Matt Meyer
Sports Reporter

The Mesa State women’s track team placed some athletes at the Colorado Mines Twilight Open, their final meet of the outdoor season before the RMAC Indoor Championships, and then the start of the outdoor track season.
Sophomore Alexis Skarda broke the indoor school record in the 800 meter run and also placed third in a very close final, with the top four runners separated by less than a second. Skarda has broken three school records this indoor season.
Sophomore Michelle Clements furthered her school record in the shot put, finishing eighth and posting a throw of 11.31 meters.
Clements also beat her own hammer throw record, posting a mark of 12.63 meters and finishing in 11th place. Freshman Jessica Needham placed as well, with a throw of 11.51 meters and finishing 17th.
The Mavericks return to Golden this weekend for the RMAC Championships, starting Thursday and concluding Saturday.
“It was a great season,” Skarda said. “As a team we set a lot of PR’s and broke a lot of school records.”
The Mavericks head into the outdoor season with a fairly young program dominated by freshmen and sophomores. Out of 34 athletes, only six are juniors or seniors. The program is in its fifth year as a varsity program, and only its third year under head coach Katrice Thomas.
“It’s really fun to beat your own records every week,” Skarda said. “You’re part of a building team, and you’re helping build it.”
Skarda, a preseason All-RMAC runner, leads the distance runners into the 2010 season. Skarda holds three school records, and has notched D-I meet first place finishes at New Mexico and Boise State.
For sprinters and mid-distance runners, the Mavericks look to senior Andrea Ager and junior Brandy Deimling. Deimling holds the school record for the 55 meter dash during the indoor season and finish eighth at the RMAC championships her sophomore year. Ager consistently wins the 600 meter run during the indoor season, and also runs hurdles, placing sixth in the 400 meter hurdles last year at the RMAC Outdoor Championships. The Mavericks also added freshman Alicia Gieck, a three-year state qualifier in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 400 meter runs at Delta High School.
Clements and Needham lead the throwers. Clements holds the indoor record for hammer throw, and the indoor and outdoor records for the shot put. Needham, as a freshman, has placed in a few indoor meets.
The Mavericks also signed a pair of jumpers who topped out at 5 feet 4 inches in high school, only an inch lower than the winning conference mark last year. Freshmen Brandi Hermes and Cassandra Lamb join the team as the high jumpers in the history of the varsity program.
“We have a lot more individual goals for the outdoor season,” Skarda said. “I guess we’re just trying to get as many people to nationals as possible.”
The Mavericks open the outdoor season following a small break after the RMAC indoor championships.