SACRAMENTO, CALIF. – Through mud, blood, sweat and tears, Grand Valley men's and women's cross country teams persevere to take fifth and fourth place at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in Sacramento, Calif. Undefeated junior Lauren Kiley shines in competition, taking the women's individual national championship title.

The women's team earned 179 points, placing fourth behind Adams State (61), West Texas A&M (127) and CSU – Pueblo (160). The men's team gathered 171 points on the day for a fifth place finish behind Colorado School of Mines (63), Wingate (66), Adams State (113) and West Texas A&M (138).

"Both squads competed tough in challenging conditions," said Head Coach Jerry Baltes. "We are proud of the efforts both squads put out there today to finish out a great season."

The men began the day at 10 a.m. in the 10k championship, accompanied by sloppy course conditions. Caleb Futter led the Lakers the entirety of the race, crossing the finish line 17^th at 30:03.6. Koby Fraaza, who completed the majority of the race alongside Futter, finished in 27^th (30:15.0). The next Laker to complete the 10k was Brock Wooderson, finishing 45^th at 30:37.1. Dan Lambert was close behind, finishing 50^th at 30:44.3. Sam Martens (60, 30:55.7), Scott Spaanstra (120, 31:30.1) and Owen Westerkamp (178, 32:13.6) rounded out the rest of the day for the Laker men.

The Laker ladies followed the men at 11:15 a.m. in the 6k championship race. Mud and rain welcomed the women to the course, but that didn't stop the Lakers. Lauren Kiley led the way for not only her team, but for the rest of the athletes, as well. Kiley was crowned the Women's Individual National Champion at 20:28.5. Allie Arnsman was the next Laker to cross the finish line at 21:02.7 (14). Abby VanderKooi took third for the team and 40^th overall with a 21:32.6 finish. Maria Mitchell (68, 21:48.0), Abby Olson (21:50.4), Annika Sandman (21:59.6) and Maggie O'Malley (88, 22:03.4) also contributed to Grand Valley's fourth place finish.

"What an incredible performance for Lauren Kiley," said Baltes. "She executed a great race plan and raced tough all the way to the finish."

From the 2k point on, Lauren Kiley led the race. Her lead was cushioned by no less than two seconds throughout the 6k, eventually granting her the title of NCAA DII Women's Cross Country Individual Champion.

"One thing I thought about was the very thing Jerry told us to think when things get rough: the team," said Kiley. "Both the girls and guys were cheering me on and they really pulled me through because I could hear the excitement in the guys' voices."

Prior to the National Championship, Kiley had only competed in two races during the 2024 cross country season due to injury. She won the women's individual title at both the GLIAC Championships and the NCAA DII Midwest Region Championships. The junior closed out the season with an undefeated record.

"Though the win does feel amazing, I have grown a lot as a person these past three years at GV with a lot of people helping me throughout the way," Kiley said. "I know I am worth it, and life is worth it, even if I'm not a national champion. Though it does make it a bit sweeter."