Adams State relies on depth in four distance events, including multiple titles and 3,000-meter record from Cotter, to earn one-point victory against Minnesota State; Tinch triumphs twice, with Ferguson, Kiner and 4x400 crowns also leading Pittsburg State to most lopsided championship win since 1997

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Adams State knew it was going to have to play the long game in order to win the women’s team title with only its distance runners at the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Championships, but the Grizzlies had to endure an additional wait until after the 4x400-meter relay to eventually secure the championship.

Pittsburg State simply ran away from the rest of the field from the outset at the Virginia Beach Sports Center to produce the most dominant men’s victory in more than 25 years.

INTERVIEWS | RESULTS | PHOTOS by Phil Bond

Adams State scored in only four events, but individual titles in the mile and 3,000 meters from Irish ace Stephanie Cotter, along with a second-place distance medley relay finish and a pair of runner-up efforts by Brianna Robles led the Grizzlies to their fifth championship, including their first since 2019.

But it wasn’t until Minnesota State finished ninth and didn’t score in the 4x400 relay that Adams State could finally celebrate with 52 points, adding a championship to wins in 2008, 2014 and 2017. The Grizzlies also won their NCAA record 20th Division 2 women’s cross country title in December in Washington.

Adams State’s cross country and track and field programs have now combined for 41 Division 2 titles and 59 overall, including 18 NAIA crowns from 1971-91, before the Grizzlies moved to their new division in 1992. The lone national championship Adams State has not won yet is women’s outdoor track and field.

The Mavericks scored in eight other events to accumulate 51 points, with West Texas A&M taking third with 46 points and Azusa Pacific finishing fourth with 37 points.

Pittsburg State capped their 86-point performance with a 4x400 victory, which was supported by wins from Cordell Tinch in the 60-meter hurdles and high jump, Henry Kiner prevailing in the long jump and Treyvon Ferguson grabbing the triple jump title.

The Gorillas captured their first men’s crown since 2018 and produced the biggest margin of victory since Abilene Christian won with 132 points in 1997, with Adams State placing second with 42 points, Grand Valley State finishing third with 29 points and Academy of Art, Missouri Southern and West Texas A&M all tying for fourth with 26 points.

There were four division records established, including a pair of women’s relay performances, along with Lenoir-Rhyne freshman Alexis Brown in the women’s 200 meters and Cotter in the 3,000.

Northwest Missouri State’s Chloe Saenz, Luisarys Toledo, Kennedi Cline and Tiffany Hughey clocked 3:36.76 in the 4x400 to eclipse the 2019 mark of 3:37.12 achieved by Lincoln of Missouri.

Grand Valley State’s Klaudia O’Malley, Kate Zang, Taryn Chapko and Natalie Graber ran 11:12.47, not only rallying past Adams State (11:16.28), but taking down the Grizzlies’ 2017 division record of 11:15.29 as well.

Brown ran 23.26 in the 200 final to surpass the 23.32 standard set in 2010 by Semoy Hackett of Lincoln (Missouri).

Cotter won her eighth career individual NCAA title and ninth overall championship with her 3,000 victory in 9:06.03, as she and Robles (9:06.72) both ran faster than the mark of 9:08.10 produced Feb. 26 by Eleonora Curtabbi of West Texas A&M. Their performances were also faster than the 2019 oversized track effort of 9:07.05 achieved by Division 2 legend Caroline Kurgat of Alaska-Anchorage.

Ava O’Connor secured sixth in the 3,000 for the Grizzlies in 9:16.59.

Cotter also prevailed in the mile in 4:49.86, with Maggie McCleskey earning eighth in 4:56.11 for the Grizzlies.

Winona State’s Lindsay Cunningham captured her first Division 2 crown in the 5,000 in 15:41.30, with Robles placing second in 15:51.26, along with Precious Robinson finishing sixth in 16:26.27 and Emily Schoellkopf grabbing eighth in 16:33.25 for Adams State.

Cunningham also finished fourth in the 3,000 final in 9:10.46.

Makayla Jackson won the 60-meter dash in 7.20 and placed second in the long jump with a leap of 20-1.50 (6.13m) for Minnesota State.

Denisha Cartwright captured the 60-meter hurdles crown in 8.11, in addition to taking third in the 60-meter final in 7.31 as well as the 200 in 23.38 for the Mavericks.

