GUNNISON, Colo.— Kaitlyn Pearson took fourth in the pentathlon while pole vaulter Taiya Carl and the distance medley relay team both took fifth as the Colorado Mesa University women's track & field team racked up 15 teams points to stand sixth in the overall team standings after the first day of the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, which got underway on Friday here at Western Colorado University's Mountaineer Field House.
 
Pearson also advanced to the 60-meter hurdle finals while Addy Kirkpatrick recorded a sixth place finish in the long jump.
 
Hannah Schissler and Kammi Merritt also successfully reached Saturday's finals in three combined sprinting events.
 
Pearson scored a career-high 3,213 points in the pentathlon, setting new indoor career-bests in both running events.  She won the opening discipline of the 5-event competition with a massive personal record time of 8.77 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles to move up a spot to second in program history.
 
She also had a time of 2:27.23, just off her outdoor PR of 2:27.33 in the 800 meters.  IN between, she cleared 1.43 meters (4-8.25) in the high jump, turned in a shot put mark of 7.04 meters (23-1.25) and long jumped 5.31 meters (17-5.25).
 
She also ran in the main 60-meter hurdle event, qualifying sixth for Saturday's final with a preliminary round time of 8.92 seconds.
 
Meanwhile, Carl cleared 3.57 meters (11-8.5) to score four team points in the pole vault.
 
The distance medley relay team of Brooke Miller, Merritt, Jordan Staniszewski and Megan Hodges did the same, clocking a time of 12:14.13, the third fastest in overall program history and the fastest ever recorded at an altitude location.
 
Kirkpatrick then closed out the Mavs' night with her sixth place mark of 5.50 meters (18-0.5) in the long jump.  Emily Hruby also competed in that event, placing 11^th with a leap of 5.25 meters (17-2.75).
 
In the shot put, Aaliyah Bos led a trio of Mavericks with an 11^th place throw of 11.95 meters (39-2.5).  Freshman Brilee Jensen placed 15^th with a mark of 11.37 meters (37-3.75) in her RMAC Championship debut, one spot ahead of Augustine Hancock, who had a mark of 11.11 meters (36-5.5).
 
On the track, Schissler qualified fourth in the 200 meters with a preliminary heat time of 24.90 seconds while Pearson finished ninth in 25.49.  Genesis Nehmer, a late addition to the 200-meter field, finished 17^th in the 26.41 seconds.
 
Schissler also made the finals in the 60 meters, placing ninth with a career-best time of 7.69 seconds.  Teammate Sylvia Johnansen also had a season-best time of 7.78 to finish 15.
 
In the 400, Merritt qualified third for Saturday's final in 57.14 seconds while Elaina Arcand finished just one place shy, taking ninth in 59.06 seconds.   Meanwhile, Cami Costello finished tenth with a season-best of 59.17 seconds while Waycee Harvey was 13^th in 59.61.
 
The mas also had four entries in the 60-meter hurdles as Pearson qualified for the finals.  Atahlia Mills finished tenth in 9.15 seconds and was just shy of a finals pot.  Jessie Schaffer took 12^th in 9.27 seconds while Rimari Facey finished 13^th with a season-best of 9.32 seconds.
 
The meet will continue on Saturday.