NCAA Division II men's cross country championships

NCAA Division II men's cross country championships

Current season, competition or edition: 2023 NCAA Men's Division II Cross Country Championship
Sport	Cross country
Founded	1958
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Colorado Mines (4th)
Official website	NCAA.com

The NCAA Men's Division II Cross Country Championship is an annual cross country meet to decide the team and individual national champions of men's intercollegiate cross country running in the United States. It has been held every fall, usually in November, since breaking off from the NCAA University Division Men's Cross Country Championships in 1958.

Known as the NCAA College Division Men's Cross Country Championship until 1973, it was created for cross country programs from smaller universities and colleges. A third championship, the NCAA Men's Division III Cross Country Championship, split away in 1973 when the NCAA created its current three-division structure.

The defending national teams champions are Colorado Mines, who won their fourth national title in 2024.

West Texas A&M's William Amponsah is the two-time reigning individual champion.

Format

The field for the championship race has ranged in size from a low of 11 teams in 1959 to a high of 59 teams in 1972. From 1983 to 1999 the field was fixed at 17 teams. Beginning in 2000, the national championship race has included 24 teams. Teams compete in one of eight regional championships to qualify. In addition to the 24 teams, 16 individual runners qualify for the national championship. ^[1]

The race distance from 1958 to 1967 was 4 miles (6.4 km). From 1968 to 1975 the race distance was 5 miles (8.0 km). Since 1976 the race distance has been 10,000 meters (6.2 mi) ^[2]

The event record for the 10,000 meter distance is 28:04.00, set by Shane Healy of Adams State Grizzlies in 1994.

Results

• The race distance was 4 miles from 1958 to 1967, 5 miles from 1968 to 1975, and 10,000 meters (10 kilometers) from 1976 to the present.

NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championship (NCAA College Division Men's Cross Country Championship, 1958–1973)
Year	Site (Host Team)		Championship Results					Individual Championship
			Champion	Points	Runner-Up	Points		Winner (Team)	Time
1958 Details	Wheaton, IL (Wheaton)		Northern Illinois	90	South Dakota State	93		Paul Whiteley (Emporia State)	20:45.0†
1959 Details			South Dakota State	67	Emporia State	75			23:01.6
1960 Details			Central State (OH)	72	Mankato State	109		John Mulholland (Loras)	20:28.3†
1961 Details			Southern Illinois	33	South Dakota State	82			20:06.0†
1962 Details			Central State (OH)(2)	77	Northern Illinois	96		Leslie Hegedus (Central State–OH)	19:59.1†
1963 Details			Emporia State	44	Akron	174		John Camien (Emporia State)	19:16.9
1964 Details			Kentucky State	95	Northeast Missouri State	105		Ed Schneider (Northeast Missouri State)	19:43.9
1965 Details			San Diego State	55	Eastern Michigan	164		Gene Takle (Luther)	19:38.9
1966 Details			San Diego State(2)	58	Western Illinois	184		Bob Fitts (Cortland State)	19:40.6
1967 Details			San Diego State(3)	66	Cal Poly Pomona	133		Arjan Gelling (North Dakota)	19:33.5
The race distance changes from 4 miles to 5 miles
1968 Details	Wheaton, IL (Wheaton)		Eastern Illinois	99	Mankato State	130		Dave Robbins (Portland State)	25:14.00†
1969 Details			Eastern Illinois(2)	84	Eastern Michigan	146		Ron Stonitsch (C.W. Post)	24:53.00†
1970 Details			Eastern Michigan	100	Cal State Fullerton	124		Mark Covert (Cal State Fullerton)	25:13.00
1971 Details			Cal State Fullerton	147	North Dakota State	81		Mike Slack (North Dakota State)	24:19.00†
1972 Details			North Dakota State	84	South Dakota State	143			24:36.00
1973 Details			South Dakota State(2)	88	Southwest Missouri State	93		Garry Bentley (South Dakota State)	23:49.00†
1974 Details	Springfield, MO (Southwest Missouri State)		Southwest Missouri State	112	South Dakota State	130			23:33.80
1975 Details	Northridge, CA (Cal State Northridge)		UC Irvine	59	Cal State Northridge	91		Ralph Serna (UC Irvine)	23:40.6
The race distance changes from 5 miles to 10,000 meters
1976 Details	Springfield, MO (Southwest Missouri State)		UC Irvine(2)	50	Southwest Missouri State	73		Ralph Serna (UC Irvine)	29:42.00†
1977 Details	Chicago, IL (Illinois–Chicago)		Eastern Illinois(3)	37	South Dakota State	151		Michael Bollman (North Dakota State)	30:08.70
1978 Details	Indiana, PA (Indiana of Pennsylvania)		Cal Poly	42		165		James Schankel (Cal Poly)	30:34.00
1979 Details	Riverside, CA (UC Riverside)		Cal Poly(2)	45	Sacramento State	108			29:43.00
1980 Details	Somers, WI (Wisconsin–Parkside)		Humboldt State	115	UNC Pembroke	120		Garry Henry (UNC Pembroke)	29:32.00†
1981 Details	Lowell, MA (Lowell)		Millersville	97	Edinboro	99		Mark Conover (Humboldt State)	31:45.70
1982 Details	St. Cloud, MN (St. Cloud State)		Eastern Washington	84	South Dakota State	123		Greg Beardsley (Edinboro)	36:49.80
1983 Details	Somers, WI (Wisconsin–Parkside)		Cal Poly Pomona	86	St. Cloud State	100		Brian Ferrari (California–PA)	30:38.20
1984 Details	Clinton, MS (Mississippi College)		Southeast Missouri State	87	Edinboro	129		Michael Vanatta (Southeast Missouri State)	29:55.00
1985 Details	East Stroudsburg, PA (East Stroudsburg)		South Dakota State(3)	60		108		Samson Obwocha (East Texas State)	30:49.40
1986 Details	Riverside, CA (UC Riverside)		Edinboro	56	South Dakota State	79			30:52.00
1987 Details	Evansville, IN (Southern Indiana)		Edinboro(2)	95	Mankato State	113		Charles Cheruiyot (Mount St. Mary's)	30:42.00
1988 Details	Clinton, MS (Mississippi College)		Edinboro(3) & Mankato State	77	South Dakota State			Doug Hanson (North Dakota State)	29:47.00
1989 Details	East Stroudsburg, PA (East Stroudsburg)		South Dakota State(4)	97	Edinboro	102		Rob Edson (Keene State)	31:44.90
1990 Details	Arcata, CA (Humboldt State)		Edinboro(4)	50	Shippensburg	125		Doug Hanson (North Dakota State)	29:18.80†
