The Adams State men’s cross country team scored 57 points to win its third consecutive NCAA Division II national championship at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
The Grizzlies had five scoring runners in the top 24, led by Brandon Birdsong, Ryan McNiff and Luke Cragg , who took fourth, sixth and 11th, respectively.
Adams State edged Western State, which finished second with 102 points. Colorado Mines finished fourth with 151. Western State was led by Gabriel Proctor (10th), and Ben Zywicki (22nd) paced Mines.
• Western State finished second in the women’s championship, its best finish since 2006. Lauren Kleppin led the Mountaineers, finishing third with a time of 21 minutes, 4.5 seconds. Adam State’s Kristen Mc- Glynn was sixth and Mesa State’s Alexis Skarda eighth.
Western State edged Adams State by three points, giving the Grizzlies a third-place finish. Grand Valley State took the team title, the first non-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference school to win the women’s title since the RMAC made the move to NCAA Division II in 1992.
