USTFCCCA News & Notes
MEET RECAP: 2019 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships
Champions were crowned at the 2019 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships on Saturday!
From The USTFCCCA InfoZone: National Championships Central
Keep scrolling below to read our recap of the meet.
2019 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships – Final Standings |
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Men’s Teams
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Score
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Women’s Teams
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Score
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No. 1 Colo. School of Mines
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57
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No. 1 Adams State
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23
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No. 5 Adams State
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136
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No. 2 Grand Valley State
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87
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No. 2 Chico State
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143
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No. 3 Colo. School of Mines
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134
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No. 3 Grand Valley State
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177
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No. 6 Western Colorado
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192
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No. 5 Northwest Missouri
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206
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No. 7 U-Mary
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233
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Men’s Story
Colorado School of Mines just kept getting stronger.
The top-ranked Orediggers ran away with the men’s team title on Saturday as they totaled 57 points to win by 79 points over No. 5 Adams State, which was the largest margin of victory at the meet since Cal Poly won by 123 points in 1978.
Colorado School of Mines led by just 11 points at the 1 Mile Split and then really opened things up. By the halfway mark, the Orediggers were up 31 points on the Grizzlies and then gained 48 points the rest of the way, including 19 points between the 8.4K and finish.
Kyle Moran paced Colorado School of Mines in fourth place overall, while Dylan Ko joined him in the top-10 three spots back. Moran and Ko were two of five Orediggers in the top-20.
Adams State held off second-ranked Chico State for runner-up honors. The Grizzlies totaled 136 points compared to 143 by the Wildcats. This was Adams State’s 26th time on the podium in program history, while Chico State matched its best finish at the meet.
Third-ranked Grand Valley State earned the final podium spot despite not having a runner finish in the top-20.
Seventh-ranked Northwest Missouri ended up in fifth place for its best finish in program history, topping the previous high-water mark by seven spots (12th in 1972).
Ezra Mutai of American International won the individual title in 29:31.2, 12 seconds better than runner-up Kale Adams of Adams State.
Women’s Story
Adams State turned in an all-time performance.
The top-ranked Grizzlies equaled the lowest score in meet history with 23 points, while individual champion Stephanie Cotter established the quickest winning time in meet history when she crossed the finish line in 19:15.5.
Cotter, who became the first runner to break the 20-minute barrier at the national meet, led Adams State to a 1-2-3-6-11 finish. Add those numbers together and you get the aforementioned 23 points, a mark also turned in by the 1999 Grizzlies. It should be mentioned that there were only 17 teams in that meet 20 years ago.
Adams State was dominant from the start, totalling 37 points at the first split and only going lower from there. At one point – 4.3K, to be exact – their total was down to 22 points and margin of 58 points was as large as ever.
Defending champion Grand Valley State was the closest pursuer with 87 points as it was the clear runner-up the entire way. Allie Ludge was the top finishing Laker in 12th place.
Colorado School of Mines and Western Colorado rounded out the final two podium spots to give the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference three of the top-four finishers in the meet.