GUNNISON, Colo. – Maya Ries broke her own school record in the women's 60-meter hurdles on Saturday with a first-place clocking of 8.74 seconds that improves her standing among provisional qualifiers for NCAA Division II Nationals, highlighting a big day for the MSU Denver indoor track & field program.
 
While Ries and others starred at the Big Red Machine Open, the Roadrunners' top distance runners didn't disappoint at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational in Boston.
 
Mia Salas hit a provisional qualifying time in the women's mile, finishing 34^th in the massive meet in 4:55.61, a time that puts her second individually in MSU Denver history and fourth overall for the Roadrunners – only legendary Breanna Hemming has run faster.
 
Meanwhile, Noel Lopez finished third in the men's 5,000 with a provisional qualifying time of 14:22.01 and, though he came up short of the school-record time he ran on the same track last year, it is the second-fastest time ever by a Roadrunner. JJ Ramey also ran the 5000 and was 10^th in 14:40.77. The second-best time of his career ranks seventh on the overall MSU Denver list.
 
But it doesn't stop there.
 
Back in Gunnison, Naleia Sowell continues her outstanding sprint season, finishing first in the 400 and second in the 200. Sowell's 57.58 in the 400 is a personal-best that puts her second individually with the third-best time ever run by a Roadrunner, while in the 200 her personal-best 25.53 puts her second at MSU Denver with the fifth-best overall time.
 
Ahead of Sowell on those lists is, of course, Allyssa Romero, who was second in the 400 and fourth in the 200. Her 400 time of 57.78 is the fourth-fastest overall time for any Roadrunner, and her 25.81 in the 200 is tied for 10^th.
 
In the men's high jump, freshman Isaiah Williams skied 1.93 meters for second place. He's still third at MSU Denver individually but his height is the program's fourth-best mark.
 
Taylor Weber was seventh in the long jump with a personal-best 5.17 effort that moves her from fifth-best to tied for fourth in program history. She was also sixth in the triple jump at 10.69.
 
Anthony Martinez won the men's 60 hurdles in 8.25 after posting a season-best 8.24 in preliminaries. Aden Guenther moved up to third individually in program history in that event with his fourth-place finish of 8.45.
 
Owen Clarke was fourth in the men's 400 in 50.94 and was 12^th in the 200 in 22.96.
 
Also Saturday, Lushous Davis placed eighth in the women's weight throw with a season best 15.19, and Avery Enney was ninth in the high jump at 1.38.