NEW ORLEANS – 2019 was a historic year for the 2019 Adams State Women's Cross Country team and for their top runner, Stephanie Cotter. Three months have passed since the Grizzlies won the 2019 National Championship in Sacramento, but Cotter and the Lady Grizzlies continue to garner prestigious national awards. Thursday, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its annual academic awards for the 2019 Cross Country season, where Cotter added to her individual list of achievements and took home 2019 Division II Women's National Scholar Athlete of the Year, and also contributed to her team's group cause, as the Adams State Women's Cross Country team was named 2019 Division II National Scholar Team of the Year.
 
USTFCCCA's Statement on Stephanie Cotter:
Stephanie Cotter of Adams State was named the Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country season. Cotter, a sophomore with a 3.42 GPA in exercise science, won the individual crown at the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Sacramento, California this past November. Cotter also shattered the NCAA Championship meet record in 19:15.16 to become the only athlete in Division II history to break the 20-second barrier at the national meet. She is the second athlete from Adams State to earn the award.
 
USTFCCCA's Statement on the 2019 Adams State Women's Cross Country Team:
Adams State was named the Women's Scholar Team of the Year for the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country season. The Grizzlies, who maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.6, won their second cross country title in the past five years this past November at the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Sacramento, California. This is also the seventh time in program history that Adams State took home Scholar Team of the Year honors.
 
The Grizzlies, now headed into indoor track and field season, hope to repeat similar success on the track in 2020 as they had on the green in 2019, as well as in the classroom which earned them their most recent accolade. They can now add 2019 NCAA Division II National Women's Scholar Team of the Year to an already lucrative resume. As for Cotter who is just a sophomore, she figures to earn many more awards on the green, track, and in the classroom when her already fantastic Adams State career is all said and done.