COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In a sport dominated by individual performances, team titles at the national level are difficult to come by, and therefore, treasured once attained. For the 1992 Adams State Men’s Cross Country program, not only did they achieve the ultimate team goal, but they did so while earning an ever-elusive perfect team score. In its first year at the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championships, ASU claimed the top-five positions, earning its first NCAA title in program history. Thirty years after securing a perfect finish to the season, the 1992 Adams State Men’s Cross Country team will be inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class.
The Indians, now known as the Adams State University Grizzlies, of the 1992 season were loaded with talent, so it should come as no shock that they were able to complete the year with such an amazing feat. However, according to legendary Adams State cross country coach Joe Vigil, the perfect finish surprised even him.
At the beginning of the season, the Grizzlies set out with the ultimate goal in mind but decided that the best way to accomplish it was to set a fast pace while keeping the entire team within reach of each other. Jason Mohr, the team captain, brought an idea to coach Vigil at the start of the year that each member of the team should be able to make physical contact throughout any given training session or competition. That mantra eventually cemented the ’92 ASU team’s legacy in the distance running world.
“In training, Coach Vigil always used to tell us, ‘If you can’t touch your teammate in front of you, you are not doing your job,’” said former ASU runner Peter De La Cerda.
The Grizzlies’ “arm’s-reach” philosophy motivated the squad and instilled a team-first mentality that pushed each runner into contention for first place in any given race. On the day of the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Championships in Slippery Rock, Penn., Adams State traversed muddy conditions in the 10,000-meter competition. With just over a mile remaining in the race, Adams State had six runners among the top-eight positions.
ASU provided one final push over the final mile of the event, led by 2022 RMAC Hall of Fame inductee Phil Castillo, who crossed the finish line with a 32:24. The Grizzlies’ top-five performers completed the team’s perfect-score national championship bid by crossing the finish line within one-second intervals of each other. De La Cerda claimed second place, followed by David Brooks, Paul Stoneham and Mohr.
A perfect score was the exclamation point on a perfect start in NCAA competition for the Grizzlies, who entered the national championship race as underdogs. ASU’s ’92 men’s cross country program set the standard for the Grizzlies’ distance running program and they did so as a unit.
The 2022 RMAC Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet will be hosted at the Colorado Springs Marriott on Friday, July 15. Doors will open for the event at 5 p.m. MT, while the banquet is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Tickets for this year’s RMAC Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet are available for purchase and can be found
here or can be purchased at the door with credit card or cash only. Adult tickets can be purchased for $75, while tickets for children 12 or younger can be purchased for $30. Tables for 10 may also be purchased for $600. Included in the price of each ticket is a dinner with options ranging from beef, chicken or vegetarian plates.