Year: 2025
Award: Cross Country, College
Location/Affiliation: Adams State University
National Champion in Cross Country and Track and Field 3000m
If you’ve ever spent time in Alamosa, you know the air is thin…seven thousand, five hundred and forty three (7,543) feet above sea level to be exact, it’s cold, and nothing comes easy. And that’s exactly where Tristian (TRIST-AN) Spence thrives. This year’s College Cross Country honoree captured two national championships and added a national runner-up finish to her resume. Her first title came last spring on the outdoor track in the 5,000 meters. Then, this fall, she put an exclamation point on her year, surging away from the field to win the Division II cross country championship by more than six seconds. When you’re already among the best, and you keep raising the bar, that’s what it means to be a true pacesetter. Tristian set a new personal best in the 5,000 meters and improved on her own fourth-best time in Division II history. That’s Alamosa grit!
