RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Fort Lewis College men's and women's cross country teams opened postseason competition on Saturday morning at the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, hosted at Hart Ranch in Rapid City, South Dakota.
With both programs resting select student-athletes in preparation for the upcoming NCAA South Central Regional Championships, the Skyhawks finished 10th on the men's side and 12th on the women's side.
The men's squad totaled 264 points in the 8K championship race, while the women's team collected 324 points in the 6K competition. Both teams used the conference meet as an opportunity to gain postseason racing experience while keeping their focus on the regional championships.
Men's 8K Championship
Noah Thompson led the Skyhawks across the finish line, placing 58th overall with a time of 25:36.5. Nicholas Anderson followed closely behind in 60th place, clocking 25:38.1, just 1.6 seconds behind Thompson.
Treyton Schaapherder was the third Skyhawk to finish, crossing the line in 63rd place with a time of 25:44.3. Anthony Bonanno followed in 65th place at 25:47.9, while Christian Alley rounded out the scoring five in 67th place with a time of 25:51.2.
Just 14.7 seconds separated the Skyhawks' top five finishers, showcasing a tightly packed scoring group.
Bearren Kee finished 90th overall in 26:32.5, followed by Crewe Resendez in 96th place at 26:40.9. Gregory Fallon crossed the line in 98th place (26:44.4), while Kyle Awelagte placed 107th (27:01.7) and Brody Greyer finished 122nd (27:49.1).
Fort Lewis finished 10th among 14 teams with 264 points, averaging 25:43 across its five scoring runners. Adams State claimed the men's conference championship with 33 points, followed by Colorado School of Mines (48) and Western Colorado (79).
Women's 6K Championship
Tessa Vasquez paced the Fort Lewis women, finishing 59th overall with a time of 23:13.4. Siena Yoder was the second Skyhawk across the line, placing 69th in 23:34.3.
Elaina Cisneros followed in 75th place with a time of 23:53.3, giving Fort Lewis three finishers inside the top 75.
Ruth Bartlett finished 90th overall in 24:30.3, while Caroline Laughlin rounded out the scoring five with a 99th-place finish in 24:57.3.
Senoya Bugher crossed the line just behind Laughlin, finishing 100th in 25:00.1. Elise Neppel followed in 108th place (25:11.0), while Cian Davis placed 112th (25:20.7) and Madelaine Jellison finished 116th (25:37.1).
The Skyhawks totaled 324 points to finish 12th in the team standings, averaging 24:01 across their five scoring runners. Fort Lewis finished tied with Colorado Christian in points, with the Cougars earning 11th place through the tiebreaker.
