May 09, 2017
Bryanna Winner
With the spring semester coming to a close, the spring sports teams will now be looking toward their playoff runs.
The spring season has seen its players compete nationally, with many receiving honors and awards for their performance in their sports.
Here is how each spring sport did during their seasons, along with who will be moving on to play in post-season competitions.
Baseball
In their inaugural season, the baseball team won their first game in program history on Feb. 2 in a tournament against California State Polytechnic University, the No. 6 baseball team at the time. The team currently has a record of 22-24 for the regular season.
Now, the players are currently ranked at No. 6 in the RMAC. The team will continue their streak in the RMAC Tournament beginning on May 10 in Grand Junction, Colo.
Softball
The softball team finished their season with a record of 17-28, coming in at No. 10 in the RMAC standings.
With only four graduating seniors, 17 players out of the 21 athletes on the roster will be coming back next year, leaving the core of their team intact.
The team finished their season winning 6-5 against Black Hills State University but will not be moving on to the RMAC playoffs.
Women’s Lacrosse
Like the baseball team, the women’s lacrosse team had their first season in program history at UCCS.
The team, whose roster is made almost entirely of freshmen, won their first game of the season on Feb. 25 against Adams State University with a score of 12-9 at home.
They finished 4-10 and ended up in last place in RMAC, missing out on the playoffs.
On May 9, the Athletic Department announced that Madison Ellis, freshman attacker, and Gianni Cannon, freshman defender, received an All-RMAC Women’s Lacrosse Honorable Mention for their performance over the season.
Men’s Outdoor Track
The men’s track and field team underwent some changes this season, expanding both their sprinting and field event groups.
The team finished with a successful regular outdoor season; some runners qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships.
Junior sprinter LaChristopher Smith earned provisional qualifying times in two events, the 100-meter with a time of 10.56, and the 200-meter with a time of 21.38 seconds, at the West Texas A&M Classic on Apr. 8.
At the Colorado Mines Nature’s Bakery Invite April 22, sophomore middle distance runner William Mayhew earned a provisional qualifying time of 1:51.13 in the 800-meter, finishing second.
The team will compete in the RMAC Championships May 7-9 in Gunnison, Colo. Following this meet, they will compete in the Last Chance Meet in Golden, Colo. on May 14.
The NCAA Division II Championships will be held May 25-27 in Bradenton, Fla.
Women’s Outdoor Track
The women’s track and field team finished their regular outdoor season in. Multiple runners have qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships.
Freshman distance runner Kayla Wooten qualified for nationals at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, Calif. on Apr. 15 with a time of 4:27.11 in the 1,500-meter.
At the same event, junior middle distance runner Molly Klotz qualified in the 800-meter with a time of 2:13.18. At the Colorado Mines Nature’s Bakery Invite April 22, Molly Klotz also qualified in the 400-meter hurdles, winning the event with a time of 1:01.45. Senior middle-distance runner Chelsea Martus also won her event in the 800m, qualifying with a time of 2:13.18.
Along with the men’s track team, the women’s team will be competing in the RMAC Championships on May 7-9 in Gunnison, Colo. before competing in the Last Chance Meet in Golden, Colo. on May 14.
They will also compete NCAA Division II Championships, which will be held May 95-27 in Bradenton, Fla.
Women’s Golf
The women’s golf team had a highly successful season, finishing third out of 12 teams in the RMAC Championships on April 24-25.
The team started the tournament with their best score of the season, 27-over 315, holding the position throughout the tournament. They finished the championships with their best tournament score of the season — 634 for 58 strokes over par.
Junior Alex Darwin was named the RMAC Academic Golfer of the Year on April 28, earned the runner-up spot in the RMAC Championships and a spot on the All-Tournament Team. She also won the RMAC Summit Award on April 20.
Junior Timbrelee McNair tied for No. 15 and sophomore Megan Vernon tied for No. 21 in the tournament, while senior Raquell Castillo finished her collegiate career and tied for No. 21. Freshman Regina Dillon finished No. 29 overall while placing ninth among all freshman as well.
Men’s Golf
The men’s golf team had an outstanding season as they finished the RMAC Championships, earning first place and winning their 14th title in program history.
With the fifth lowest stroke average, Junior Colin Prater won the individual championship and is in the running to get the 2017 Division II Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.
Also in the RMAC Championships, redshirt freshman Tanner Comes finished tied for ninth place, senior Zach Berhost tied for No. 16, senior Blake Young tied for No. 27 and freshman Ji Jang finished tied for No. 35.
The team will be continuing their playoff run with the NCAA Division II West/South Central Regional Championship in Stockton, Calif. May 8 where they will be the No. 2 seed.