Earning multiple podium finishes and securing two national qualifiers, the track and field team delivered an impressive showing at the 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships.
Redshirt junior Jordan Burnett (400m) and sophomore Salem Brunk (triple jump) each took home gold medals, while juniors Gaby Horton claimed two silver medals and broke a school record in the 60 meters.
“I walked away feeling very proud to be a Maverick and what our team at Colorado Mesa did,” said Head Coach Travis Floeck. Burnett led the charge for the Mavericks, securing her third RMAC title in the 400 meters with a fieldhouse record time of 56.22 seconds.
Sprinter Horton earned two silver medals, breaking the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) 60-meter dash school record with a time of 7.43 seconds, beating her previous record of 7.46. In the 200 meters, she ran a personal best of 24.22 seconds, improving her standing for the NCAA Division II National Championships, where she ranks 15th nationally after altitude and track-size conversions.
“I think I have enough experience this time […] I’m just excited for the experience and lucky that I even get to go [to nationals],” said Horton. Middle-distance runner and redshirt junior Brooke Miller placed fourth in the 800 meters, running 2:13.33. Her converted time of 2:10.62 moved her to 31st on the national performance list.
In the 60-meter hurdles, freshmen Atahlia Mills and Kaitlyn Pearson finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Mills also recorded a seasonbest time of 8.99 seconds, while Pearson clocked in at 9.04 seconds.
In the high jump, CMU had three athletes in the top eight. Junior Kaelea Gibson and senior Hope Matteson both cleared 1.59 meters (5 feet, 2 ½ inches), placing fifth and sixth, with Gibson holding the tiebreaker due to fewer total misses. Freshman Kendra Ritzmann recorded a seventh-place finish in the triple jump, at 11.29m/37-0.5.
CMU also had representation in distance events, with Megan Hodges finishing 12th in the mile, coming in at 5:15.93 and moving up to sixth in program history. Redshirt senior Kirstin Williams placed 13th in the 3,000 meters, coming in at 10:34.27.
On the men’s side, sophomore Salem Brunk won the triple jump title, recording a career-best jump of 15.00 meters (49 feet, 2 ½ inches). His efforts landed him at fifth in CMU history and 22nd nationally; however, he was just outside the top-18 threshold for NCAA Championship qualification.
Brunk was one of two CMU athletes to place in the triple jump, with Antone Higgs finishing fourth. Higgs also placed second in the long jump on Friday and remains 14th in the national long jump rankings, putting him in position for a potential nationals bid.
“Physically, we know we’re capable. Mentality is the one thing that I’m preparing for right now [heading into nationals],” Higgs said.
Sprinter and sophomore Marik Cummings placed fifth in the 60 meters (6.82 seconds), while sophomore Amaris Mora finished seventh at 6.88 seconds. In the 60-meter hurdles, freshman Aidan Brownell placed fifth at 8.37 seconds in his RMAC Championship debut.
The men’s 4×400-meter relay team, consisting of redshirt senior Kelsey Montague, Mora, redshirt junior Quentin Hartel and sophomore Dylan Campbell, finished fifth with a time of 3:21.70, the eighth-fastest time in program history.
Montague also placed seventh in the 400 meters at 49.84 seconds, in his final indoor RMAC Championships.
The CMU women’s team finished third for the third consecutive year, while the men’s team finished sixth.
“They’re physically ready to go and they’re exactly where they should be,“ said Floeck.
Several CMU track and field athletes now await official NCAA Division II Championship selections, with Horton and Higgs among those in contention. The Mavericks will now shift their focus to the outdoor season, which will begin next
month.