ALAMOSA, Colo. – The Black Hills State University track and field teams climbed to 7547 feet this weekend to compete at the RMAC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Alamosa, Colo. Despite the thin air and some of the toughest competition in the nation, the Yellow Jackets hit some times good enough to provisionally qualify for the National Championships.

The women pole vaulters started the meet off on Friday morning. Sophomore Jordyn Huneke earned All-RMAC, taking second place, while sophomore Whitney Scott finished in fifth earning second team All-RMAC. Scott's vault of 11' 11.75" moved her to fourth all time on the BHSU record boards. Freshman Hannah Hendrick rounded out the scoring, taking seventh.

Not to be out done in the field, freshman Kyla Sawvell showed up to the throws ring to take third, which is All-RMAC, in the shot put with a toss of 43' 5.00". She also took sixth in the weight throw with a hurl of 51' 6.50", and added a second team All-RMAC honor to her weekend. That throw moves her to sixth all time. Teammate freshman Maddi Fidler snagged a point in the weight throw as well, finishing eighth. Rounding out the field events for the women was senior Alexandra Richards, who took fifth in the high jump and earned second team All-RMAC.

On the track, it was senior Shayna Soderstrom who once again lit up the homestretch and dismantled some records. Her time of 7.85 in the 60m broke her own school record, and she earned second team All-RMAC, taking sixth in the 200m. Her 25.31 in prelims was the second fastest ever time at BHSU. Senior Cailey Roth took out her heat of the 800m and battled her way to eighth place.

Wrapping up action on the track in style, Soderstrom, junior Zoe Langseth, and freshmen Erica Dykstra and Taylor Lundquist took fourth in the 4x400m with a time of 4:03.21. That time moves this relay team to the sixth fastest time in school history.

In the men's competition, senior Ryan Olsen grinded out seven events in two days to smash his own school record in the heptathlon. He scored 4696 points to finish fourth and earn second team All-RMAC. His performance just narrowly missed the provisional qualifying mark.

The high jump crew put on quite the show, led by sophomore Drazen Moratzka. His jump of 6' 7.5" was not only a massive personal best, but earned him a second team All-RMAC fifth place finish, and moved him to sixth all time. Sophomore Allan McDonnell was sixth on the tie breaker, also clearing 6' 7.5", and garnering second team All-RMAC honors. Junior Tristan Hepp took eighth. McDonnell also placed in the triple jump, taking sixth with a leap of 45' 0.5", and added another second team All-RMAC accolade to his weekend. That performance moved him to sixth all time on the record board.

On the track, junior Jordan Theisen ran 4:22.56 in the mile, pushing himself in the thin air to take fourth, earning second team All-RMAC. That time converts down to 4:08.32 which is a provisionally qualifying time and is currently 20^th in the nation. Senior Levi Fried would follow suit to earn himself seventh place in the 800m with a time of 1:55.76. That time converts down to 1:52.58, which is currently 34^th in the nation. In the 3000m, running against some of the best in the country, senior Jonah Theisen scored a point, finishing in eighth.

Wrapping up the meet, the 4x400m team of juniors Garrett Snook and Tristan Hepp and seniors Ryan Olsen and Levi Fried  took seventh in 3:23.64, which is the eighth fastest time on the school record boards.

The Green and Gold now wait to find out who will make it into the DII National Championships in two weeks. Jordyn Huneke, the men's DMR, and Jordan Theisen currently have marks that will likely make the meet.