Cross country: Hipwood named to RMAC's all-time best team

Pancho Morris | The New Mexican

9/29/2008 - 9/30/08

The genuine humility that is Robbie Hipwood prevents the 1985 NAIA national cross country champion from ever calling himself one of the best runners to pull on an Adams State College singlet.

And now, he never has to.

That's because the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is doing it for him.

Hipwood isn't just one of the best at Adams State. He's one of the top-12 runners in the history of the RMAC, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2009 by selecting all-time teams in 19 sports.

Eight other Adams State runners were named to the all-time men's cross country team, while Joe I. Vigil, who guided the school to 14 national championships before retiring, was selected as the all-time coach.

The team and coach were chosen by an 11-member committee that included a representative from each of the conference's schools that participate in the sport. The RMAC record book dates to 1972, though it has sponsored men's cross country as a conference sport as far back as the 1960s.

"We wanted to celebrate our centennial by reminding people of the rich history in the RMAC," J.R. Smith, RMAC commissioner, said. "We've had tremendous student-athletes and coaches over the years, and these all-time teams will reflect some of the best we've ever had."

And that includes Hipwood, who shares the cross country head coaching duties at Los Alamos High School with his wife, Kathy, who's also an Adams State graduate.

Hipwood graduated as a six-time All-American. Three came in cross country. At nationals, he finished fifth as a sophomore, fourth and a junior and first as a senior. It was his second individual national title. As a junior, he won the outdoor 5,000 meters in track.

Hipwood, who contributed to three national team titles in cross country, was elected into the Adams State College Hall of Fame in 2007.

"I'm very, very honored, yet at the same time equally humbled," Hipwood said prior to his induction in October 2007. "When you think of the history of Adams State you think of so many great people. I'm humbled first, honored second. It's an incredible honor and I feel very fortunate to be selected."

Almost a year later, the modesty surfaces once again.

"It's very humbling," Hipwood said of his selection to the RMAC all-time team. "You think of people you ran with that were just as successful in our conference, so it's one of those things where there is probably another group of picks they could have put in there instead of us. I'm honored, and very happy to be included."

Hipwood never won a state championship at Los Alamos High School.

And even though he was crowned national champion at Adams State as a junior, that achievement was in track and not cross country.

"There's something about everyone racing the same day over the same course," Hipwood said. "Entering the race, we really wanted to win as a team. I think I would have been at peace with anything that happened as long as the team won. But I wanted my last cross country race at Adams to be memorable."

It was.

For Adams State.

For Hipwood.

"It was a phenomenal day for me," Hipwood said. "I remember just an immense feeling of satisfaction. For as hard as you work, you don't have many of those days where everything happens the way you dream of it happening. For all those things to take place, I just couldn't believe that it finally did happen."

The '85 team title was part of a string that Adams State stitched into a cross country dynasty that is still going strong, even after the school left the NAIA for NCAA Division II.

And while he is humbled by his selection, Hipwood was not surprised that nine of the 12 runners all wore the same uniform.

"It's probably deserving, when you think about the history of the conference," Hipwood said. "Western State has been the other dominating team in the conference, but Adams has been at the forefront. The difficult part was which of the guys from Adams were going to be the fortunate ones to be picked."

Hipwood is one of the few.

And he is proud of his place.

Even more so because it's others who saw him for what he was — one of the best.