GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. Day One came to a (late) close Friday night, with the Mountaineers collecting strong performance after strong performance despite the conditions.

Between thunderstorms, light rain, and multiple weather delays, the Mountaineers persevered through the opening day of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Grand Junction, Colo. 

Tyler Nord ran away from the field in his heat in an effortless fashion to secure a top seed time in the 1,500-meter run, posting a time of 3 minutes, 50.24 seconds. In other heats, Simon Kelati and Esteban Deniz also secured spots in the 1,500m finals, running 3:52.23 and 3:55.65, respectively. 

In what was a solid day for the throws event group, the Mountaineers' top men's thrower, Logan Butterfield, secured a fifth-place finish and 4 team points with a toss of 53.76 meters (176 feet-4.5 inches) in the hammer throw. Ali Aldrich scored 2 points in the women's hammer throw with a spot in 7th place. 

The men's 400m dash proved to be a significant moment for the Mountaineer squad. Landon Gary, looking smooth and comfortable in heat 2 of the prelims, secured the second-fastest  seed time going into the finals on Sunday running 47.83. Connor Prost also secured a spot in the finals after running a near one second personal best in the event with a time of 48.49.

Women's high jumpers, Sammie Bretz and Eireann Donohoe, secured 13 points for the Mountaineer squad by jumping 1.67m (5-5.75) and 1.62m (5-3.75), respectively. 

In what is arguably the most competitive event in the RMAC this year, Leah Taylor and Emma Kjellsen secured spots in the women's 1,500m finals, running 4:26.71 and 4:28.43, respectively. 

Zac Grable, a freshman high jumper for the Mountaineers, made his outdoor RMAC championship debut and secured 2.5 points in a tie for 6th. 

Women's 400m hurdlers, Kelia Portis and Kaiya Firor, did what they do best and both secured a spot in the finals on Sunday running 1:02.29 and 1:03.51, respectively, in their heats on Friday. 

Other Mountaineers that advanced to finals on Sunday:

• Myia Dantzler in the women's 100m (11.90 seconds)
• Will Stone in the men's 400 hurdles (55.69)