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TSR's 2026 Preseason D2 XC Top 10 Team Rankings (Men): #3 Adams State Grizzlies
Written by Jaime Diedel, edits & additional commentary via Gavin Struve
NOTE #1: Earlier this summer, The Stride Report reached out to nearly every team that was considered for a possible ranking this summer. While we did receive numerous responses and great clarity, we did not get a 100% response rate. On certain occasions, we are referencing TFFRS in order to talk about returners and athletes who are out of eligibility.
NOTE #2: The Stride Report is aware that a number of meets have already taken place during the 2026 cross country season. However, The Stride Report believes that these early-season races (often called "rust-busters") hold little-to-no importance on a team's national standing due to the limited competition and the lack of top names being entered at these meets.
How is a team that lost nearly their entire 2025 NCAA XC Championship lineup still projected to be a top-three team in the nation?
The answer? Depth…oh, and transfers.
The men of Adams State know the taste of success all too well. Over the course of the last decade, the Grizzlies have stood on the podium at the cross country national meet on seven occasions, with five of those times being runner-up or NCAA champions.
Despite losing much of their roster after last year’s national runner-up result, this season shouldn’t look all that different. Of course, they also have arguably one of the best coaches in Division Two history, Damon Martin, leading the way.
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The Adams State men began their 2025 campaign fairly early for some of their athletes. At the Joe I. Vigil Open in early September, the Grizzlies' home meet, Adams State placed seven men in the top-20. They were led by Jack Gumm, who placed 2nd overall with his fastest 8000 meter time to date.
Freshman Gabe Onelio wasn’t far behind Gumm, placing 4th in a terrific start to his college career. Rounding out Adams State’s scorers, seniors David Millan, Max Aldrich and Tyman Smart found themselves in the race’s top-15. Danyom Yosief also wore the Grizzly uniform for the first time on the grass, producing a solid 18th place run.
The biggest meet of Adams State’s regular season, the Lucian Rosa Invitational, was where many of the Grizzlies’ best men opened up their 2025 campaigns. Superstar Kidus Begashaw led the way for the men of Alamosa, Colorado, as he took 4th place in a highly competitive field.
Julian Campos and Yosief worked with each other and ended up in great positions, both in the top-10. That was a big step in the right direction for Yosief after his Grizzly debut in early September. Gumm also had a great day for Adams State, coming away with a 15th place result.
Housem Hrabi (21st) was the final scorer, while Aldrich and Millan offered solid support in 25th and 26th place, respectively.
Unfortunately for Adams State, those strong individual results weren’t quite enough to defeat in-state rival Colorado Mines, which won the meet by seven points.
The next time we saw a fully loaded Adams State squad was at the RMAC XC Championships, but this time the Grizzlies were able to take down the men of Colorado Mines. It wasn’t by a huge margin, but nine points are nine points.
As expected, Begashaw was the first Grizzly to the finish line, finishing runner-up. A tightly packed group of seniors -- Nathan Scherbarth (4th), Aldrich (5th) and Campos (8th) -- flooded the finish line next, with the former two delivering in a major way with their best races of the season. Gumm proved to be a major asset to the team once again, as he was the final scorer, in 13th place. That was Gumm’s first RMAC meet, making his top-15 result all the more impressive.
Hrabi and Millan offered insurance by placing 15th and 18th, respectively, and they were unquestionably the conference’s best non-scorers. Adams State's RMAC title was made more impressive by the fact that it came without Yosief.
To no one’s surprise, the men of Alamosa were the top team at the South Central regional meet. They even outperformed Colorado Mines again. Adams State had remarkable firepower up front with Begashaw (2nd) and Campos (3rd) giving them two supreme low-sticks.
Aldrich (13th) was the next Grizzly finisher and Yosief was back as a vital scorer in 15th place. The Grizzlies placed all five scorers in the region’s top-20, thanks to an 18th place effort by Hrabi.
Heading to the national stage in Wisconsin, Adams State was a legitimate NCAA title threat. Ultimately, the Grizzly men fell just short of gold due to a powerful push by Wingate’s backend scorers. Nonetheless, the Grizzlies had nothing to hang their heads over, as they had five men leave Wisconsin as All-Americans. Not to mention, they were only nine points away from gold.
Even more exciting for Adams State, Begashaw was the fastest man at the Division Two national meet. The senior wrapped up his cross country career in winning fashion with his first-ever NCAA title. The Grizzlies put another man in the top-10, as Campos put together a 6th place result. That one-two punch from Begashaw and Campos gave the Grizzlies the most firepower in the field.
Yosief and Hrabi ran as a pack to take 22nd and 23rd place, respectively, both earning their first cross country All-American honors. Aldrich wrapped up his cross country career in All-American fashion in 31st place, offering elite backend support for the Grizzlies.
Although Gumm landed a bit farther back than the Grizzlies would have liked, a 68th place finish at his first national meet was a great start. Scherbarth rounded out the Adams State lineup in 76th.
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NCAA champion Kidus Begashaw, star second scorer Julian Campos, multi-time All-American Housem Hrabi and reliable scorers Max Aldrich and Nathan Scherbarth are all gone from last year's NCAA XC Championship runner-up team.
Luckily for the men of Adams State, they have a lot of promise in the runners they are bringing back in 2026. Most notably, they return Danyom Yosief and Jack Gumm, who were both an integral part of the team’s 2025 success. We'll get to the reinforcements shortly.
