Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Sep 7, 20173 min
In 2016, the Grizzlies lost more meets than they won, an oddity for the ASU program. However, they came out on top when it mattered at the National Championship.
After losing back-to-back close races to Colorado School of Mines, Adams State found their winning edge to take 2016 NCAA DII National Championship title over Colorado School of Mines and Grand Valley State. In 2017, they will look to defend their crown, a feat last done by the Adams State dynasty who won the 2012, 2013, and 2014 national titles.
In 2016, Adams State started the year off strong by taking the first 10 spots at the Joe Vigil Open. This early dominance could partially be credited to ASU’s depth would later be tested at the National Championship. The Grizzlies then went on to Lehigh to race in at Paul Short, one of the best cross country meets in the country. Adams State would finish 3rd overall falling only to Iona (#8 in D1) and Georgetown (#18 in D1). They finished ahead of 20+ respectable D1 teams including University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Columbia, and many more.
Adams State then rested their top runners at the Tiger Open and still managed to win. Following that, the Grizzlies lost back-to-back races at their conference and regional championships. Based on how Adams State preformed at the National Championship, it appears that they did not go all out at the RMAC Championship as Colorado Mines cruised to a clear victory. At the South Central Regional Championship, Adams State tied with Colorado Mines at 36 points and lost on the tiebreaker. These consecutive losses to Colorado Mines made Adams State an underdog as they entered the National Championship.
Once they were at NCAA’s, Adams State did something that they had done ten times before: they won. The boys from Alamosa dealt with the humidity of St. Leo to bring home the program’s 11th National Title in school history.
2017 will be an exciting year for ASU with a heavy portion of their team returning. In fact, the Grizzlies return all but Kyle Masterson from their 2016 championship squad. He was their #2 man who placed 8th overall at the National Championships. Luckily, the Grizzlies don’t lose all of their low-sticks with the return of Sydney Gidabuday, a D2 stud who finished 4th in 2016. Two of the runners (Kiprop & Chelanga) who were ahead of him at last year’s championships but have since transferred to DI, leaving Gidabuday as the second-best returner in DII.
This young team gets even younger with a strong recruiting class of athletes from around the country. Leading the recruiting class is Miguel Villar, an 8:58 two miler who could compete for a varsity spot for the Grizzlies this season. ASU also added Brandon Swenson, a 7th place state finisher in the Colorado Cross Country State Championships and Devin Paredes, who finished 2nd overall two separate times at New Mexico Cross Country State Championships.
This team shows none of the downsides that the other top five DII teams have to deal with. Returning almost their entire top seven locks Adams State as thw team to watch, not only in DII, but across all divisions. I expect the Paul Short Run in 2017 to be an opportunity for the Grizzlies to show off their power on the national stage where the top team in DII will go head-to-head with the best in DI.
Adam State starts the quest for their 12th national title on September 9th at their home meet the Joe Vigil Open. They will follow the same schedule as they did last year with the hopes of taking back their conference and regional titles with an overwhelming amount of depth.