Adams State University celebrates 100 Years of Commencement at the 2026 Spring Ceremony. The undergraduate commencement begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Plachy Hall. Damon Martin, ’87, Adams State Director Cross Country & Track & Field, is the commencement speaker.
Hall of Fame Head Coach Damon Martin has built the Adams State cross country and track & field programs into one of the most respected and successful dynasties in collegiate athletics. His career stands as a powerful example of what sustained excellence, intentional leadership, and belief in people can produce over time.
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier distance coaches, Coach Martin has led Adams State to 40 NCAA National Championship teams and three NAIA National Championships, setting a standard of dominance rarely matched at any level of sport. His teams authored historic championship runs, including nine consecutive women’s cross country titles (1991–1999), seven straight women’s titles (2003–2009), and two separate three-year men’s championship streaks (2008–2010, 2012–2014). Most recently, he guided the Grizzlies to the 2024 NCAA Women’s Cross Country National Championship, reinforcing a culture that continues to thrive decades after it began.
Beyond championships, Coach Martin’s greatest legacy is the people he has developed. Over his career, he has coached 1,481 All-Americans, 154 individual national champions – including both the 2025 men and women’s individual national cross-country champions, and 12 national championship relay teams, earning 43 National Coach of the Year awards. These numbers reflect more than wins – they represent lives shaped, confidence built, and potential realized.
Coach Martin’s programs have been honored for their complete excellence, receiving nine USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Men’s Program of the Year awards and five USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Women’s Program of the Year awards, recognizing sustained success across cross-country, indoor, and outdoor track & field.
His influence extends well beyond the collegiate level. Coach Martin has represented Team USA on three occasions, including serving as men’s distance coach at the 2019 World Track & Field Championships in Doha, Qatar. He has coached multiple Olympians such as Boris Berian and Eilish Flanagan, who competed at the 2016 Rio & 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, demonstrating his ability to prepare athletes for the highest stages in the world.
In recognition of a career defined by excellence, integrity, and impact, Coach Martin was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 2018. He is also a member of the University of Arkansas–Monticello Athletics Hall of Fame, the Adams State Hall of Fame, the Colorado Running Hall of Fame, and the Arkansas Track & Field Hall of Fame.
During the spring undergraduate commencement ceremony, Adams State will award 209 degrees including 58 associates; 81 Bachelor of Arts; 67 Bachelor of Science; and 3 Bachelor of Fine Arts. Chair Tom Kim will deliver a greeting from the Board of Trustees. The Colorado Springs-based band, Mariachi Las Dahlias, will perform the special music, “La Negra,” by Blas Galindo, and will feature Semillas de la Tierra. Adams State music graduates Will Lipke and Casper Jackson will perform the Alma Mater.
The afternoon post-graduate ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. in Plachy Hall and will award 365 Master of Arts, 53 Master of Business Administration, 3 Master of Public Administration, 23 Master of Science, and 11 Doctorate degrees. Kari Slater, doctorate candidate for counselor education and supervision will address her fellow graduates as the Commencement Speaker.
For those unable to attend in person, both ceremonies will be livestreamed.