Yosief, now an upperclassman, hasn’t always been the most consistent runner on the grass, fluctuating between a scoring Grizzly and…not. However, he was able to pull it all together at the right moment on the national stage last fall, where he nearly became a top-half All-American.
And during the most recent indoor track season, Yosief demonstrated tremendous growth over 3000 and 5000 meters. He even shattered 14 minutes over the latter distance. His 10,000-meter strength was also on display in the spring, when he produced a 29:13 result at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
The now-junior’s progress over the longer distances on the track will likely make him a more consistent cross country scorer for Adams State, something the 'Grizz could surely benefit from in 2026. He's listed at TSR #15 in our preseason individual rankings.
Gumm, now a senior, has not only established himself as a solidly strong cross country runner but as one of the best milers and metric milers in Division Two.
The Grizzly veteran nearly broke four minutes in the mile this past winter and then ran exceptionally well in the spring over 1500 meters. The Grizzly qualified for both the indoor and outdoor national meets during his first year in the NCAA, giving him even more championship experience before he looks to toe the line at the NCAA XC Championships yet again.
While Gumm may not have all the same cross country strength that many top-end guys possess, he does have speed-based endurance on his side, which could come in handy towards the end of an 8k or 10k. Top-15 finishes at the Lucian Rosa Invitational and the RMAC XC Championships indicated that he has All-American upside on the grass, something we reflected by ranking him at TSR #25.
Gabe Onelio may not have had regional or national meet experience last fall, but he did get to experience both the indoor and outdoor national meets. Onelio is a rising star over the middle distances, which earned him the opportunity to compete in the DMR at the indoor national meet and the 1500 meters at the outdoor national meet.
Though he’s still young, he now has an entire year of collegiate racing behind him, which should aid in his cross country campaign tremendously. If Onelio’s consistency on the cross country course can progress, he provides another varsity option.
Another young Grizzly who received little recognition last fall, Thibault Tauziede, could be a major part of Adam State’s depth. Sure, Tauziede did not compete at many of the larger races last fall as a freshman, but the promise that he showcased one the track was exceptionally encouraging.
On the oval, Tauziede ran times of 3:46 (1500), 8:03 (3k) and 13:55 (5k). He also competed at both the indoor and outdoor national meets, placing 11th over 3000 meters in the former and 16th over 5000 meters in the latter. Those flashes of brilliance arguably make Tauziede an All-American favorite already on the cross country course.
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Martin knew that he needed to rebuild what he lost in five varsity men from 2025. And fortunately for him and the Grizzlies, Joaquin Campos, Chakib Cherkaoui Rhazouani and Sfiso Makolomakwa all came flocking to his high-altitude locale.
Campos joins the Grizzlies via Wingate, where he was a three-time All-American, one honor in each season. He is one of the most versatile men in Division Two, as he’s run 3:42 (1500) and 13:44 (5k). Needless to say, Adams State just landed itself an absolute powerhouse.
Campos has been fairly consistent on the grass in the past. He should fit right in with the rest of the Adams State men. The Bulldog-turned-Grizzly placed 29th at the 2025 NCAA XC Championships, which, had he been in a Grizzly uniform, would have made him their fifth scorer.
His addition is huge, but taking him away from Wingate, a fellow NCAA title contender, is almost as big of a deal.
Cherkaoui Rhazouani finds himself in Alamosa via Iowa Central Community College, so this is his first go-around in the NCAA. On paper, the sophomore looks to be a qualified backend scorer for Adams State, with a 14:16 (5k) personal best.
While competing for Iowa Central, Cherkaoui Rhazouani proved to have great competitive fire, even securing individual bronze at the 2025 NJCAA XC Championships. More notably, he won the Hawkeye Invite over Division One competition, mixed it up with strong Division Two runners at the Chile Pepper XC Festival and placed 5th in a mid-major D1 field at the Bradley Pink Classic.
Cherkaoui Rhazouani is at his best on the cross country course, and his TSR #23 ranking reflects that. He should have little problem transitioning to the NCAA scene and making an impact right away.
Makolomakwa joins the men of Adams State from Butler Community College.
On the cross country course, Makolomakwa has finished as high as 6th at the NJCAA XC Championships (2025). He also competed against D1 and D2 men last fall and holds promising track PRs of 14:27 (5k) and 30:08 (10k).
As an experienced backend scoring option, Makolomakwa makes the Grizzlies even deeper than they already were.
The last notable newcomer on our radar is Jessiel Paez, an Ecuadorian rookie who has run run 14:06 (5k) and 29:54 (10k). He adds to Adams State's depth and could be a future Grizzly star or even a contributor over the coming months with marks like those.
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It’s always a hard hit when a program loses a majority of its national-title-contending roster. But Martin has rarely struggled to rebuild his men’s program. Adams State seems intent on not taking a step back in 2026 even after losing Begashaw, the individual NCAA champion.
Campos and Yosief are proven Division Two stars, while Gumm is close to that status, Tauziede is a rising star, and Cherkaoui Rhazouani and Makolomakwa raise the team's floor.
If this group gels, the Grizzlies will have a complete scoring structure, one that will get them back to the podium and positioned for a proper defense of their RMAC title.
