KENOSHA, Wis. – Grand Valley State's women's cross country squad has officially captured their eighth NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship title. The Laker ladies hailed victorious with 65 points, holding off Colorado School of Mines by just four points. Abigail VanderKooi led the team, finishing sixth overall at a personal-best 20:25.6. GVSU's men recorded a fourth-place team finish with 122 points, just one point away from Colorado School of Mines's third place finish. Koby Fraaza led the way for the boys with a fifth place finish at 29:50.4.
 
WOMEN'S RESULTS
MEN'S RESULTS

"Winning an NCAA title is never easy," said Head Coach Jerry Baltes. "Our women have been committed to each other and doing things right all year. That showed today from the start to the finish of the race."
 
Two-hundred and sixty-three women, seven of which were dressed in Laker uniform, kicked things off at 10 a.m. CST. Lauren Kiley, Abigail VanderKooi and Allie Arnsman took the lead for the women from the gun. Natalie Mello and Maggie O'Malley held their own throughout the race, never falling behind the top-30 mark. Landyn Howell and Karen Kiratu were consistent, too, staying within the top-60 until the final 1.2k.
 
In the end, it was VanderKooi who crossed the finish line first for the Lakers. Climbing her way from 10^th place at 1k to third at 4.8k, VanderKooi found sixth place, contributing the first six points to GVSU's team score at a personal-best 20:25.6. Kiley was the next to cross the finish line, finishing 11^th at 20:33.1. Arnsman (15^th, 20;43.9), Mello (17^th, 20:46.2) and O'Malley (22^nd, 20:50.5) all found top-25 finishes to round out the top-5 for GVSU. Howell and Kiratu closed it out for the Lakers, finishing 53^rd and 63^rd at 21:18.1 and 21:25.4, respectively.

"Our women ran a gutsy race, putting them in a great spot early, and then battled all the way to the finish to pull out a win," remarked Baltes.
 
Just one point away from third place Colorado School of Mines, GVSU's men found the final spot on the podium with five top-50 finishes.
 
Never falling to 10^th place or lower, Fraaza led the team with a fifth-place finish at 29:50.4 -a personal-best finish of more than 20 seconds. Just behind him was Conor Somers, staying consistently in the 25th place or above throughout the entirety of the race. He found 19^th place at a personal-best 30:21.6, shaving more than 15 seconds off his previous PR. Báhozhóni Church was the next to complete the course, ending exactly where his first split began. Church placed 27^th in his 10k debut, notching a finish at 30:30.7. Owen Westerkamp and Nathan Riddering were the final two Lakers in the top 50; Westerkamp found 43^rd at 30:46.7 while Riddering trailed to finish 48^th at 30:51.9. Sebastian Ramirez and Brock Wooderson rounded out the lineup for the Lakers. Ramirez crossed the finish line 74^th at 31:15.8 and Wooderson placed 79^th at 31:20.6.
 
"Our men moved up nicely over the second half of the race to get back on the podium," said Baltes.

Eight of Grand Valley's 14 athletes were named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Americans, an honor presented to athletes finishing in the top-40 of their respective national races. VanderKooi (6),  Kiley (11), Arnsman (15), Mello (17) and O'Malley (22) received the honor for their finishes in the women's 6k, while Fraaza (5), Somers (19) and Church (27) were presented the medallion for their 10k times.

"This was incredible day for our programs," said Baltes. "Both squads had great execution to the race plan on a tough course. I am beyond proud and thankful of our student-athletes, coaching staff and all of our incredible support staff."