Grizzlies Atop Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Polls

Scott Kretzmann
ASC Sports
Information Director

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After claiming both Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) indoor titles and seeing both squads finish as runners-up at the NCAA Championshps, the ASC men’s and women’s track & field teams remain the league favorites as the weather warms, as both received the maximum number of first place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll, released Monday by conference officials.
The Grizzly women, who have now won 11 consecutive indoor team titles, have laid claim to the last eight outdoor crowns and received just nine points in the RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll as all nine opposing league coaches tabbed Adams State for first. Nebraska-Kearney finished second in the women’s poll at 21 points, and received the only first place vote not handed to ASC.
In the men’s voting, Adams State was atop the poll with just seven points, while UNK was again the No. 2 pick with 13 points. The Loper men, like the women, received the only other first place vote. The Grizzly men recently wrapped up their
Western State was picked for third in each poll, receiving 19 points in the men’s voting and 22 in the women’s.
The rest of the RMAC men’s preseason poll sees Chadron State tabbed for fourth with 22 points, Colorado Mines fifth with 29, UC-Colorado Springs sixth with 36, Metro State seventh with 43 and Colorado Mesa rounds out the group with 49 points.
New Mexico Highlands was tabbed fourth for the women, taking 32 points in the voting. The Cowgirls are followed by Chadron State (42 points), Colorado Mines (53), Colorado State-Pueblo (57), UC-Colorado Springs (62), Metro State (73) and Colorado Mesa (78).
Senior Drew Graham (Newcastle, England) and freshman Boris Berian (Colorado Springs, Colo.) were both picked for the men’s Preseason All-RMAC Team. Berian was the NCAA DII champ in the 800 meters indoors, while Graham won the mile at the national meet and was second in the 800. Graham is also the defending NCAA DII champ in the 1500 meters outdoors.
Four Grizzly women were named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team. Senior sprinters Indira Spence (Trelawny, Jamaica) and Kaymarie Jones (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) were joined by junior Kristen McGlynn (Bailey, Colo.) and sophomore Alicia Nelson (Craig, Colo.) of the distance running persuasion.
Spence earned four more indoor all-American honors this winter, upping her career total to 17. Jones was an indoor all-American this past season in the 60 meter hurdles, and 400 meters and 4×400 meter relay.
McGlynn earned all-American accolades this winter in the 5,000 meters, and both she and Nelson nabbed the honors as members of the Grizzly distance medley relay squad.
A small group of Grizzlies saw their first action of the season this past weekend at the Oxy Distance Carnival at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif. There, a pair of runners ran early provisional qualifiers in the 5,000 meters.
Junior David Sanchez (Farmersville, Calif.) currently owns the No. 2 men’s time in DII this season after clocking a time of 14 minutes, 24.09 seconds on Friday, while redshirt-freshman Lauren Martin (Alamosa, Colo.) ranks fourth in the country with a time of 16:58.70.