Adams State at the Husky Invite 5000

Braun is the fastest collegiate 5000 and 3000 meter runner in the nation right now, in any division.

"The men's 5,000-meters closed out the night and Oklahoma State's Colby Lowe took over the NCAA lead with an Auto time of 13:45.01 that was actually second on the night to Division-II runner Aaron Braun of Adams State who won in 13:42.22. Eleven men total went under 14-minutes, and a whopping 23 NCAA qualifiers were earned by eligible athletes. Husky senior Jake Schmitt was 16th in the final heat in a time of 14:15.51. "

Don't worry, Braun was still the second mention in the article.

Adams State and Indiana know a lot about speedwork in January.

Bubba Thornton wrote:

Adams State and Indiana know a lot about speedwork in January.

you obviously haven't followed their (Adams) program well enough. Most of their guys run substantially faster outdoors every year. I remember Macias running 14:0's indoors a few years ago, then 13:30's and 28:02 outdoors.

Bubba Thornton wrote:

Adams State and Indiana know a lot about speedwork in January.

and you haven't watched Martin's clinic videos on Flotrack where he discussed Adams's State training...

I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic or not; but, yes, Coach Martin does know a lot about speedwork and how to coach distance runners. He did coach with Vigil after all.

"Head Coach Damon Martin has built the Adams State College cross country and track programs to the absolute premiere level, not only at Division II, but in all of collegiate athletics. Winner of 17 National Coach of the Year awards, Martin is recognized as one of the best coaches in the country, especially with distance runners, his specialty.

Now in his 17th year in charge of the women’s program and 11th at the helm of the men’s (including an interim year in 1988), Martin has coached a total of 15 National Championship teams (12 women’s cross country, 3 men’s cross country), including a stretch of nine straight women’s titles from 1991-99. He has guided 508 All-Americans, including 63 last year alone, and 54 individual national champions along with a national championship relay team.

Martin first came to Alamosa in the fall of 1985 after a brilliant collegiate career at the University of Arkansas-Monticello, where he was a two-time All-American and seven-time All-Conference middle distance runner. His career highlight was a second place finish in the National Championship 1,500-meter event. After earning his bachelor of arts degree in the summer of 1985, he came to Adams State as a graduate assistant for the women’s cross country and track programs.

Head Coach Damon MartinThe next year, Martin finished his master’s degree while working at Valley Athletics and training under the Reebok flag. He continued training after completing his masters’ degree in the spring of 1985 and was the director of Alamosa Health Club’s Sports Injury Prevention program. In 1988, Martin competed in the United States Olympic Trials.

Martin then caught his big break which vaulted him onto his absolutely amazing career path. In 1988, Martin was named the interim coach for the men’s cross country team, filling in for ASC coaching great Dr. Joe I. Vigil, who was coaching at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The team won their sixth consecutive NAIA National title that year.

The next spring, Martin began a teaching career serving as a half-time physical education instructor and volunteering as a men’s track and field coach. In the fall of 1989, Martin was named the head women’s cross country and track coach, but continued to serve as a half-time instructor. That year, Martin’s women won their first national title since 1981, and the second overall. After finishing second in 1990, the team was dominant, winning nine consecutive national titles from 1991-99. Martin won National Coach of the Year honors every year in that streak. In 1995, he also won the Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year award after leading ASC to a fifth place finish at the national meet.

In 1996, Martin was named the head coach of the men’s programs and has never looked back. He began with the rebuilding of the team that had gone though tough times the year before not qualifying for the National Cross Country Championships for the first time in school history. Soon after Martin took over, he returned the program to dominance with a 1998 Dual National Championship. The Grizzlies repeated that feat for the seventh time in school history in 2003.

In the 1999-00 school year, Martin also served as ASC’s Associate Athletic Director helping guide the entire athletic department to an even higher level. He gave up that position before the 2000-01 season to concentrate on his coaching duties.

In addition to his National Coach of the Year Awards, Martin has numerous Regional and 34 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors, including five in the 2004-05 academic year alone. Winner of five straight RMAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year honors from 1995-99, Martin has won the indoor track award 13 of the 14 times it has been awarded, including in each of the last four years, when the Grizzlies have won their unprecedented 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th titles in the 15-year history of the event. Under Martin, ASC Cross Country and Track & Field teams have won a total of 40 RMAC Championships, five of which came in 2004-05 alone.

