SEATTLE, Wash.- For the 20th time in Adams State University’s NCAA Division II Era (1992-Present) the women’s cross country team was able to raise the championship trophy on Friday afternoon at Chambers Creek Regional Park. The Grizzlies won by 51 points as they defeated Grand Valley State. The Grizzlies scored 75 points with two runners in the top four. The top five Grizzlies all finished in the top 40 and earned All-American honors for their performances.

Adams State junior Stephanie Cotter became the ninth winner and first since Kendra Foley of Grand Valley State to win two individual crowns as she won Friday’s title in 19:45.2. She also won the individual title in 2019 in Sacramento. The win for Cotter is the largest margin of victory in meet history with a gap of 42.5 seconds over second place finisher Lindsay Cunningham of Winona State.

The team was also historic for the Grizzlies as they became the first team to win three straight national titles on four occasions. In addition, Coach Damon Martin joined an elite group as he became just the third coach in NCAA history, regardless of division too win 20 or more titles in a single sport.

The meet, hosted by Seattle Pacific University, was also a part of the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival that sees champions in volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer being crowned in the Seattle area.

The race saw Cotter push the pace and take off while she and Brianna Robles were in the top four, individually, after the first mile. The Grizzlies were able to gain an 18-point lead over Grand Valley State at that moment.

At the 2,400-meter mark, the lead in the team race shrunk to 11 points but Cotter continued her blistering pace in an attempt to pull away. At the two-mile mark the lead continued to grow as Cotter jumped to a six-second lead while the team lead grew to 33 points.

As the race finished Cotter saw her teammate Brianna Robles finish a minute shy of her in fourth place with a time of 20:44.9.

Precious Robinson finished in 15 th place individually as she crossed the line in 21:00.2 and earned 14 team points.

Sophomore Emily Schoellkopf finished in 25th place with a time of 21:10.1 while Morgan Hykes rounded out the scorers in 38th place and earned All-American honors. She finished in 21:20.3.

Nicole Lawrence finished in 65 th place with a time of 21:41.5 and Maggie McCleskey rounded out the Grizzlies as she finished in 118 th place with a time of 22:12.9

The win by the Grizzlies proved that the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) was the top conference in Division II as the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers won the men’s title with 43 points, 133 points more than Wingate in second place. It was the first title for the Orediggers since 2019.