Rams open indoor season at Mines Alumni Classic & Multi, Air Force Holiday Open

Mines Alumni Classic & Multi
Thursday, Dec. 7 and Friday, Dec. 8
Steinhauer Fieldhouse | Golden, Colo.
Hosted by Colorado School of Mines
Coverage: Meet Information | Meet Schedule | Live Results

Air Force Holiday Open
Friday, Dec. 8
Cadet Field House Indoor Track | USAF Academy, Colo.
Hosted by Air Force
Coverage: Meet Information | Live Results

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State track & field team will officially begin its 2017-18 indoor season this week with trips to the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi and the Air Force Holiday Open.

The Mines Alumni Classic & Multi is a two-day meet (Thursday, Dec. 7 and Friday, Dec. 8) hosted by the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., while the Air Force Holiday Open is slated for Friday, Dec. 8. These early meets will give the Rams a chance to compete in every event area except for the distance events, as those athletes transition from cross country following a ninth-place men's NCAA finish, their best since 1978.

"This is kind of a starting point for the season and it lets us know if our kids are ready to go or not, and if not, what we need to work on," Colorado State head coach Brian Bedard said. "I like to think that we have some athletes that are particularly ready to go, especially our veterans. We have such a young team, especially on the women's side, that we have a lot of question marks even though we have a lot of talent there. Let's see how these people compete when they're in a Colorado State uniform."

The Mines Alumni Classic & Multi is set to begin with the pentathlon and heptathlon at 1 p.m. MT on Thursday. The first event on Friday, the men's shot put, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. MT. Competition at the Air Force Holiday Open Is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. MT this Friday.

Colorado State enters this indoor season looking to build upon Mountain West championships on each of the women's and men's sides and a No. 12 national finish for the men. CSU returns the majority of its top performing athletes from that season, including an indoor national champion (Mostafa Hassan – shot put) and three additional (four total) indoor All-Americans.

At the conference level, Colorado State returns three athletes that won individual indoor Mountain West titles last season and eight that earned 2017 indoor All-Mountain West honors. Among those honorees were Hassan, who was named Mountain West Men's Student-Athlete of the Year for the indoor season. Bedard, who enters his 12th season as head coach in 2017-18, was named Mountain West Men's Coach of the Year last season.

"We really want to evaluate where each athlete is at and where our program is at based upon our fall training," Bedard said. "In some cases, this can be a wake-up call for certain athletes, and in other cases, it lets them know they're on track with where they should be. In either case, it'll be a motivator for the upcoming break to make sure they either stay on track or work on some areas where they need some help, whether that's technique, mindset, strength training or whatever that might be. You kind of get exposed when they pull out the tape measure and have the clock going. You can't hide at all."

A full recap and results will be posted to CSURams.com as soon as each are available. The Mines Alumni Classic & Multi can be followed through live results. After this week, the Rams will have just over a month to prepare for their next meet, the Potts Indoor Invitational (Jan. 12-13 in Boulder, Colo.).

World-Class Athletes Highlight Rams' Returners
- Among Colorado State's returners for this upcoming season are three athletes that ranked among the best in the world last indoor season. Each of the throws, combined events and distance events are covered as Mostafa Hassan, Hunter Price and Cole Rockhold finished the most recent indoor season ranked with the best of the best.
- See below for details on where each finished in the world rankings for the 2016-17 indoor season. The IAAF ranks the top performances in the world, whether by an amateur or professional. Each list varies in length based upon predetermined cut times/marks and a target desired number of qualifying athletes for an event.

Colorado State Returning Athletes on 2016-17 IAAF Senior Indoor Lists (in order of world ranking)
Mostafa Hassan - Shot Put - 69-10.75 (21.30m) - No. 4 (No. 1 Egypt)
Hunter Price - Heptathlon - 5,996 points - No. 9 (No. 2 USA)
Cole Rockhold - 3,000 meters - 7:59.89 - No. 99 (No. 32 USA)

Rams Return Four Indoor All-Americans
- The Colorado State men's track & field team finished the 2016-17 indoor season at No. 12 in the nation, marking the program's highest all-time NCAA finish. From that team, Colorado State returns four of five All-America performers, with Jerrell Mock being the only exception. Mock has exhausted his indoor eligibility, but will compete for the Rams this outdoor season.
- Each of Mostafa Hassan, Hunter Price and Cole Rockhold earned First-Team All-America honors with their performances in their respective events, while Grant Fischer was a Second-Team All-American. Among those was Hassan's first-place finish in the shot put, marking Colorado State's first national championship in any sport since 2005 (track & field hammer thrower Loree Smith).
- See below for how each returning athlete performed at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Colorado State Returning Athletes at 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships
Mostafa Hassan – Shot Put – 69-9.5 (21.17m) – First Place (First-Team All-America)
Hunter Price – Heptathlon – 5,996 – Fourth Place (First-Team All-America)
Cole Rockhold – 3,000 Meters – 7:59.89 - Sixth Place (First-Team All-America)
Grant Fischer – 5,000 Meters – 13:55.37 – Ninth Place (Second-Team All-America)

Eight All-Conference Performers Return for Reigning Mountain West Champions
- Among the accomplishments of the 2016-17 indoor season for Colorado State were team conference titles on each of the women's and men's sides. That marked the Rams' first ever sweep of the women's and men's titles at the Mountain West Indoor Championships, the women's second consecutive team title and the men's first since 2002.
- The Rams return eight indoor All-Mountain West performers from those teams, including individual conference champions Mostafa Hassan (shot put), Hunter Price (high jump) and Cole Rockhold (3,000 meters). Grant Fischer earned indoor All-Mountain West honors in each of the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters.
- See below for a full listing of 2017 indoor All-Mountain West performers that return for the Rams this season.

Colorado State Returning Athletes with 2017 Indoor All-Mountain West Honors
Grant Fischer – 3,000 Meters, 5,000 Meters
Autumn Gardner – High Jump
Mostafa Hassan – Shot Put (individual champion/MW Men's Student-Athlete of the Year)
Nick Kravec – Heptathlon
Macy Kreutz – 4x400-Meter Relay
Hunter Price – High Jump (individual champion)
Cole Rockhold – 3,000 Meters (individual champion), Distance Medley Relay
Ronald Sayles – Distance Medley Relay

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