Fort Lewis College senior runner Erin Renner placed 80th at the NCAA Division II Cross-Country National Championships Saturday morning in Evansville, Indiana.
Renner was the lone representative for the Skyhawks and ran the 6K race in 22 minutes, 18.1 seconds.
Caroline Kurgat of the University of Alaska-Anchorage ran away with the women’s individual title. She crossed the finish line in 20:32.3, nearly 20 seconds ahead of Walsh University’s Sarah Berger, who placed second in 20:52.1.
Adams State won the women’s team title with 126 points. It’s the Grizzlies’ 17th national title. The University of Mary from Bismark, North Dakota, was second in the team standings with 137 points and California Baptist was third with 148 points.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Western State finished ninth as a team with 331 points, Colorado Mines was 11th with 341 and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs finished 17th with 454.
On the men’s side, Adams State claimed its 11th national title with a team score of 44 points. All five of the Grizzlies runners whose scores counted toward the team total finished inside the top-20 overall. Kale Adams’ time of 30:56.7 led the Grizzlies. He finished third overall.
James Ngandu of Tiffin University, which is located in Tiffin, Ohio, won the men’s individual title in 30:18.8. Ngandu’s time was 34 seconds clear of Grand Valley State’s Zach Panning, who was second overall in 30:52.8.
As a team, Grand Valley State was second behind Adams State with 64 points. Colorado Mines placed third with 85 points.
Western State placed fourth with 215 points and Colorado State University-Pueblo finished seventh with 310.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
