Medals Stack at MW Championships Day Two

CLOVIS, Calif. – Colorado State track and field logged three gold medals as both the men's and women's teams maintained their pole positions at day two of the 2026 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The Rams logged eight medals in total, leading to big points across the board. The men's squad finished the day with 91 points – 37 points clear of second place - while the women's 68 points has them in front by 13.

Munoz Shines in Conference Championships Return
Much like a decathlon, Mateo Munoz's collegiate track & field career has been a long, often challenging journey. The senior has encountered multiple setbacks throughout his career, limiting him to just one appearance in the outdoor conference championships for Colorado State. That was back in 2023, which also marked the last time he competed in a full decathlon.

"I had two season-ending injuries back-to-back my sophomore and junior year," Munoz said. "It took a lot of hard work, grit and determination to get back from that and be healthy. To be in this position now is really rewarding and feels great."

Munoz set himself up for success on day one, Thursday, setting a personal record in three of the five events to put himself in pole position entering the final push. The Centennial native opened Friday's events with the top 110 hurdles time in the field (14.50) and followed it up with the best discus mark (42.83m/140-6) to push further ahead.

The senior's nerves were tested in the pole vault as he fouled on his first two attempts, putting his lead in jeopardy entering his final go. Munoz's composure came through as he cleared the bar and crashed into the mat, letting out a victorious yell as he felt the pressure release. The burden of getting a mark of his shoulders, Munoz continued to climb and eventually set another PR at 4.83m/15-10.

"Man, the pressure was immense. Honestly I was nervous because if I no-heighted in that moment the competition was out for me. I would have no chance of scoring and getting on the podium. In that moment I told myself 'You can do this.' I relaxed and just went for it. Clearing that bar was the best feeling and then after that I had two back-to-back PR's in the pole vault and it was amazing."

Munoz continued to press relentlessly in the javelin and 1,500 events, stacking two more PR's to close out a resilient gold-medal effort. In total, the Ram set a personal best in six of the 10 events and set the No. 2 mark in program history at 7,557. As he stood atop the podium after the two-day grind, Munoz reflected on the journey that got him to this point.

"If I could go back to last year and tell myself that I would do this, I would be surprised. But I always I knew I had it in me."

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Shuku Soars into the Record Book
Ndayiragije Shukurani knew the stakes.

The CSU sophomore entered Friday's men's high jump competition as the favorite to win, having won the indoor title and being the only athlete in the conference to clear 7-feet during outdoor. Being just a sophomore, this was a different kind of pressure than "Shuku" was used to, but it didn't bother the young Ram.

"Shoot, I like having that pressure," he said with a smile and a gold medal around his neck. "I don't really take it too much, but I just know I've got to come in and do what I've got to do."

Shuku did what he had to do to the tune of a 2.18m/7-1.75 program record, which he captured on his way to a sweep of the conference indoor and outdoor high jump titles. The record was one Shuku had been chasing all season long, creeping closer and closer a quarter inch at a time. The patience paid off in the end, and it felt a little sweeter getting the mark at a meet as big as this.

"It for sure made it sweeter. Especially with this being our last Mountain West conference championship, it for sure did."

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Shot Put Sweep
Colorado State women's throwing is a noted powerhouse, so it was not much of a surprise when the Rams swept the podium in Friday's shot put competition. Despite the departure of two-time national champion Mya Lesnar, CSU was as loaded as ever thanks to a group led by senior Makayla Long.

Long set the tone early, logging 17.17m/56-0 on the first throw to put herself in front by a wide margin. The Baylor transfer added to her lead on the next attempt with a mark of 17.70m/58-1, setting a PR and maintaining her position at third in the Colorado State record book. Her dominant performance secured a sixth-straight CSU conference gold medal in the women's shot put, a testament to the prowess of the program.

"We carry a lot of pride with the Colorado State throws program," Long said in her post-meet interview. "It's just so special to be able to carry that legacy after throwers like Mya (Lesnar) and Gabi (Morris) and all of these incredible throwers who came before me, and it's just so fun and so rewarding to carry that legacy through."

Joining Long on the podium were teammates Erin Brown and Klaire Kovatch. Brown entered the meet ranked second in the conference, and proved why as she immediately established herself as the runner-up after her first throw. But more was in store for the former walk on as on her final throw of the night she unleashed a 16.24m/53-3.5 bomb, a personal best by more than two feet. Brown earned herself a silver medal to join the bronze she earned at the indoor championships.

