GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After a successful indoor season, the Colorado Mesa University track & field teams will begin the outdoor slate this weekend at CSU Pueblo's Spank Blasing Invitational at and around the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.
 
The bulk of the Mavs' season opening meet will be held on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.  However, the hammer throw, javelin throw and triple jump events will be contested on Friday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m.
 
The complete meet schedule can be found here.
 
Live results can be found throughout the weekend here.
 
The heat & flight sheets can be found here.
 
Who's Competing
 
The Mavericks have entered a large contingent of 60 athletes (31 men, 29 women), who will compete in 34 total events (17 men, 17 women).  The Mavs will be the deepest in the men's sprints and jumps as well as the women's jumps and throws.
 
Here is a look at the complete list of Maverick entries, by event
 
Men (31 Athletes/52 Entries)
100m (9): Evan Atkin, Kade Christensen, Marik Cummings, Quentin Hartel, Walker Mathews, Zach Musso, Jeremiah Reed, Beau Thornton, Elijah Williams  
200m (9): Justin Blanton, Christensen, Cummings, Hartel, Mathews, Musso, Reed, Thornton, Williams
400m (2): Blanton, Dawson Heide
800m (4): Casey Amori, Dylan Campbell, Jayden Thulson, Kyle Towne
5K (4): Triston Charles, Kevin DeGree, Jacob Dalrymple, Nathan Sanches
110m Hurdles (2): Logan Hafey, Levi Hoenninger
400m Hurdles (2): Hafey, Kelsey Montague
4x100m Relay: 1 Team
4x400m Relay: 1 Team
High Jump (5): Atkin, Zace Buckhold, Eddie Kurjak, Hoenninger, Jameson Moore
Pole Vault (1): Garrett Searls
Long Jump (6): Salem Brunk, Buckhold, Miller Jones, Kurjak, Moore, Justin Thompson
Triple Jump (2): Brunk, Jones
Shot Put (1): Nathan Jones
Discus Throw (1): Jones
Hammer Throw (1): Jones
Javelin Throw (1): Seth Sherwood
 
Women (29 Athletes/59 Entries)
100m (3): Serenity Burnett-Perry, Gaby Horton, Sylvia Johansen
200m (4): Emma Dikken, Burnett-Perry, Horton, Johansen
400m (1): Dikken
800m (2): Gianna Kirking, Brooke Miller
1500m (1): Lauren Hodges
5K (2): Kate Linstedt, Kirstin Williams
100m Hurdles (4): Jordan Brockman, Sophie Lindauer, Hope Matteson, Katie Thomson
400m Hurdles (1): Emily Fowler
3K Steeplechase (2): Linstedt, Rachel Meeks
4x400m Relay- 1 Team
High Jump (6): Brockman, Josie Coffey, Kaelea Gibson, Lindauer, Hope Matteson, Thomson
Long Jump (9): Brockman, Venesa Handzhiyska, Kylee Kielian, Addy Kirkpatrick, Lindauer, Lily Nieslanik, Matteson, Natalie Smythe, Thomson
Triple Jump (3): Handzhiyska, Kielian, Smythe
Shot Put (2): Christina Palmer, Virginia Tomon
Discus Throw (7): Kaiya Graves, Augustine Hancock, Lily Lofland, Marlee Morris, Palmer, Tomon, Heather Yackey
Hammer Throw (5): Hancock, Lofland, Palmer, Tomon, Yackey
Javelin Throw (6): Brockman, Graves, Lindauer, Matteson, Morris, Thomson
 
Indoor Summary
 
Both Maverick teams finished third at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Indoor Championships as five different Maverick athletes won gold medals, one highlight of a successful season.
 
The Mavs also had five athletes qualify for the NCAA Division II Championships, all of whom earned First or Second Team USTFCCCA All-America honors.  The Maverick men had four qualifiers earn a combined five honors as they scored 11 points at the national meet, good for an 18^th place (tie) finish as a team.  The CMU men had also scored a program-record 106 points at the RMAC Championships, sweeping the jumping events while scoring 59 points in the those three (high, long, triple).
 
Eddie Kurjak led the way, winning the high jump while claiming three all-conference awards, scoring 20 points at the RMAC Championships.  He then became the first Maverick track & field athlete to earn two first team all-America honors in the same season, placing fourth in the high jump and eighth in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships.  He later made more Maverick history, being named as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's NCAA Division II South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year as the first Maverick to ever earn a regional honor.
 
