PUEBLO, Colo.— 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year Sierra Arceneaux got her 2023 season off to a fine start, smashing her own school-record to win the 200 meters while posting another NCAA Division II Championship provisional qualifying time as the runner-up in the 100 on Saturday here at the CSU Pueblo Open.
 
Kira MacGill and the Mavericks' men's 4x100-meter relay teams also posted provisional national champion qualifying times while the relay squad of Beau Thornton, Teo Casados, Kade Christensen and  Elijah Williams also broke a school-record.
 
Elsewhere, Justin Blanton won the 400 meters while Cameron Kalaf took the javelin throw with a personal-best for the CMU men while Averie Griffith was victorious for the CMU women in the 400-meter hurdles, some of the numerous highlights for the Mavs in their season-opening meet.
 
In the 200, Arceneaux blazed to a time of 23.47 seconds, well under her former record of 23.87.  Even with the altitude-adjustment penalty, she still ranks second in Division II this season at 23.54.  The redshirt senior from Aurora, Colorado also posted a time of 11.49 seconds in the 100 and ranks seventh nationally with the altitude-adjusted mark of 11.52.  Her actual time was just off her own school-record of 11.45 that she used to win the RMAC title here last spring.
 
Meanwhile, the relay team ran to a runner-up time of 40.35 seconds to smash the former Maverick standard of 40.69 while moving into the No. 12 spot on the national qualification list with an altitude-adjusted time of 40.47.
 
MacGill also ranks 12^th on the national list in the women's 5,000 meters after finishing second in 17:22.93, which converts to 16:56.32 at sea level.
 
Blanton took the 400 in 48.36 seconds and now ranks second in program history and on the RMAC season performance list with a converted time of 48.47.
 
Kalaf also ranks second in the RMAC and on the Mavs' all-time top-10 list with his javelin mark of 57.10 meters (187-4), a nearly 2-meter PR over his former best of 55.27 meters (181-4) from last season.

The Mavs also had plenty of other new top-10 ranking marks throughout the meet.
 
In the 100, Casados placed third in 10.57 seconds to move into the No. 2 spot of program history.  Kade Christensen also had a wind-aided time of 10.66 in an earlier heat to place fifth overall while Beau Thornton had a time of 10.71 in the same heat to finish sixth.  Joey Zook placed eighth in 10.76 seconds to move into the No. 7 spot of program history with his wind-legal mark.
 
In the 200, Williams finished sixth in 21.5 2 seconds while Sterling Brassfield moved into the No. 5 position of the Mavs' all-time list at 21.80 seconds, a list Williams leads at 20.88.  Zook also cracked the top 10 with a mark of 22.04.
 
In the men's 5,000, Mark Testa finished third in 15:26.82, just off his PR of 15:26.12.
 
Kelsey Montague also posted a top-5 finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a PR time of 55.00, solidifying his No. 4 ranking in program history.
 
In the field, Eddie Kurjak cleared 2.03 meters (6-7.75) in the high jump to place third and move into a tie for third in program history.  Zace Buckhold also cleared 2.00 meters (6-6.75) to finish fifth.
 
Becker Ell cleared 4.55 meters (14-11) in the pole vault to finish third while improving his No. 4 position in CMU outdoor history.
 
In the long jump, Justin Thompson had a consistent day posting two marks of 7.22 meters (23-8.25) and another of 7.21 meters (23-8), the same mark that Zace Buckhold went on a wind-aided first attempt.

Dawson Heide turned in a mark of 6.90 meters (22-7.75) to move into the No. 6 spot in program history.

School-record holder Hayden Riley finished fifth in the shot put with a mark of 15.42 meters (50-7.25) on his lone legal attempt while Jameson Moore moved up one spot to fifth in program history with a PR mark of 51.35 meters (168-6) in the hammer throw, good for sixth place.
 
On the women's side, Gaby Horton and Avry Kennison posted wind-aided times of 12.06 and 12.15 seconds in the 100 meters, placing sixth and tenth, respectively.
 
Horton moved into the No. 6 spot of CMU history in the 200, finishing eighth in 25.20 seconds while Kennison slid into the No. 10 spot with a ninth place time of 25.31 seconds.
 
Emma Dikken led the Mavs in the 400 with a time of 58.28 seconds while Alyssa Britton posted a mark of 2:20.11 in the 800, taking over the No. 7 spot in CMU outdoor history.
 
Griffith won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:04.94 while Lexie Williams set a PR time of 1:07.13 to place fifth and improve her No. 9 ranking in CMU history slightly. 
 
In the 100 hurdles, Mica Jenrette placed fifth in 14.94 seconds while Griffith was eighth in 15.41.

Jenrette was also fourth in the high jump with a mark of 1.55 meters (5-1) while three other Mavs cleared 1.50 meters (4-11).  Daisy Rinehart cleared 3.30 meters (10-10) in the pole vault.
 
Meanwhile, Jordan Brockman set a PR of 5.62 meters (18-5.25) to finish fourth in the long jump, moving into the No. 7 spot of CMU outdoor history.  Taeryn Trumper was right behind in fifth with a leap of 5.57 meters (18-3.25).
 
In the throws, Virginia Tomon finished third in the shot put with a mark of 12.54 meters (41-1.75) to take over the No. 2 spot in CMU history.  Heather Yackey also had an outdoor PR of 11.45 meters (37-6.75) to move up to the eighth in Maverick lore.  Yackey also finished third in the discus at 42.30 meters (138-9) while Augustine Hancock took fifth in her collegiate debut for that discipline, posting a mark of 39.50 meters (129-7) to take the No. 5 spot in CMU history.  Yackey also moved into the No. 10 spot of CMU history in the hammer throw with an 11^th place effort of 39.93 meters.
 
The Mavericks will continue their season next weekend at the Kit Mayer Invite at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden.