Chris Day
ASC Sports Information
Adams State College will begin their hunt for a record-extending seventh straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women’s outdoor track and field title this weekend when the Grizzlies, tabbed as the conference’s preseason favorites, compete at the Tom Benich Classic at the University of Northern Colorado’s Nottingham Field on Saturday.
The Grizzlies, who won a RMAC-record ninth straight conference title during the indoor season, have been unanimously selected as the No. 1 team in the RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Grizzlies also had a conference-high three athletes selected to the Preseason All-RMAC team including Preseason Athlete of the Year Indira Spence.
Spence, who already has eight career All-American honors and two individual national titles to her credit just half-way through her sophomore campaign, broke her own RMAC Indoor Championship records in the 60 meters, 60-meter hurdles and 200 meters at last month’s conference meet before going on to win the NCAA Division II title in the hurdles with a NCAA Championship and school-record time of 8.05 seconds. She also finished second in the 200 meters, again with a school-record time.
Joining Spence on the Preseason All-RMAC team are fellow multiple-time All-Americans in Amanda Doyle (Gylling), a senior multi-event athlete, and Sofia Monroe, a junior middle distance specialist. Doyle, a 6-time All-American, finished eighth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships after placing in three different events at the RMAC Championships.
During the 2009 outdoor season as a junior, she scored 42 points at the RMAC Championship meet placing amongst the top two finishers in five different events.
Monroe also had a solid 2010 indoor campaign earning her sixth and seventh career All-America honors with a third place finish in the distance medley relay and a fifth place tally in the 800 meters. She redshirted during the 2009 outdoor season due to injury.
As a team, the Grizzlies received all nine possible first place votes and thus the best possible nine points in the balloting of the RMAC’s 10 head coaches, who could not vote for their own teams or athletes to the Preseason All-RMAC squad. Nebraska-Kearney, which finished second behind the Grizzlies at the indoor championships, received Grizzly coach Damon Martin’s vote and finished second in the poll with 17 points. New Mexico Highlands was picked third with 29 points while Colorado Mines, finished fourth in the balloting with 34 points. Western State, which had two athletes selected to the team in multi-eventer Casey Hagen and distance runner Laura Kleppin, was tabbed fifth with 40 points while Colorado State-Pueblo, which will host the RMAC Championships from May 9-11, was picked sixth with 52 points.
Chadron State, seventh with 55 points, Mesa State (67), UC-Colorado Springs (68) and Metro State (77) rounded out the poll.
Mesa State’s Alexis Skarda was also named to the Preseason All-RMAC team and joined Spence as the only unanimous selections.
The Grizzly men were also tabbed as the RMAC’s preseason favorites.
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