Winona State’s Shereen Vallabouy repeated as 400 champion in 52.27, with Concordia-St. Paul’s Arika Harbo also winning back-to-back high jump titles with a 5-10 (1.78m) clearance. Harbo also secured sixth in the pentathlon final with 3,834 points and Vallabouy helped Winona State take third in the 4x400 final in 3:42.53.

Academy of Art’s Marie-Jeanne Ourega, a two-time outdoor long jump champion, grabbed her first indoor title with a 20-9.75 (6.34m) effort. Ourega also took fourth in the triple jump with a 42-0.75 (12.82m) performance.

Azusa Pacific’s Nicole Warwick secured the pentathlon crown with 4,066 points, in addition to taking third in the long jump with 20-1.50 (6.13m) and helping the Cougars finish fifth in the 4x400 (3:44.64).

Seattle Pacific’s Vanessa Aniteye won the 800 crown in 2:06.84, Pittsburg State’s Auna Childress captured the triple jump title with a 43-6 (13.26m) effort and Colorado School of Mines’ Hannah Miller cleared 13-7.25 (4.15m) to edge Minnesota State-Moorhead’s Ashley Hokanson on fewer attempts for the championship.

Brooklynn Chipps from Wayne State of Nebraska won the weight throw title with a 67-11 (20.70m) performance and Findlay’s Trista Fintel opened her shot put series with a 52-7.50 (16.04m) effort to secure the championship.

Following three years away from competition, Tinch triumphed in the 60 hurdles in 7.51 and also prevailed in the high jump with a 7-1.75 (2.18m) clearance, edging Central Missouri’s Cadman Evans and Grand Valley State’s Jonathan Rankins-James on fewer attempts for the championship.

Daylin Williams placed second in the 60 hurdles in 7.71 and TJ Caldwell earned seventh in 8.00 for the Gorillas.

Ferguson, who inspired Tinch to join the Pittsburg State program, won the triple jump title with a 52-1.25 (15.88m) performance and Kiner – last year’s triple jump winner – captured the long jump crown with a 26-4.50 (8.04m) effort that elevated him to No. 3 in Division 2 indoor history.

The Gorillas held off Academy of Art by a 3:09.63 to 3:09.72 margin to cap the meet with Sam Tudor, Bailey Stone, Corey Lyons and Braylen Brewer joining forces to win the 4x400 championship.

Brewer was also second in 47.09 and Lyons secured sixth in 47.56 in the 400 final.

AJ Evans (6.68m) and Xavier Carmichael (6.72) provided additional support for Pittsburg State, taking third and fifth in the 60-meter final. Evans also finished fourth in the 200 in 20.90.

Wingate’s Hamza Chahid, representing Morocco, also won multiple events in his Division 2 indoor finals debut.

Chahid triumphed in the 3,000 in 8:00.35 and anchored Wingate to victory in the DMR in 9:42.81, with Lars Laros, Deon Sumpter and Jakob Rettschlag running the first three legs for the Bulldogs.

Colorado School of Mines’ Dillon Powell followed his outdoor 10,000 victory and cross country championship by pulling away from the field to capture his first indoor 5,000 crown in 13:48.13.

Angelo State freshman Oussama El Bouchayby earned the 800 championship in 1:46.78, holding off last year’s champion Wes Ferguson from Nebraska-Kearney in 1:47.16.

West Texas A&M freshman Isaac Botsio secured the 60-meter dash title in 6.62, Carson-Newman sophomore Makanakaishe Charamba taking the 200 in 20.55 and Northwest Missouri State freshman Truman Hare clocking 46.99 to emerge victorious in the 400 final.

Harding freshman Vlad Malykhin cleared 18-1.25 (5.52m) on his second attempt to capture the pole vault title and Concordia-St. Paul’s Jakob Torsden rallied from a 39-point deficit entering the final event by running 2:45.77 in the 1,000 meters to surpass Azusa Pacific’s Aaron Worrell and win the heptathlon championship by a 5,623 to 5,604 margin.

Grand Valley State’s Myles Kerner won the shot put crown with a third-round effort of 64-8 (19.71m) and Missouri Southern’s Peyton Barton produced a fourth-round performance of 72-2.50 (22.01m) to secure the weight throw title.