JOPLIN, Mo. - The Adams State University women finished in second place while the men finished sixth at the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships here on Saturday morning at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri as Missouri Southern State University hosted the meet.

Grand Valley State won the women’s title as they scored 59 points as they had four runners in front of Adams State’s second runner to run away with the title. Adams State finished in second with 86 points.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Runner of the Year, senior Brianna Robles was the top Grizzly to cross the finish line as she crossed the finish line in 19:48.9.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Tristian Spence was the second Grizzly across the line as she finished in 16th place to ear 13 team points. She crossed the finish line in 20:21.3 while Sophomore Ava O’Connor finished in 17th place for 14 team points and a time of 20:25.5.

Junior Morgan Hykes finished in 29th place earning 23 team points with a time of 20:34.4. Junior Emily Schoellkopf finished in 40th place to cap off the All-America honors and team scorers with a time of 20:44.7. She got 32 team points.

Junior Elena Carey finished in 21:03.9 and 60th place while junior Reina Paredes finished in 80th place with a time 21:24.8.

On the men’s side, Wingate won their first ever title in the sport as they had their five scorers in the top 21. They scored 70 points compared to second-place Colorado School of Mines, who finished with 79 points.

East Central scored 108 points for third, West Texas A&M, which had the individual winner, finished fourth with 142 points, Western Colorado finished fifth with 168 points and Adams State finished in sixth with 169 points.

The Grizzlies’ first runner was senior Dayton Brown with 13 points as he crossed the finish line in 30:02.9 and 25th place.

Senior Awet Beraki earned 24 points by finishing in 32nd place with a time of 30:11.5. These were the only two to earn All-American honors.

Junior Yonas Haile finished in 42nd place earning 34 team points by finishing in 30:24.4. Sophomore Kidus Begashaw was the Grizzlies fourth runner as he earned 46 team points and junior Romain Legendre earned 47 team points to round out the scorers. They finished in 54th and 55th, respectively, in 30:38.7 and 30:39.7.

Freshman Emil Bezeckny was Adams State’s sixth runner as he finished in 108th place with a time of 31:15.9 and junior James Dunne rounding out the Grizzly representatives with a 115th place finish in 31:20.7.