Chris Day
ASC Sports Information
Running just 45 miles from her hometown, Adams State College senior Ashley Quintana claimed her first collegiate cross country win by a whopping 86 seconds, Saturday morning here at the New Mexico Highlands University Cross Country Jam held at the George Torres Golf Course.
In the process, she led Adams State College runners to four of the top six individual places.
Quintana completed the 6-kilometer course in 22 minutes and 10 seconds, well ahead of runner-up Colorado Christian’s Bethany Hogan, who took second in 23:26. Grizzly senior Cassie Mitchell took third in 23:21 while sophomore Sarah Lange (Brattleboro, Vt.) finished fifth in 23:56, just two seconds and one place ahead of Jessie Brunett (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.), who competed unattached.
Converted track standout Lindsey Grasmick also represented the Grizzlies finishing 23rd in 27:29 while true freshman Emalie Barnett finished 27th in 28:19. She, like Brunett, was competing unattached.
With several of the Grizzlies’ resting for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, which will be held on the same course in two weeks (Nov. 6), ASC did not have a full team and thus did not register a team score.
Colorado Christian took top team honors as the Cougars had five of the top eight team scorers while scoring just 25 points. Colorado State-Pueblo took second with 45 points while Western New Mexico finished third with 63, well ahead of fourth place Oklahoma Panhandle State, which tallied 102.
The host Cowgirls, Dine College and Navajo Tech also had runners in the 41-woman field but like the Grizzlies, did not field a team score.
The Grizzlies, who are back atop the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s NCAA Division II Rankings, have won seven straight NCAA Division II National Championships and a conference-record eight consecutive RMAC crowns, a streak they hope to continue in their next meet.
A partial-sized Adams State College men’s cross country team took five of the top eight spots to claim team victory at Saturday’s New Mexico Highlands University Cross Country Jam, held here at the George Torres Golf Course.
Grizzly senior Brandon Birdsong paced the Grizzly contingent as he took second overall with a time of 25 minutes, 35 seconds on the 8-kilometer course leading the Grizzlies to a team score of 24, good for an 8-point win over the host Cowboys and the rest of the field.
The Cowboys did have something to cheer about as Moses Kirui claimed the individual win in 25:02.
However, despite resting four of their top seven runners from last week’s solid performance at the Chile Pepper Festival, the Grizzlies still had plenty of depth as redshirt freshman Jovanny Godinez led a group of four Grizzly finishers in fifth through eighth place as the Grizzlies had an impressive 5-man pack time of just 17 seconds.
Godinez, who claimed his first career top 10 finish, was clocked in 25:45, two seconds ahead of Grizzly senior Ryan McNiff, who had been the Grizzlies’ top finisher in each of the team’s first three meets of the year. 2009 all-American Nathan Sellers, took seventh overall in 25:49 while junior Drew Graham finished eighth in 25:52.
Sophomore Jordan Patterson also claimed his first career top 10 finish taking sixth in 26:10.
Meanwhile, sophomore Tommy Owen led a group of four Grizzlies who were competing unattached. The Lubbock Christian University transfer took 13th amongst the 52-runner field in 27:19, just one spot and one second ahead of Francis Herrera, who competed for the team for the first time this season.
Redshirt freshman Robert Frederick and Conrad Montoya also represented the Grizzlies finishing 18th and 19th, respectively while Tim Shepard Steve Lezama and Jeff Siguenza finished 27th, 35th and 37th, respectively.
The Grizzlies used Saturday’s meet as a tune-up for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, which will be held on the same course on Nov. 6. The results will also help decide the 9-man lineup that coach Damon Martin will use for that meet, which kicks off the month-long championship portion of the season that concludes with the Dec. 4 NCAA Division II National Championships in Louisville, Ky.
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