Alamosa, Colo. – From Albuquerque to Boston, the Adams State Grizzlies made their presence known Friday.
Competing at three meets on opposite sides of the country — the UNM Don Kirby Elite Invite, the Harvard Crimson Open, and the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational — Adams State turned in a statement day with multiple top-15 national marks and two new NCAA Division II No. 1 performances.
Things got started early at the Crimson Open, where Lieke Hoogsteen reset her own school record and claimed the national No. 1 time in the indoor 800 meters, clocking 2:05.15. Racing unpaced, Hoogsteen shaved a full second off her previous best. Teammate Addison Bisceglie added a seventh-place finish in 2:14.11.
Marie Garret delivered the No. 12 time in the nation in the women's mile, running 4:48.30 to take second place at the Crimson Open. Chloe Swain followed closely behind in third, finishing in 4:51.17.
At the Valentine Invitational, Louis O'Loughlin and Jack Gumm posted the No. 6 and No. 11 times in the country in the men's mile, crossing in 3:59.54 and 4:01.33, respectively. Their performances gave the Grizzlies three runners ranked inside the national top 15 in the event.
In the men's 3,000 meters, Housem Hrabi ran 7:51.52 to move to No. 4 nationally. Kidus Begashaw racing in the 5,000 meters added another national No. 1 mark to his résumé, running 13:27.42. The time sits seven seconds clear of the next-fastest Division II mark this season as he placed seventh overall in the invite section.
The Grizzlies stacked the leaderboard in the 5,000 meters at the Valentine Invite. Juan Rosales moved to No. 5 nationally with a 13:42.99, Danyom Yosief claimed the No. 9 mark in 13:47.57, and Felix Perrier ran 13:54.97 to sit No. 14 in the country. Adams State now holds five runners ranked inside the national top 15 in the event.
Meanwhile in Albuquerque, Julian Campos captured first place in the men's 3,000 meters at the Don Kirby Elite Invite, finishing in 8:23.67. On the women's side, Jazmin Estrada placed eighth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:22.41.
Competition resumes Saturday at all three meets as Adams State looks to build on an already headline-worthy Friday.