1991 Details	Edwardsville, IL (SIU Edwardsville)		UMass Lowell	48	Nebraska–Kearney	96		Martin Lyons (Edinboro)	31:29.00
1992 Details	Slippery Rock, PA (Slippery Rock)		Adams State	15	Western State	56		Phillip Castillo (Adams State)	32:24.00
1993 Details	Riverside, CA (UC Riverside)		Adams State(2)	25	Edinboro	103		Shane Healy (Adams State)	28:04.00
1994 Details	Kearney, NE (Nebraska–Kearney)		Adams State(3)	55	Western State	73		Charles Mulinga (Lewis)	30:59.90
1995 Details	Spartanburg, SC (USC Upstate)		Western State	69	Central Missouri State	98			30:20.12
1996 Details	Arcata, CA (Humboldt State)		South Dakota State(5)	119	Lewis	142		Alexandr Alexin (Central Missouri State)	31:23.60
1997 Details	Somers, WI (Wisconsin–Parkside)		South Dakota	78	Central Missouri State	83		Elly Rono (Southern Indiana)	31:13.90
1998 Details	Lawrence, KS (Kansas)		Adams State(4)	68	Western State	74		Yi Min Wu (Edinboro)	31:06.60
1999 Details	Joplin, MO (Missouri Southern State)		Western State(2)	27	Adams State	95		Michael Aish (Western State)	29:19.00
2000 Details	Pomona, CA (Cal Poly Pomona)		Western State(3)	29	Abilene Christian	62		Alfred Rugema (Abilene Christian)	30:17.00
2001 Details	Slippery Rock, PA (Slippery Rock)		Western State(4)	38		74		Michael Aish (Western State)	30:52.60
2002 Details	Ashland, OH (Cal Poly Pomona)		Western State(5)	35		81		Alfred Rugema (Abilene Christian)	30:43.70
2003 Details	Cary, NC		Adams State(5)	40		68		Celedonio Rodriguez (Adams State)	30:25.60
2004 Details	Evansville, IN (Southern Indiana)		Western State(6)	39	Adams State	76		Nicodemus Naimadu (Abilene Christian)	31:38.10
2005 Details	Pomona, CA (Cal Poly Pomona)		Western State(7)	51		108			30:13.80
2006 Details	Pensacola, FL		Abilene Christian	57		70			29:17.50
2007 Details	Joplin, MO (Missouri Southern State)		Abilene Christian(2)	59	Adams State & Western State	66			29:37.70
2008 Details	Slippery Rock, PA (Slippery Rock)		Adams State(6)	67	Western State	88		Scott Bauhs (Chico State)	30:23.00
2009 Details	Evansville, IN (Southern Indiana)		Adams State(7)	23		86		Reuben Mwei (Adams State)	30:27.80
2010 Details	Louisville, KY (Bellarmine)		Adams State(8)	57		102		Michael Crouch (Queens–NC)	30:43.20
2011 Details	Spokane, WA		Western State(8)	27	Adams State	69		Ryan Haebe (Western State)	30:45.10
2012 Details	Joplin, MO (Missouri Southern State)		Adams State(9)	34	Colorado Mines	102		Micah Chelimo (Alaska–Anchorage)	28:56.60
2013 Details	Spokane, WA		Adams State(10)	54	Grand Valley State	104		Tabor Stevens (Adams State)	29:50.10
2014 Details	Louisville, KY (Bellarmine)		Adams State(11)	69	Grand Valley State	127			30:02.00
2015 Details	Joplin, MO (Missouri Southern State)		Colorado Mines	100	Adams State	127		Alfred Chelanga (Shorter)	29:24.6
2016 Details	Tampa, FL (Saint Leo)		Adams State(12)	54	Grand Valley State	79		Vincent Kiprop (Missouri Southern)	29:07.4
2017 Details	Evansville, IN (Southern Indiana)		Adams State(13)	44	Grand Valley State	64		James Ngandu (Tiffin)	30:18.8
2018 Details	Pittsburgh, PA (Clarion)		Grand Valley State	89	Colorado Mines	99		Marcelo Laguera (CSU-Pueblo)	31:46.4
2019 Details	Joplin, MO (Missouri Southern State)		Colorado Mines(2)	57	Adams State	136		Ezra Mutai (American Int'l)	29:31.2
2020 Details	Evansville, IN (Southern Indiana)		Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
2021 [3] [4] [5] [6] Details	Tampa, FL		Grand Valley State(2)	43	Adams State	84		Isaac Harding (Grand Valley State)	29:58.3
2022 Details	Seattle, WA (Seattle Pacific)		Colorado Mines(3)	43	Wingate	177		Dillon Powell (Colorado Mines)	29:28.0
2023 Details	Joplin, MO (Missouri Southern State)		Wingate	70	Colorado Mines	79		William Amponsah (West Texas A&M)	29:04.3
2024 Details	Sacramento, CA		Colorado Mines(4)	63	Wingate	66			29:40.8
2025 Details	Kenosha, WI (Wisconsin–Parkside)

