By: A.J. Vazquez, Strategic Communications & Marketing Intern
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kidus Begashaw from Adams State University leads the All-RMAC Men’s Cross Country Teams after earning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year honor. Head Coach Damon Martin joins Begashaw as the RMAC Joe I. Vigil Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, while Cody Wyman from Colorado School of Mines claimed the Freshman of the Year award.
All-RMAC teams are selected from the top 28 finishers at the 2025 RMAC Cross Country Championship. Finishers 1-14 are first team recipients; 15-28 are second team All-RMAC. Coach, Runner, and Freshman of the Year were voted upon by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for themselves or their own athlete.
Adams State’s Kidus Begashaw was voted the RMAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year after being named the 2025 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Year. Begashaw finished as the runner-up at both the RMAC and the South Central Regional Championships before capping his season off by winning the national championship. At the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship, Begashaw finished in dramatic fashion, battling his way to the top spot after sitting in 18
th at the halfway mark.
Oredigger freshman Cody Wyman earned the RMAC’s Freshman of the Year award after opening his career up with a stellar rookie season for Colorado School of Mines. Wyman was also named Freshman of the Meet at the 2025 RMAC Cross Country Championship after being the race’s top freshman finisher with his 20
th place finish. Based on his performance at the 2025 South Central Regional Championship, he was named to the USTFCCCA All-Region Team.
Adams State Head Coach Damon Martin was named the Joe I. Vigil Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year after earlier capturing the South Central Region Men’s Coach of the Year. Martin led the Grizzlies to their 37
th RMAC championship and to a team win at the South Central Regional Championship. Under his guidance, the Grizzlies had five All-Americans, including National Champion, National Athlete of the Year, and RMAC Runner of the Year, Kidus Begashaw. The Men’s Coach of the Year Award was renamed after legendary Adams State Cross Country and Track & Field Joe I Vigil, who passed away on July 19, 2025. The award honors his legacy as a coach, higher-education advocate, and a respected leader that embodied the mission of Division II athletics.
2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men’s Cross Country Award Winners
Runner of the Year: Kidus Begashaw, Adams State
Freshman of the Year: Cody Wyman, Colorado School of Mines
Joe I. Vigil Men’s Coach of the Year: Damon Martin, Adams State
Runner of the Meet (RMAC Championship): Paul Knight, Colorado School of Mines
Freshman of the Meet (RMAC Championship): Cody Wyman, Colorado School of Mines
Summit Award: Chase Brown, Colorado Mesa
|
2025 First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Men’s Cross Country
|
| Player |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| Paul Knight (1) |
Colorado School of Mines |
Sr. |
Durango, Colo. |
| Kidus Begashaw (1) |
Adams State University |
Sr. |
Aurora, Colo |
| Jeremiah Vaille |
Colorado School of Mines |
Sr. |
Dillon, Colo. |
| Nathan Scherbarth (2) |
Adams State University |
Sr. |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Max Aldrich (2) |
Adams State University |
Sr. |
Seattle, Wash. |
| Branden Davis (2) |
Western Colorado University |
Jr. |
Lamar, Colo. |
| Weldon Chebon (1) |
New Mexico Highlands University |
So. |
Timbora, Kenya |
| Julian Campos |
Adams State University |
Sr. |
Aberdeen, Wash. |
| Daniel Appleford |
Colorado School of Mines |
Jr. |
Newbury Park, Calif. |
| Oliver Diaz (1, FotY) |
Western Colorado University |
So. |
Los Teques, Venezuela |
| Max Bonenberger (1) |
Colorado School of Mines |
Sr. |
Breckenridge, Colo. |
| Jan Thewes |
Western Colorado University |
Sr. |
Schmelz, Germany |
| Jack Gumm |
Adams State University |
Jr. |
Haywards Heath, West Sussex, UK |
| Tyler Nord (2) |
Western Colorado University |
Jr. |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Symbols in parentheses: (FoTY) was the Freshman of the Year in 2024; (1) was a First Team All-RMAC selection in 2024; (2) was a Second Team All-RMAC selection in 2024. |
2025 Second Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Men’s Cross Country
|
| Player |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| Housem Hrabi (1) |
Adams State University |
Jr. |
Doha, Tunisia |
| Esteban Reyes |
Western Colorado University |
Sr. |
King City, Calif. |
| Ethan Grolnic |
Colorado School of Mines |
Sr. |
Arvada, Colo |
| David Millan (2) |
Adams State University |
Sr. |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Charlie Welch |
Colorado School of Mines |
Jr. |
Denver, Colo. |
| Cody Wyman |
Colorado School of Mines |
Fr. |
Lake George, Colo. |
| Chandler Wilburn |
Colorado School of Mines |
So. |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Brett Davis (1) |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
Jr. |
Thornton, Colo. |
| Braden Struhs (2) |
Colorado School of Mines |
Jr. |
Parker, Colo. |
| Logan Cole |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
Sr. |
Zionsville, Ind. |
| Koy Cunningham |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
Jr. |
Monument, Colo. |
| Darren Hayden |
Metropolitan State University Denver |
So. |
Greeley, Colo. |
| Enzo Knapp |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
Jr. |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Aiden Wieskamp |
Western Colorado University |
So. |
Parker, Colo. |
| Symbols in parentheses: (FoTY) was the Freshman of the Year in 2024; (1) was a First Team All-RMAC selection in 2024; (2) was a Second Team All-RMAC selection in 2024. |
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.
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