With all his success, have come special invitations. Martin has been a guest speaker at several coaching association conventions, including the 2001 National High School Coaches Convention in North Dakota. He also spoke at the Ohio State Coaches Association, the largest in the country.

Martin graduated from Longview High School in Texas in 1981 and while at Arkansas-Monticello married Konnie, his wife of nearly 21 years. The couple has two children; Lauren, 14; and Tanner, 9."

Damn, Adams State killed it!

would be interesting to see how this team would do at say a d1 nation xc meet seeing as how a lot of these guys are foreigners

Anybody know if Damon Martin has ever been offered a job from a big DI program? If he has I could understand why he wouldn't take it. That part of Colorado is beautiful.

Why would you say that speedwork is bad in January...assuming that volume is kept high?

It’s ironic, if those were all (1 + 5 more) "black" internationals this thread would be bashing Adams...

Lack of NCAA accountability and plenty of resources don't hurt ASC either. You can do anything you want in Alamosa, Colorado and the NCAA couldn't care less. If you are a fully-funded program with zero academic limitations and cheap school costs then you can dominate with talent. Case and point ASC.

Can those guys run? HECK YES, a performance is a performance. Those guys train very, very hard and put up some great results.

But in terms of comparing their opportunities/situation to 99% of the schools in the US is like comparing apples and oranges. They are the only show in town in Alamosa, not just at their college. It might as well be called Adams State Running School. Unlimited support on every level.

why are none of these guys ever at the U.S. championships/olympic trials???

wowee wrote:

why are none of these guys ever at the U.S. championships/olympic trials???

Not trying to be a smart ass but they are just not that fast. They will get there though.

wowee wrote:

why are none of these guys ever at the U.S. championships/olympic trials???

They are, they just haven't done much at that level yet. Mcniff made the junior cross team a couple years ago. Most of them compete at the outdoor nationals, if they have the marks.

More to the story wrote:

Lack of NCAA accountability and plenty of resources don't hurt ASC either. You can do anything you want in Alamosa, Colorado and the NCAA couldn't care less. If you are a fully-funded program with zero academic limitations and cheap school costs then you can dominate with talent. Case and point ASC.

Can those guys run? HECK YES, a performance is a performance. Those guys train very, very hard and put up some great results.

But in terms of comparing their opportunities/situation to 99% of the schools in the US is like comparing apples and oranges. They are the only show in town in Alamosa, not just at their college. It might as well be called Adams State Running School. Unlimited support on every level.

So you're saying they have more support than most D1 schools? Sure, and I've got some beach front property to sell you in Kansas. First, the funding only increased significantly in recent years. Coach Martin was successful before then as was Coach Vigil years ago. Give credit where credit it due. You should have posted your middle paragraph and left it at that.

Lack of NCAA accountability? Are you simply talking out of your ass? Making shit up as you go? Can you name one athlete on their roster that wouldn't be eligible by D1 standards?

pr for colby lowe. congrats!

sad but true wrote:

It’s ironic, if those were all (1 + 5 more) "black" internationals this thread would be bashing Adams...

Well 3 of those 6 runners from Adams aren’t US citizens. There’s an English guy, Kenyan, and a French dude in there. They are all great guys I’m sure, but Adams would not be as strong as it is right now without foreigners.

United Nations wrote:

sad but true wrote:

It’s ironic, if those were all (1 + 5 more) "black" internationals this thread would be bashing Adams...

Well 3 of those 6 runners from Adams aren’t US citizens. There’s an English guy, Kenyan, and a French dude in there. They are all great guys I’m sure, but Adams would not be as strong as it is right now without foreigners.

Shoot, in D1, Arkansas, Alabama, UTEP, WSU (more in the past), Iona, Providence and many others wouldn't be near the programs they were without a higher percentage of foreign talent and yet Adams State seems to have about as much depth as any of those programs ever did. Oregon, Stanford and Ok. State currently stand out as programs who dominate without seeking top foreign talent. Colorado too.