With the first set of regional competitions concluded and the NCAA DII National Championships just right around the corner, more storylines to look out for have revealed themselves as we enter the closing stages of the cross country season.

From cinderella stories, to upsets, to long-lasting winning streaks.

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Ramon Rodriguez Seeking Gold

From breakout athlete to one of the national title favorites, Tiffin's Ramon Rodriguez put the country on notice earlier this season with a huge 2nd place finish at the Lucian Rosa Invitational (DII Pre-Nats) back in September, where he finished above several powerhouse lineups such as Adams State,  Lee (TN), Colorado School of Mines, and Cal. Poly Pomona with various notable athletes including Paul Knight, Kidus Begashaw, Julian Campos, and Ethan Grolnic.

Fast forward to Lewis Crossover, Rodriguez continued the upward momentum into the post-season following a statement victory at Lewis Crossover, the biggest NCAA DII invitational of the season, finishing ahead of Matthew Storer (Colo. Christian), Mario Giannini (Chico State), and Evan Horgan (Lewis) in 23:44.2, his first time under 24-minutes for the 8-kilometer distance. At the G-MAC Championships, as expected, a 1-2 punch with teammate Louis Ginane to secure the program's first individual title win in almost 10 years.

Now just this past weekend, Rodriguez may have solidified himself as one of the  favorites to set foot on top of the podium in two weeks, as he broke away from the pack and was able to hold Midwestern powerhouses Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley along with GLVC Champion, Evan Horgan, in the closing minutes of the race to win the Midwest Region title. 

Palm Beach Atlantic Women Secure First South Region Title

While several programs were continuing their streak of winning NCAA DiI Regional Titles, the Women of Palm Beach Atlantic put up a historic performance at the South Regional Championship to win the program its first regional team title after a one-point finish ahead of Lee (TN). Beth Sykes lead the charge with an 8th place finish, followed by Dominyka Petraskaite in 9th, Ruth Spijker in 12th, Jeanne Conroy in 15th, and Erin Reagan in 32nd to round out the scoring of 76.

Leading up to last weekend, the Sailfish put up solid performances throughout the fall against notable competition, highlighted by an 8th place team finish at the Lucian Rosa Invitational back in September and recently a runner-up finish at the Sunshine State Conference Championships, where they finished behind Tampa.

Grand Valley State Continues Midwest Dominance

As much as it isn't a surprise to most, one can only be in awe of the countless accolades and achievements that Grand Valley State has put up the last few decades, which continues to keep on growing under the leadership of long-standing coach, Jerry Baltes, who seemingly never has a "down year" as both men and women are able to reload and rebuild with young talent constantly year after year.

Looking at the NCAA DII Midwest Regional Championships, the Lakers successfully swept the team titles once again for the 23rd year in-a-row and continuing their dominance at the GLIAC Championships as well with 24 team titles in-a-row for the women, and 23 for the men.

On the women's side, the reigning National Champion, Lauren Kiley, successfully defended her individual title to lead the Lakers to a dominant 62-point victory ahead of runner-ups Cedarville along with fellow teammates Abby VanderKooi, Allie Arnsman Maggie O'Malley, Natalie Mello in the top-10 to round out the pack with 25 points.

For the men, Koby Fraaza stepped up to fill the void left by graduate Caleb Futter, and took 3rd to lead the 5-scoring athletes into the top-20, with Owen Westerkamp in 5th, Conor Somers in 7th, Sebastian Ramirez in 14th, and Brock Wooderson in 15th. The Laker men scored 44 points to finish ahead of Saginaw Valley's 52.

Both teams are looking to improve upon their 4th (women) and 5th (men) place finishes from last year's national championships and finish on top of the podium in Kenosha.

Adams State's Tristian Spence and Ava O'Connor Return To The Top

The women's national title chase just got a lot more interesting on both the individual and team sides, as the outdoor national-champion duo, Tristian Spence (5k) and Ava O'Connor (3k Steeplechase) put the country on notice that Adams State will be chasing a team title sweep following a 1-2 punch and leading the Grizzlies to a 32-point victory margin at the South Central Regional Championship - 42-points to finish over UC-Colo. Springs' 74.

On top of Spence and O'Connor's gold and silver finish, Maggie McCleskey (7th), Claragh Keane (14th), and Keira Damron (18th) all finished within the top-20 to round out the scoring athletes. 

For Spence, she kicked off the season with a 2nd place finish behind Fort Lewis' Hannah Hartwell at the 32nd Joe I. Vigil Open and an 8th place finish at the Lucian Rosa Invitational and then found that late-season momentum with a runner-up finish at the RMAC Championships prior to winning the South Central Region title with a huge performance of 20:06.2. O'Connor had a bit of a different route this season, as she was one of very few that did not open up their seasons until the regional championships, but regardless, she came out of the gate strong and very well may be what Adams State needed to defend their national title once again.

Mapes (Biola), McCullough (FHSU), Wallace (Miss. College) Secure First Region Titles For Programs

There's a first for many things, and a first for program history there was as Bethany Mapes of Biola, Emily McCullough of Fort Hays State University, and Lauren Wallace of Mississippi College all secured their respective programs' first regional title winners for their respective regions.

Starting with Bethany Mapes (Biola), she won the West Region title in 20:29.4, managing to hold off Iresh Molina (Chico State), Vivian Martinez (Cal Poly Pomona), and Madeline Reeves (Point Loma), who were all within 3 seconds of her. Mapes was also fresh off a victory at the PacWest Conference Championships, and evidently was also the first athlete from the conference to win the West Region title since 2003.

For McCullough (Fort Hays State), after posting a victory from earlier in the season along with a notable 19th place finish at Cowboy Jamboree as the top-DII athlete against powerhouse DIs including New Mexico, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, and BYU, she was able to translate that to the postseason, winning the MIAA Conference Title and now the Central Region title, in which she clocked 20:32.6. As of now, she is currently undefeated against DII competition.

Last but not least, Lauren Wallace (Miss. College) had a bit of a breakout race from her 4th-place finish at the Gulf South Conference Championships and will be entering the national championships next week as the South Region Champion, which was a first in program history for the Choctaws. Looking back at her season, Wallace looks to have raced more than most would during the NCAA season, but it looks to have played in her favor as Wallace put up a huge performance at the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival leading to the latter half of the season into the regional championships.

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