COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) announced the 2024 Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday afternoon, which featured the Black Hills State University men's and women's programs both voted 11
th by the league's coaches with 68 and 62 points respectively. The 2024 Yellow Jacket cross country season gets underway on Friday, September 6, when they host the Gage McSpadden Memorial at Fort Meade in Sturgis, South Dakota. The women's race will begin at 6 p.m. while the men's race will start at 6:30 p.m. for the season opener.
2024 RMAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Colorado School of Mines (12) |
192 |
| 2. Adams State (3) |
185 |
| 3. Western Colorado |
168 |
| 4. UCCS |
141 |
| 5. Fort Lewis |
137 |
| 6. Colorado Christian |
130 |
| 7. CSU Pueblo |
128 |
| 8. MSU Denver |
105 |
| 9. New Mexico Highlands |
88 |
| 10. Colorado Mesa |
77 |
| 11. Black Hills State |
68 |
| 12. South Dakota Mines |
58 |
| 13. Chadron State |
50 |
| 14. Regis |
26 |
| 15. Westminster |
22 |
2024 RMAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll
| Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Adams State (14) |
196 |
| 2. Colorado School of Mines (1) |
176 |
| 3. Western Colorado |
171 |
| 4. UCCS |
155 |
| 5. CSU Pueblo |
143 |
| 6. Fort Lewis |
122 |
| 7. Colorado Christian |
118 |
| 8. MSU Denver |
107 |
| 9. Colorado Mesa |
99 |
| 10. South Dakota Mines |
63 |
| 11. Black Hills State |
62 |
| 12. New Mexico Highlands |
57 |
| 13. Chadron State |
51 |
| 14. Westminster |
32 |
| 15. Regis |
23 |
KEY RETURNERS
Led by
Hayden Grosz, the men's team will return four of their seven runners that competed at the 2023 South Central Regional. Grosz will be joined by
Jaxon Straus,
Marcos Valerio, and
Alberto Spotted among the key returners. Each of the four mentioned Yellow Jacket runners posted a career-best 8K time at last year's RMAC Championships along with a career-best 10K time at the South Central Regional. Grosz, Straus, and Valerio each recorded a pair of top-50 finishes and had one top-10 mark which occurred at the Gage McSpadden Memorial as BHSU clinched the team victory behind six top-10 finishers.
On the women's side, Black Hills State returns all five runners who competed at the 2023 South Central Regional and is highlighted by NCAA Division II National Qualifier,
Sylvia Brown. Starting with a victory in the opening race of the season, Brown tallied five consecutive top-25 finishes a year ago, including three top-10 marks. Brown also set career-best 4K and 6K times. Additional key returners include
Alexis Weiers,
Katelyn Krieger,
Norah Entzi, and
Sierra Hopp. Krieger finished within the top-25 of two races, while Weiers, Entzi, and Hopp each did once.
IMPACT NEWCOMERS
Highlighting the newcomers for the Yellow Jacket men's cross country program will be Gavin Kuhlenbeck, who transfers to Black Hills State from NCAA Division I Charleston Southern. He last competed in cross country in the 2022 season when he earned All-Big South First Team honors with a fifth-place finish in the conference championships. Additionally, he leaves CSU ranking inside the all-time top-10 of four track & field events for the Buccaneers.
On the women's side, graduate transfer Adeline Wilson will headline a group of 11 newcomers this upcoming season. She comes to Black Hills State following five seasons at South Dakota Mines. During the 2023 season with the Hardrockers she posted a pair of top-50 finishes, including a top-10 mark at the Gage McSpadden Memorial which resulted in a career-best 4K time. Additionally, Wilson leaves SDSMT with top-10 all-time marks in seven track & field events
