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Brandy Ray
Junior Brandy Ray (bib #1543) ran to All-Conference honors in the 10k, the first outdoor track All-Conference nods in program history

Ray headlines day one of RMAC Championships, two advance to 1500m finals

4/28/2023 5:37:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
CHADRON, Neb. – The Fort Lewis College men's and women's outdoor track teams got off to a promising start at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on Friday, earning one All-Conference finish and sending a pair of athletes to event finals in the 1500m.

The windy day at Chadron State College kicked off for the Skyhawks with the men's 10k. Senior Ricardo Trejo entered the race ranked ninth in the field, followed by sophomore Preston Graul who was seeded 10th. Senior Wacey Begay was the third Skyhawks racing in the opening event.

Trejo led the pack of 23 athletes through the opening laps before falling back and finishing with a time of 32:48.78 for 10th place. Graul earned a 14th place finish with a time of 32:59.78, running his second fastest split of the afternoon to close out the race. Begay was the 23rd finisher with a final time of 35:29.08.

Up next, it was the 10k race for the women. Junior Brandy Ray entered the race seeded sixth in the field, followed by senior Madeline Shoemaker (seeded 13th) and junior Madisen Johnson (seeded 16th). Ray quickly established herself within the lead pack and held on for a fourth-place finish—20 seconds ahead of the fifth-place finisher with a time of 37:38.74.

The podium finish for Ray earns her Second Team All-Conference honors—the first All-Conference recognition in program history for the Skyhawks. Shoemaker, who was recently named Most Outstanding Biochemistry Graduate and an Undergraduate Research Scholar, closed out her Skyhawks career with a 13th place finish at 40:41.94, followed by Johnson who crossed the line in 15th with a time of 42:48.27.

The men's 1500m prelim was highlighted by sophomore Brady Burrough who placed fourth in his heat to advance to the finals on Sunday at 12:50 p.m. Burrough ran a 4:01.29 to pick up the fourth automatic qualifier spot in heat two. Junior Aaron Busche ran for a time of 4:03.17 to place 15th, followed by sophomore Conner Dosmann's 21st place time of 4:08.65.

Junior Katie Fankhouser led the Skyhawks in the women's 1500m race, entering ranked fourth in the field and finishing fourth place in the prelims. Her time of 4:39.33 sends her to her to Sunday's final which will begin at 1:05 p.m. It is the second-straight 1500m final that the Lyons, Colorado native will compete in after advancing in 2022.

Also representing the blue and gold in the women's 1500m was senior Angel Curley who placed 14th at 4:47.06, followed by freshman Claire Peterson whose first Championship race ended in an 18th place mark at 4:59.37. Sophomore Sophia Mena (5:05.37) and freshman Marisol Castilleja (5:05.96) followed in 23rd and 24th, respectively.

Comments from Coach
"I'm very proud of both teams and how they performed today. The conditions weren't ideal, and they all adjusted well to being in a tactical race," said head coach Shawn Jakubowski. "Brandy put herself out there and it paid off. Her improvement this year has been outstanding."

"Having Katie and Brady make the 1500m finals in a stacked field shows how far these programs have come. Top to bottom, I'm proud of everyone today, and I hope that tomorrow brings more great performances."

Up Next
Fort Lewis will look ahead to tomorrow's competition where fans will find the Skyhawks in the men's and women's 800m prelims at 5:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., respectively. The women's 3000m Steeplechase final will begin at 6:45 p.m. with seniors Carmella Wright and Taylor Murphy, as well as sophomore Peyton Burnside and freshman Candence Corby set the race.
 
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