Pueblo, Colorado - The New Mexico Highlands University Cowgirls concluded the RMAC Outdoor Championships with a fourth-place team finish, scoring 89 points in a tightly contested battle for the podium. While UCCS claimed the team title with over 200 points, NMHU remained in the hunt for the runner-up spot throughout the three-day event, finishing just behind Colorado Mesa (107) and Colorado Mines (101), and ahead of CSU-Pueblo (80).
Despite the fourth-place team result, the Cowgirls led the field in individual accolades. For the second consecutive year, NMHU swept the premier individual awards:
Patreece Clarke was named Track Athlete of the Meet, and
Rojrika Campbell earned Field Athlete of the Meet honors.
"We won more titles than any other team - and sweeping the top athlete awards is a testament to both the quality of athletes we have and great preparation by coaches
Damia Russell and
Chisom Obioha," noted head coach
Bob DeVries.
Six Event Titles Highlight RMAC Effort
The Cowgirls secured six conference championships across the weekend:
Day 3: Record-Breaking Sprints
The final day of competition began with a dominant performance in the 4x100m relay. The quartet clocked a time of 44.83, marking their second top-five national time of the outdoor season.
In the individual sprints,
Patreece Clarke successfully defended her 100m hurdles title, resetting her own championship record with a blistering 13.02. She also added a second-place finish in the 100m (11.4).
Ashley Barrett captured her third consecutive RMAC 100m title with a time of 11.44, though she was held out of the 200m and 4x400m finals as a precaution after feeling a hamstring tweak at the finish line.
Amoya Jameison also reached the top of the podium, setting a new personal best of 54.89 to win the 400m.
Field and Multi-Event Contributions:
Rojrika Campbell followed up her Saturday long jump title with a victory in the triple jump. Her mark of 12.51m ranks fourth nationally and secures her NCAA qualification in both horizontal jumps. Campbell also contributed points with a fifth-place finish in the high jump.
Freshman
Lucia Burba showed significant grit on the final day. Following her sixth-place finish in the heptathlon and competing in the javelin finals, Burba stepped into the 4x400m relay. Her second-leg performance moved the Cowgirls from fourth to second place, helping the team of Misha Jade Samuels, Burba, Davis, and Jamieson take third place with a season-best 3:50.3.
Stepping Up
With Barrett sidelined for the 200m,
Kayci-Jo Davis delivered a standout performance. After entering the final as the seventh seed, Davis surged to a second-place finish with a collegiate best of 24.05.
"Kayci Jo came through big time," DeVries said. "With Ashley out, we needed a big performance to stay in the team race; she delivered."
Path to the National Championships
With the conference season concluding, the Cowgirls have solidified their presence on the national stage. NMHU currently has athletes solidly qualified for the NCAA Championships in five events:
- 100m
- 200m
- Long Jump
- Triple Jump
- 4x100m Relay
The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be hosted by Emporia State University in Kansas from May 20–23.
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