PUEBLO, Colo.  Western Colorado had yet another impressive performance on the final day of the 2023 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships. The Mountaineers had seven All-American performances – two of those performances resulting in school records falling.

In total Western finished with 12 All-American honors. As a whole the women finished in ninth with 29-points and the men finished in 17th with 19-points.  
 
ALL-AMERICAN – Ali Aldrich

• Ali Aldrich saved her best for last on Saturday (May 27) when she competed in the women's shot put, as she broke her own school record twice during the event. Additionally, this is the seventh time she has broken a school record.
• Coming into today the school record – Aldrich being the record holder – was 14.84m (48-08.25). But, that record would fall on Aldrich first throw which would land at 14.93m (48-11.75) and put her in third-place.
• After faulting on her second attempt – which resulted in her dropping to eighth-place after everyone recorded their second throw - Aldrich would break her school record again with a mark of 14.95m (49-00.75), resulting in her being in eighth-place. Aldrich faulted on her next three attempts. Yet, that didn't matter as her third attempt was good enough to earn her eighth-place and her first All-American honors.
• Heading into the event Aldrich was ranked ninth.

ALL-AMERICAN – Leah Taylor

• Leah Taylor kicked at the perfect time in the women's 1,500m race, leading to her going from eighth-place all the way up to third-place as she earned her first All-American honors.
• Taylor was hovering around the middle of the pack to start the race after the first lap (300m) holding down the five spot. But, then would get passed up by several runners leading to her dropping to ninth-place at the 700m mark. Taylor would improve her placement on the third lap (1,100m) by one place and then made her move – crossing the finish line in third-place with a time of 4:38.43.
• Heading into the event Taylor pre-race ranking was 19th.

ALL-AMERICAN – Simon Kelati (1,500m)

• Simon Kelati was flying around the track on his final lap in the men's 1,500m as he narrowly held off the fifth-place finisher, crossing the finish line in fourth-place with a time of 3:54.56 - earning his second All-American honors.
• Kelati felt things out on the first lap (300m), resulting in him being in sixth-place early on. Things changed in a good way for Kelati on the next lap (700m), as he moved all the way up to fourth-place. He would briefly hold the third spot at the 1,100m mark. But, would drop one spot and needed everything he had to hold off Charlie Dannatt from Simon Fraser who finished on his heels with a time of 3:54.58.
• Heading into the event Kelati pre-race ranking was 18th.

ALL-AMERICAN – Tyler Nord

• Tyler Nord stayed focused for the entire race in the men's 1,500m, and concluded his true freshman season in solid fashion – becoming a 2x All-American.
• Nord was consistent for the majority of the race, starting out in seventh-place for the first two laps (300m, 700m). On the third lap (1,100m) Nord fell to eighth-place, and would hold on to that placement in the final lap, crossing the finish line in eighth-place with a time of 3:55.00.
• Heading into the event Nord pre-race ranking was 14th.

ALL-AMERICAN – Kaiya Firor

• Kaiya Firor outperformed her pre-race rankings of 12th in the women's 400m hurdles and made sure the race was one she would never forget – as she broke her own school record.
• Firor was flying over the hurdles and blazing down the track, crossing the finish line in fourth-place with a time of 58.97. Her previous school record in the event was 59.91. With the fourth-place finish, Firor is now a 3x All-American.

ALL-AMERICAN – Katie Doucette

• Katie Doucette earned her second All-American honor of the 2023 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships and became a 9x All-American, by coming in fifth-place in the women's 5,000m with a time of 16:48.47. Heading into the race Doucette pre-race ranking was eighth.
• Doucette, after maneuvering her way around the 23 runners who competed in the event, held fourth-place for the 600m, 1,000m, 1,400m and 1,800m legs of the race. Then dropped to sixth-place (2,200m) and proceeded to drop one-spot for the next three laps (2,600m, 3,000m, 3,4000m). Sitting in ninth-place, Doucette start to pick up the speed leading to her climb to eighth and seventh-place over the course of the next two laps (3,800m, 4,200m).
• She briefly dropped to eighth-place at the 4,600m mark. But, very similar to her 10,000m race, Doucette took off on the final lap – running the fastest final lap of 1:08.51, leading to her jumping all the way up to fifth-place and sneaking in, in front of Emily Schoellkopf from Adams State.

ALL-AMERICAN – Kelati (5,000m)

• In what will go down as one of the most controversial races at the 2023 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships – the lap bell being rung one lap early, resulting in three runners pulling up thinking the race was over – Simon Kelati managed to stay focused despite being exhausted and kept pushing, leading to him finishing in seventh-place in the men's 5,000m.
• For the entire race Kelati was mixed in with the front of the pack, starting off in sixth-place (200m) and then dropped to eighth-place for the next two laps (600, 1,000m). Kelati started to make a move on the next few laps (1,400m, 1,800, 2,200m), resulting in him going from eighth-place all the way to third-place.
• He held third for three laps (2,200m, 2,600m, 3,000m), then dropped all the way to sixth-place at the 3,800m mark. For the next two laps (4,200m, 4,600m), Kelati stayed in sixth-place. However, he would drop to seventh-place before crossing the finish line with a time of 14:33.76. With the seventh-place finish Kelati has earned his second All-American honor of the 2023 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships and is now a 4x All-American.