Adams State has dominated on the Division II cross-country scene for years and have no plans of moving up to the Division I level any time soon. While it may be interesting to dream of a scenario where the Grizzlies race at the Division I National Championship, coach Damon Martin and his squad settle for early-season match-ups against top competition to display their talent. This year it is the 2013 Roy Griak Invitational. 

Last year the Grizzlies lost by just six points to Stanford at the Stanford Invitational. The Cardinals went on to win the Adidas Wisconsin Invitational, which was seen as one of the more competitive meets of the 2012 cross-country season. Stanford beat Iona, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Columbia, Michigan, Eastern Kentucky and University of California-Los Angeles. Three of those teams went on to place in the top three at the National Championship.

Would Adams State be a podium contender on the Division I level?  Members of the team think so. Adams State junior Kevin Batt, who finished second place overall at Stanford,  assured the performance was not a fluke for him or his team.

“We’ll be causing some trouble with this team in the next two years,” Batt said after the race. “D-I guys, you better watch your back.”

Batt will be complimented by Tabor Stevens and Matt Daniels, who finished third and fourth at last year’s Division II National Championship. Stevens finished in eighth place at last year’s Stanford Invitational and has already been named the RMAC Preseason Runner of the Year. 

Batt (24:48.70) and Stevens (24:53.37) went 1-2 at the Joe Vigil Open Cross-Country Meet to open the season. Jovanny Godinez, Quin Ralson, Ty Williams and Julian Flores finished less than a minute behind Batt. 

Batt and Company will be lining up against some big names at Griak: Minnesota, Arizona, #29 Arizona State, #4 BYU, #24 NC State, among others. 

Though being a Division II school may unfairly label them the underdogs, it shouldn't. Consider Griak to be more of a Clash of the Titans than a David and Goliath story. 

Next week on Flotrack, INSIDE: Adams State brings you a closer look at what makes their program so good. I was dropped off in the middle-of-nowhere, also known as Alamosa, Colorado to discover their secret and report my findings.