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Grand Valley State Women Win Dramatic NCAA D2 Team Race Over Adams State By A PointPublished by
Alexis Brown Of Lenoir-Rhyne Runs Record-Breaking 10.93/22.35 Sprint Double By Oliver Hinson for DyeStat Photos by GVSU, Lenoir-Rhyne and Pittsburg State A formidable Adams State women’s distance squad came up just a bit short at the NCAA D2 Outdor Championships on Saturday in its home state at CSU-Pueblo on Saturday. Despite throwing down 53 points between the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase, Adams State came up one point shy of Grand Valley State for the overall title, 60-59. The standout of the meet was Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) junior Alexis Brown, who broke D2 records with 10.93 in the 100 meters and 22.35 in the 200 meters, both wind-legal. She also ran on her team's 4x100 relay team, which placed seventh. Brown's 100 meters time is No. 2 in the world this year. Her 22.35, which she ran in the prelims on Friday, took three-tenths of a second of the D2 record. She won Saturday's final in 22.37w. GVSU and Adams State's team competition boiled down to the 5,000 meters. Neither side qualified a 4x400 relay squad and no other teams were in reach. Pittsburg State had been leading at that point, but had only had one entrant in the 5,000, and she was a long shot to score. Grand Valley State held a 17-point lead. Adams State needed to come up big. Adams State's Tristian Spence crossed the line in 16:16.11 for the win and teammate Ava O’Connor crossed 12 seconds later to give the team 18 points. Natalie Graber finished third for Grand Valley State. Six points. Brianna Robles finished fourth for Adams State. Five points. As the clock read 16:45, the score was tied at 57. Two runners were barreling down the home stretch, about 20 yards from the finish line. Both were seniors.: One was wearing an Adams State jersey. One was wearing a Grand Valley State jersey. Klaudia O’Malley won the foot race, finishing sixth overall and putting three more points on the board… for Grand Valley State. The GVSU program is widely recognized as a dynasty in Division 2 track and field but this was just the Lakers’ third women’s outdoor track title and first since 2012. It wouldn’t have happened without a balanced attack. The Lakers scored 29 points in the throws, thanks in large part to Erika Beistle and Margaret Stevenson’s 1-2 finish in the discus. Beistle broke the meet record in that event with a throw of 65.05m (213-5). Alaina Diaz finished second in the long jump, while Brooke Bowers took fifth in the pole vault, adding 13 more. Of course, the distance squad was productive as well. In addition to her three points in the 5,000, O’Malley put up 10 in the 1,500, winning with a time of 4:29.11. Adams State's points all came from distance events. Pittsburg State, the defending champions, came in third in the team standings with 54.5 points. The Gorillas picked up most of their points from the heptathlon and field events. Blakelee Winn won the heptathlon with 6,007 points, while Isabelle Peters and Kyla Davis went 2-3 in the pole vault. Fresno Pacific broke the Division 2 record in the 4x100 relay with 43.85. Pittsburg State Men Win Fourth In A Row Last year, the Pittsburg State men enjoyed a relatively modest victory, beating West Texas A&M by 14 points. That was not the story this year. West Texas A&M almost perfectly echoed its performance from last year, coming in second place with 66 points, just two more than they scored in 2024. The Gorillas scored 111. Armed with firepower across the board, they left no doubt as to who would hold the Division 2 championship trophy. They haven’t lost a national championship — indoors or outdoors — since the 2022 indoor championships. Pitt State got off to a good start across the first two days of competition with 28 points in the first six events, and they didn’t let up on Saturday. Dylan Sprecker ran to third place finish in the 1,500 meters, and then the floodgates opened. Joel Nyatusah, Daylin Willliams and Tyrone Jackson went 1-2-3 in the 110-meter hurdles, scoring a whopping 24 points and putting the team competition out of reach. One event later, Nate Watson won the 400 meters. One event after that, Dapriest Hogans took third in the 100-meter dash. That’s 41 points in one hour. Even as they watched their tally become insurmountable, they kept pouring it on. Caleb Calvin won the javelin, while Hogans came back to win the 200 meters. 20 more points. To ice the cake, they won the 4x400 relay by over a second, breaking the school record with a 3:03.95 performance. Despite Pittsburg State’s domination, West Texas A&M still enjoyed some bright spots on the weekend. In the absence of Adams State's Romain Legendre, the 2025 indoor champion in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters who signed a professional contract with Nike just days ago, William Amponsah won the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters this weekend, not being contested particularly hard in either. In addition, Isaac Botsio won the 100 meters and anchored the A&M squad to a win in the 4x100 meter relay, while Joseph Oreva finished second in the long jump. Grand Valley State finished third with 48 points, followed by Wingate with 38 and Harding with 37. More news |