INDIANAPOLIS — The Adams State Grizzlies had a light schedule on Day 2 of the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships but still made their presence felt. With just two events on the slate, the Grizzlies added another finalist, secured a fifth-place finish, and remained in the hunt for team points.
While Friday's action was limited, results from Thursday's men's 5,000 meters were finalized, confirming a national title for Romain Legendre. Legendre dominated the race, clocking 13 minutes, 33.58 seconds to secure the championship. Teammates Awet Beraki and Kidus Begashaw also delivered strong performances, finishing fourth in 13:42.24 and fifth in 13:48.24, respectively, adding valuable points to the Grizzlies' team total. Julian Campos claimed second team All-American honors after finishing in 14th place with a time of 14:07.32.
Lieke Hoogsteen was the lone Grizzly in individual competition on Friday, racing in the 800-meter prelims. She clocked 2:07.00 to finish second in her heat and posted the second-fastest overall time of the day, securing her spot in Saturday's final at 2 p.m. MT.
The distance medley relay team of Maggie McCleskey, Alese Sartain, Hoogsteen and Elena Carey also took to the track, running 11:24.16 to place fifth and earn All-America honors.
On the team leaderboard, the men are now tied for third with West Texas A&M at 19 points through six scored events, while the women sit in seventh with 13 points.
The Grizzlies return for Day 3 on Saturday, kicking off at 1:15 p.m. MT with the mile. With athletes competing in seven events, they'll look to climb the team standings and close out the championships on a high note.
