduated
Sarah Cerrone at the 2020 RMAC Championships. That clearance puts Coffey in a tie for sixth on the NCAA Division II performance list.
Meanwhile, DeLoach, a junior, turned in solid season-starting marks of 5.61 meters (18-5) in the long jump and 11.41 meters (37-5.25) in the triple jump as the Mavericks scored 27 points in the three jumping events alone.
The Mavericks also received winning efforts from
Rachel Crutcher in the 60-meter dash, an event that saw the Mavericks sweep the top six places, freshman
Meleeah Holmes-McKown in the shot put and the 4x400-meter relay quartet of Crutcher,
Jade Wimmer,
Jill Payne and
McKenna Molder, who combined to post the second fastest relay time in school history. That quartet posted a time of 3:56.86 and lead the RMAC with a track-size and altitude-adjusted mark of 3:54.60.
Crutcher finished the 60 in 7.63 seconds as the Mavericks swept the top six places in the event. She ranks second on the RMAC performance list with an altitude-adjusted time of 7.67 seconds. Holmes-McKown also set two of the 11 new marks on the Mavs' all-time top-10 performers charts throughout the day in her collegiate debut.
Here are some of the other highlights from the meet:
- Sierra Arceneaux stands third in the RMAC in the 60-meter dash after finishing second in the event with a time of 7.75 (7.79-altitude adjusted).
- Shaya Chenoweth put up a time of 7.83 to move into a tie for seventh in program history during the preliminary heats before taking third in the finals with a mark of 7.75
- Haley Golden moved into a tie for ninth on the Mavs' all-time 200-meter chart, taking second in 26.29 seconds.
- Amber Valdez moved into the No. 10 spot on the 400-meter list after finishing third in 1:00.84.
- RMAC Cross Country Freshman of the Year Kira MacGill made her track debut, finishing second in the mile with a time of 5:21.12, which ranks her third in CMU history.
- McKenna Molder now sits sixth in Maverick 60-meter hurdle lore after finishing second in 9.07 seconds. She stands third on the RMAC performance list with the altitude-adjusted mark of 9.11.
- Kiana Jackson also moved into the No. 8 spot in CMU history after finishing third in 9.24 seconds.
- Freshman Sophie Lindauer took second behind Coffey in the high jump, clearing 1.65 meters (5-5) to move into the top-5 of Maverick history.
- Lydia Dawson took second in the pole vault after clearing 3.05 meters (10-0).
The Mavs went 1-4 in the long jump with Chenoweth (5.48m/17-11.75), Jackson (5.27m/17-3.5) and Kaley St. Peter (5.13m/16-10) finishing behind DeLoach. Jackson also took second in the triple jump with a mark of 11.38 meters (37-4).
- Holmes-McKown now ranks fourth in program history in the shot put, after posting her winning heave of 11.67 meters (38-3.5). She then finished third in the weight throw with a mark of 14.16 meters (46-5.5) to rank sixth in Maverick lore.
Up Next
The Mavericks will head south to Alamosa to compete in Saturday's Adams State Grizzly Open.