• A † indicates a then-NCAA record-setting time for that particular distance.
• A time highlighted in ██ indicates the all-time NCAA championship record for that distance.

Champions

Team titles

Adams State

Western Colorado

Edinboro

Colorado Mines

GVSU

CSU

CP Pomona

CP Humboldt

Kentucky State

Wingate

Millersville

Emporia State

Minnesota State

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Team national championships, by school: 13, 8, 4, 3, 2, 1

Team	Titles	Years
Adams State	13	1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
Western Colorado (Western State)	8	1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2011
Colorado School of Mines	4	2015, 2019, 2022, 2024
Edinboro		1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Central State (OH)	2	1960, 1962
Grand Valley State		2018, 2021
Cal Poly Pomona	1	1983
Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt State)		1980
Emporia State		1963
Kentucky State		1964
Millersville		1981
Minnesota State (Mankato State)		1988
Wingate		2023

Former Division II

Team	Titles	Years
South Dakota State	5	1959, 1973, 1985, 1989, 1996
Eastern Illinois	3	1968, 1969, 1977
San Diego State		1965, 1966, 1967
Abilene Christian	2	2006, 2007
UC Irvine		1975, 1976
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo		1978, 1979
Cal State Fullerton	1	1971
Eastern Michigan		1970
Eastern Washington		1982
UMass Lowell		1991
Missouri State		1974
North Dakota State		1972
Northern Illinois		1958
South Dakota		1997
Southeast Missouri State		1984

Individual titles by team

Rank	Team	Titles	Years
1	Abilene Christian	6	2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
	Adams State		1992, 1993, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2014
2	North Dakota State	5	1971, 1972, 1977, 1988, 1990
3	West Texas A&M	3	1964, 2023, 2024
	Edinboro		1982, 1991, 1998
	Emporia State		1958, 1959, 1963
	Western Colorado (Western State)		1999, 2001, 2011
4	UC Irvine	2	1975, 1976
	Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo		1978, 1979
	Lewis		1994, 1995
	Loras		1960, 1961
	South Dakota State		1973, 1974
	Texas A&M–Commerce (East Texas State)		1985, 1986
5	Alaska–Anchorage	1	2012
	American International		2019
	Chico State		2008
	Cal State Fullerton		1970
	California (PA)		1983
	Central Missouri (Central Missouri State)		1996
	Central State (OH)		1962
	Colorado School of Mines		2022
	CSU Pueblo		2018
	Cortland		1966
	Grand Valley State		2021
	Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt State)		1981
	Keene State		1989
	LIU–Post (C.W. Post)		1969
	Luther		1965
	Missouri Southern		2016
	Mount St. Mary's		1987
	UNC Pembroke (Pembroke State)		1980
	North Dakota		1967
	Portland State		1968
	Queens (NC)		2010
	Shorter		2015
	Southeast Missouri State		1984
	Southern Indiana		1997
	Tiffin		2017
	Truman		1964

Individual titles by runner

Rank	Runner	Team	Titles	Years
1	Nicodemus Naimadu	Abilene Christian	4	2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
2	Paul Whiteley	Emporia State	2	1958, 1959
	John Mulholland	Loras		1960, 1961
	Mike Slack	North Dakota State		1971, 1972
	Garry Bentley	South Dakota State		1973, 1974
	Ralph Serna	UC Irvine		1975, 1976
	James Schankel	Cal Poly		1978, 1979
	Samson Obwocha	Texas A&M–Commerce East Texas State		1985, 1986
	Doug Hanson	North Dakota State		1988, 1990
	Charles Mulinga	Lewis		1994, 1995
	Michael Aish	Western State		1999, 2001
	Alfred Rugema	Abilene Christian		2000, 2002
	Tabor Stevens	Adams State		2013, 2014

• Schools highlighted in pink are closed or no longer sponsor athletics.
• Schools highlight in yellow have reclassified athletics from NCAA Division II.

See also

• NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships (Division I, Division III)
• NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships (Division I, Division II, Division III)
• Pre-NCAA Cross Country Champions
• NAIA Cross Country Championships (Men, Women)

References

1. 2010 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships Handbook .
2. "NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
3. "Adams State women, Grand Valley State men win 2021 NCAA DII cross country championships | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
4. "Recap: 2021 NCAA DII Cross Country Championships ::: USTFCCCA" . Retrieved 23 November 2021.
5. "NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships Track & Field Meet Results". Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS). Retrieved 23 November 2021.
6. "NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships". www.leonetiming.com. Retrieved 23 November 2021.

External links

• NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country