PUEBLO — The Adams State Grizzlies opened the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a dominant showing on Day 1, highlighted by a national title, five All-America performances, and four athletes advancing to event finals. The meet is being hosted by CSU Pueblo.

The momentum began early in the women’s 1,500-meter prelims, where Elena Carey surged to the top seed with a time of 4:25.47. Teammate Maggie McCleskey also secured a spot in the final, crossing the line in 4:31.42. Fiona Hawkins wrapped up her season with a 17th-place finish in 4:40.44.

In the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, two more Grizzlies punched their tickets to the final. Ava O’Connor recorded the second-fastest qualifying time at 10:39.40, while Emily Schoellkopf followed closely in fourth at 10:41.70. Haley Harkrider concluded her season with a time of 11:29.96, placing 21st overall.

Victoria Amiadamen competed in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, finishing 22nd with a time of 1:16.45.

Brianna Robles delivered the Grizzlies’ biggest moment of the day, claiming the national title in the women’s 10,000-meter run. She clocked 34:35.98 to earn her 18th career All-America honor and will return to the track for the 5,000-meter run on Saturday.

The men’s 10,000-meter final added four more All-America accolades to the Grizzlies’ tally. Dayton Brown led the way with a silver-medal performance in 29:47.50. Aron Orar (30:10.98) and Juan Rosales (30:22.76) earned first-team All-America honors, while Awet Beraki claimed second-team status with an 11th-place finish in 30:51.00.

The Adams State Grizzlies made a statement on Day 2 of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, headlined by Ava O’Connor’s dominant national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Grizzlies earned four All-America honors and advanced two athletes to Saturday’s finals.

The day began with the women’s 800 meters, where Jessica Simon and Lieke Hoogsteen both secured spots in the final. Simon posted a season-best 2:07.34 to qualify as the No. 8 seed, while Hoogsteen, an indoor bronze medalist, ran 2:08.27 for the No. 10 seed.

In the men’s 800 meters, David Cardenas and Louis O’Loughlin earned second-team All-America honors. Cardenas placed 11th in 1:49.55, with O’Loughlin close behind in 13th at 1:49.76. Neither advanced to the final.

O’Connor delivered the Grizzlies’ biggest moment of the day, claiming the national title with a commanding performance in the steeplechase, finishing in 10:11.14. Teammate Emily Schoellkopf followed with a personal-best 10:20.57 to earn runner-up honors, giving Adams State a 1-2 finish.

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Alese Sartain, Simon, Isila Apkup and Hoogsteen capped the evening with a season-best 3:38.99 to finish 13th overall.

The Adams State Grizzlies closed out Day 3 of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships on a high note, securing a runner-up team finish on the women’s side, highlighted by one national champion and 11 All-Americans.

Due to inclement weather, meet organizers moved events to an earlier 11 a.m. start. The women’s 1,500-meter kicked off the day for the Grizzlies. Maggie McCleskey turned in a strong performance to finish fourth in 4:31.58, while Elena Carey placed 12th in 4:40.61.

In the men’s shot put, Sam Dirkes was Adams State’s lone field event competitor of the meet. He finished 13th with a throw of 17.23 meters.

Lieke Hoogsteen, the indoor 800-meter bronze medalist, earned another All-American nod with an eighth-place finish in the outdoor final, clocking 2:08.21.

The women’s 5,000-meter served as a thrilling finale for the Grizzlies, led by a dominant performance from sophomore Tristan Spence. The Grand Junction native stormed to a national title in 16:16.11—finishing a full 12 seconds ahead of teammate Ava O’Connor and the rest of the field.

O’Connor took silver in 16:28.14, followed by Brianna Robles in fourth (16:40.00) and Emily Schoellkopf in seventh (16:49.57), giving Adams State four top-10 finishes and four first-team All-Americans in the event.

Katie Hughes placed 16th in 17:57.49, and McCleskey, doubling back from the 1,500, crossed 18th in 18:16.35 to cap her day.

The men’s 5,000-meter race produced four more All-Americans for the Grizzlies. Dayton Brown secured his second silver medal of the meet, finishing in 14:29.69. Kidus Begashaw crossed the line in 14:34.98 to claim fourth place, while Awet Beraki followed closely with a time of 14:35.29, taking sixth. Juan Rosales finished 12th in 14:55.30, earning second-team All-American honors.

The Adams State women finished second overall with 59 points, just one point behind team champion Grand Valley State. The men’s team placed seventh with 29 points. Pittsburg State took home the men’s title with 111.