Albuquerque, N.M. — The Adams State Grizzlies put on a strong showing Saturday, competing at both the University of New Mexico and CSU Pueblo in their second outdoor meet of the season.
At CSU Pueblo, the Grizzlies sent four throwers into action. Sam Dirkes earned a runner-up finish in the discus with a throw of 50.71 meters after fouling out in the shot put. James Waddles delivered a solid performance, placing fourth in both the shot put (14.56 meters) and discus (46.16 meters). Wyatt Dirkes finished 14th in the shot put with a throw of 12.72 meters, while Maya Kronberg placed 10th in both the shot put (10.60 meters) and discus (37.59 meters).
Meanwhile, on the track at UNM, the Grizzlies dominated the dual meet, collecting seven first-place finishes on both the men's and women's sides.
In the sprints, senior Alese Sartain claimed victory in the 200 meters with a time of 24.38 seconds. Senior Isila Apkup secured second place in the 100 meters, clocking 12.12 seconds, while junior Sarah Cohen led the 400 meters in 56.95 seconds, followed by freshman Sierra Velarde in third at 59.12 seconds.
Adams State's middle-distance runners impressed with NCAA Division II provisional qualifying times. Junior Lieke Hoogsteen took first in the 800 meters, crossing the line in 2:05.69, just ahead of senior Jessica Simon, who placed second in 2:08.56. In the 1,500 meters, junior Maggie McCleskey finished fourth in 4:27.13. Victoria Amiadamen secured another provisional mark in the 400-meter hurdles, winning in 1:00.83.
In distance events, Katie Hughes dominated the 3,000 meters, taking first in 10:22.10. In the field, Lauren O'Campo claimed the javelin title with a throw of 41.21 meters.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team of Apkup, Amiadamen, Sartain, and Simon added another first-place finish, running a provisional time of 3:42.99.
On the men's side, the Grizzlies' 4x100-meter relay squad—Keirryse Simpson, Ja'Warren Smith, Ryan Gordon, and Chris Rader—posted an NCAA provisional mark, winning in 40.62 seconds. The 4x400-meter relay team of El-Mir Reale, Smith, Gavin Heyneman, and Rader delivered another victory, crossing the line in 3:13.22.
Individually, Reale sprinted to a first-place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 21.81 seconds, while Heyneman took the 400 meters in 48.55 seconds.
David Cardenas and Louis O'Loughlin added to the Grizzlies' success, both hitting NCAA provisional marks in the 800 meters. Cardenas won the event in 1:48.59, with O'Loughlin close behind in second at 1:51.58.
In the field, Calix Caldwell soared to victory in the long jump with a leap of 6.57 meters, while Heyneman capped off a strong meet with a first-place finish in the javelin at 45.84 meters.