Kovatch was the third member of the podium for Colorado State, logging a personal best herself with a 14.86m/48-9 strike on the second rotation. Also collecting points in the event was Kajsa Borrman, who placed seventh and rounded out a 26-point haul for the CSU women's team.

Sweep

Taking a Bow
The final event of the night was men's shot put, which was contested under the lights in front of a sizeable – and rowdy – crowd. The field feasted off the energy and gave the fans an unforgettable performance, with Leonardo Ramos playing the role of the showman.

Ramos is a natural-born entertainer, getting the crowd involved in each of his throws. Looking for a big mark to finish the day, the Denver native waved his hands in the air, shouting for the onlookers to "Turn me up." With the energy behind him, Ramos delivered an 18.93m/62-1.25 bomb that ignited the crowd again. He turned around to celebrate his silver-medal winning throw – the No. 3 mark in program history – with his teammates and coaches who roared their approval.

While Ramos served as the closing act, Kyle Bigley provided the hook that got everyone interested with his 18.36m/60-3 throw on his first attempt, putting him in second place right off the bat. That set the table for Bigley's bronze medal finish, making it a double podium for the Rams.

And like every good show, the men's shot put had a twist which was provided by CSU's own Alex Jensen. Ranked No. 11 in the league coming in, Jensen was going to need to go above and beyond to rewrite the script and secure points. After working his way into the finals, Jensen unleashed a 17.23m/56-6.5 PR on his final attempt that turned the story on its head, vaulting Jensen into sixth and handing three points to the Green & Gold. The crowd erupted for the underdog who defied the odds and proved his place among the best in the MW.

Colorado State enjoyed the Friday night show, but the Rams hope it is merely a prequel to what could be in store on Saturday.

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Add to the Total
CSU found important points from a handful of other athletes on the day, including two other athletes in the decathlon. Zach Sell (6,733) posted a top-20 score in program history to earn a bronze medal – the first of his career – while Joe Probst (6,193) PR'd by more than 300 points to finish in sixth.

In the men's long jump, Ismael Dembele collected a fourth-place finish to score vital points towards the Rams' total. The senior went big on his first attempt, logging a personal-best 7.72m/25-4 which improves upon his third-best mark in program history.

A pair of Rams took home points behind Shukurani in the men's high jump as Jesse Imemba and Rhys Travis each cleared the 2.02m/6-7.5 bar. Imemba did so on fewer attempts, meaning he finished in sixth with Travis one place below.

The women's steeplechase saw two Rams collect points, led by Catherine Garrison (10:14.49) who finished fourth and narrowly missed a podium finish. Joining her in the scoring was Allison Pippert (10:24.32) who scored two points thanks to her seventh-place finish.

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Moving On
A number of Rams qualified in Friday's preliminary races, advancing to tomorrow's finals. Kenny Carpenter and Ashton Whisler put on a show in their heat of the men's 400 as both Rams advanced to Saturday's final in top-five positions.

Freshman Ruby Schwelm was the fourth-best qualifier in the women's 1,500 meter and will be joined by teammate Abigail Petr in Saturday's final. The men's side of the event saw another freshman qualify as Parker Westermann clocked the sixth-best time in the prelims.

After qualifying for the women's 400 hurdles yesterday Neya Jamison also punched her ticket to the 100 hurdles final after sneaking into the ninth qualifying spot with her 13.89. Also sneaking into the final was senior Tyler Colwell, who ran a 10.50 to qualify for the 100 dash final.

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Up Next
The final day of the 2026 Mountain West Outdoor Track & Field Championships begins tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. MT, with broadcast coverage available on the MW Network.

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Bigley

Kajsa Borrman

Erin Brown

Kenny Carpenter

Tyler Colwell

Ismael Dembele

Catherine Garrison

Jesse Imemba

Neya Jamison

Alex Jensen

Klaire Kovatch

Mya Lesnar

Makayla Long

Mateo Munoz

Abigail Petr

Allison Pippert

Joe Probst

Leonardo Ramos

Ruby Schwelm

Zach Sell

Ndayiragije Shukurani

Rhys Travis

Parker Westermann

Ashton Whisler