Josie Coffey led the Maverick women, claiming the RMAC title in the high jump after breaking her own school-record earlier in the season to qualify for the NCAA Championships, where she earned second team all-America honors with an 11^th place (tie) finish.  She was the lone Maverick women's qualifier for the NCAA Championships although Katie Thomson also won the RMAC title in the pentathlon.
 
Award-Winning Campaign
 
In addition to their six total USTFCCCA All-America honors, the Mavericks had ten athletes combined to win a dozen All-South Central Region honors from the USTFCCCA.  Four of those athletes were named as the Region Top Performers.
 
Dawson Heide (heptathlon) and Eddie Kurjak (men's high jump) were amongst that group and earned two all-region honors.  Miller Jones (men's triple jump) and Josie Coffey (women's high jump) also led the season-long regional performance lists.
 
At the conference level, Jones was named as the RMAC Men's Co-Freshman of the Year in a vote of the conference's head coaches becoming the first Maverick man to earn that honor.   Brad Gamble also made program history as he was named as the Men's Coach of the Year by a vote of his peers, becoming the first Maverick track & field coach to earn such a plaudit.
 
A dozen Maverick men also combined for eight first team and 18 total All-RMAC honors while the CMU women had ten different athletes combine to win 13 all-conference honors, including five first team accolades.
 
In the Polls
 
Both the men's and women's Maverick squads have been picked third in the RMAC's Preseason Outdoor Polls.  The CMU men received four first place votes in the polling of the conference's head coaches.
 
To read more about the polls, click here.
 
Record Holders
 
The Mavericks have a combined seven  (3 men, 4 women) athletes on their 2024 roster who will begin the season as the school record holder in a combined ten events.
 
Here's a look at the Mavericks' returning outdoor school record holders.
 
Men
100m- Elijah Williams (10.48)
200m- Williams (20.88)
Long Jump- Dawson Heide (7.57m/24-10)
Javelin Throw- Cameron Kalaf (62.10m/203-9)
Decathlon- Heide (7241)
 
Women
1500m- Kira MacGill (4:25.75)
5K- MacGill (16:23.33)
High Jump- Josie Coffey (1.81m/5-11.25)
Shot Put- Virigina Tomon (12.97m/42-6.75)
Discus Throw- Heather Yackey (44.64m/146-5)
 
The complete Maverick top 10 all-time performers lists after the 2023 season can be accessed at these links: MEN - WOMEN.
 
Defending Champs & Returning All-Americans
 
The Mavericks return a pair of RMAC 2023 outdoor event champions to their 2024 roster in Josie Coffey (women's high jump) and Cameon Kalaf (men's javelin throw). 
 
The Mavs also have three returning outdoor all-Americans in Dawson Heide, who placed fifth in the decathlon, Kira MacGill, who placed seventh in the 5K and Coffy, who placed ninth in the high jump at last year's NCAA Division II National Championships.  MacGill is expected to redshirt this season.
 
The Mavs' other national qualifiers from a year ago (Sierra Arceneaux & Kiana Jackson) graduated.

CMU also has six other athletes on their 2024 rosters, who are all-Americans in previous seasons, including the 2023-24 indoor campaign.

The complete list of Maverick all-Americans on the 2024 outdoor roster, ranked by the number of career honors they have, is as follows:

Men
6- Justin Thompson
4- Dawson Heide
3- Elijah Williams
2- Eddie Kurjak
1- Miller Jones

Women
4- Josie Coffey
2- Jordan Burnett
2- Kira MacGill
1- Sophie Lindauer

Home Friendly Schedule
 
After this weekend's meet in Pueblo, the Mavericks are slated to be at home for the next month.  They are not slated to compete next weekend but will then host back-to-back meets on Apr. 6-7 and Apr. 14 before continuing preparations for the Apr. 26-28 RMAC Championships, which CMU will host for the first time in program history.
 
The Mavs have not yet determined which last chance meets they will compete in prior to the NCAA Division II Championships which will be held on Memorial Day weekend (Mar. 23-25) in Emporia, Kansas.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks' first home meet will be the Maverick Invite & Multi on Apr. 6-7.