FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The MSU Denver track & field team traveled north this weekend to compete in the Fum McGraw Open and left Fort Collins with a solid showing.
The meet, which had athletes from multiple Division I programs, was just the second outdoor meet of the year for the Roadrunners.
On the women's side, sophomore Mikayla Renfroe (Lovelock, Nev./Pershing Country) came in fifth in the 400 meters, running a time of 1 minute, 0.36 seconds. She placed third among Division II athletes. Kamryn Scott (Aurora, Colo./Vista Peak) and Renfroe's sister, Megan Renfroe (Lovelock, Nev./Pershing County), placed ninth and 10th among Division II competitors.
In the 1500 meters, freshman Vanessa Kort (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield) ran a time of 5:16.25 to finish seventh among Division II competitors. Junior Brittney Kocman (Denver, Colo./Legacy) placed 11th among Division II participants with a time of 5:28.08.
In the 400-meter hurdles, sophomore Summer Jarolmen (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Borough) placed ninth in the finals, running a time of 1:08.70.
For the men, junior Nikolas Polite (Sacramento, Calif./Matanzas) placed third among Division II competitors in the 100 meters, narrowly missing a spot in the finals. His time was 11.22.
In the finals of the men's 200 meters, freshman Blaize Holland (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) set a personal best time of 22.30 and finished second among Division II athletes and sixth overall. Polite placed 6th among Division II athletes with a time of 22.71.
Freshman Nick Nowlen (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) made his first appearance of the outdoor season after competing in the Division II indoor national championships a few weeks ago. Nowlen ran in the 400 meters, placing sixth among Division II competitors while setting a personal best in the event with a time of 50.54.
Senior Kyle Jones (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) and sophomore Brandon Bodner (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) placed fifth and sixth, respectively, among Division II athletes in the 800 meters. Jones ran a time of 1:59.23 and Bodner's time was 1:59.59.
In the 5000 meters, junior Jacob Link (Lafayette, Colo./Centaurus) had the best finish for MSU Denver. Link placed eighth overall with a time of 15:27.46. Sam Berg (Longmont, Colo./Mountain View (Meridian, Idaho)) and Nikita Cordier (Frisco, Colo./Denver East) ran times of 15:55.40 and 16:01.66, respectively.
The Roadrunners will look to continue their strong start to the outdoor season next weekend when they travel to Pueblo, Colo. to compete in the Spank Blasing Invitational on Saturday, March 30.
