Nov. 24, 2003
Waterloo, IA - Stanford confirmed its status as the premier collegiate cross country program in the United States after winning the men's and women's 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championship titles Monday afternoon in 18 degrees weather at the Irv Warren Golf Course. The Cardinal completed the rare men's and women's NCAA Cross Country Championship title sweep for the second time in its storied history. Stanford was the last university to accomplish the feat after winning both men's and women's NCAA titles in 1996.
In one of the most dominating performances in NCAA history on Monday, the Stanford men's cross country team justified its No. 1 national ranking the Cardinal held throughout the 2003 season. Led by the runner-up individual performance of junior Ryan Hall, the Stanford Cardinal placed four runners in the top six. Hall was timed in 29:15.4, a close second to NCAA champion Dathan Ritzenhein of Colorado at 29:14.1. Following Hall across the finish line and contributing significantly to the remarkable performance by the Cardinal was Grant Robison in fourth place (29:19.2), Ian Dobson in fifth place (29:24.7) and Louis Luchini in sixth place (29:28.2). Adam Tenforde concluded the team scoring for the Cardinal with a 12th place overall finish (29:44.9), while Donald Sage and Seth Hejny finished 13th (29:45.8) and 33rd (30:13.3), respectively. Stanford placed an incredible six runners in the top-13 and all seven Cardinal runners earned All-America status.
| The Stanford men's and women's teams smile for the cameras after sweeping the 2003 NCAA Championships on Monday in Waterloo, IA. (Photo Credit: Geoff Thurner) |
The brilliant performance by the Stanford harriers resulted in a winning team score of 24 points. Second place Wisconsin finished 150 points behind the Cardinal with a team score of 174 points. Northern Arizona finished third with 189 points. The 150 margin of victory for the Cardinal was the largest in NCAA Division 1 history, besting the 122 point victory by Arkansas over BYU in 1993. Stanford's score of 24 points was the second lowest in NCAA history, following a score of 17 points by UTEP in 1981.
"The team performed tremendously today," said Cardinal head coach Andrew Gerard. "They performed like they have all year. I can't say enough about how well they handled the pressure and expectations.
Gerard was named the 2003 NCAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year after the Stanford victory. "To be honest, I prefer that it be 'Manager of the Year.' I've really just managed these athletes. It was really assembled and developed by Vin Lananna (former Stanford Director of Cross Country/Track & Field) and Michael Reilly (former Stanford assistant coach). I have to give them credit where credit is due. I am probably the luckiest man in the NCAA's. I came into a great situation. The team executed well. To win Coach of the Year is a great honor. I'm very appreciative of the award, but today's outcome is not solely my effort."
| This pack of Stanford runners lead the Cardinal men's squad to a second straight NCAA title Monday. (Photo Credit: Geoff Thurner) |
The Stanford men have now won four of the last eight NCAA Cross Country titles (1996, 1997, 2002, 2003) and this year's team will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best in NCAA history after today's dominating performance at the NCAA Championships.
The Stanford women, the eight time defending Pac-10 Cross Country champions, entered the NCAA Championships as the #2 ranked team in the country behind two-time defending NCAA champion BYU. Powered by a third place showing by junior Sara Bei (19:49.1) and a sixth place performance by junior Alicia Craig (19:55.00), the Cardinal dethroned BYU with a final score of 120 points. BYU finished second with 128 points and Providence was third with 222 points. Three talented freshmen completed the team scoring for the Cardinal as Katy Trotter placed 21st (20:29.4), Arianna Lambie placed 24th (20:31.6) and Amanda Trotter finished 92nd (21:12.4). Juniors Jeane Goff (21:17.3) and Anita Siraki (21:25.6) finished 102nd and 130th, respectively. Sara Bei, Katy Trotter and Arianna Lambie earned their first cross country All-America awards while Alicia Craig was named All-American for the third consecutive year.
Commenting on Stanford's championship performance in the extreme conditions, women's head coach Dena Evans said, "We were anticipating that it would be cold, so certainly it was no surprise . . . We also have quite a few people on our team that are used to running in cold weather. "
Named the 2003 NCAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, Evans continued, "The team did a really good job in treating this like any other race. The men's team was a great source of inspiration for us. They are always confident and run as a team. I think the women's team saw the men's performance and believed it was possible to win if they ran as a team. Winning the Coach of the Year award is just a reflection of our team's performance today."
The NCAA title was the second for the Cardinal women, who also won top honors in 1996. The Stanford women have finished third or better at every NCAA Championships since 1996, with the exception of 2001, when the Cardinal finished fifth.
After winning men's and women's NCAA Cross Country tittles in 1996 and 2003, Stanford becomes the only school in NCAA cross country history to sweep the men's and women's national titles in the same year two different times.
NCAA Men's Division 1 Cross Country Championship
The Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course, Waterloo, Ia
Men's Team Results (31 teams)
1. Stanford 24; 2. Wisconsin 174; 3. Northern Arizona 189; 4. Iona 207; 5. Arkansas 213; 6. Colorado 259; 7. Georgetown 281; 8. Air Force 327; 9. Michigan 332; 10. North Carolina State 343; 11. Villanova 350; 12. Indiana 384; 13. Cal Poly 401; 14. Miami (Ohio) 409; 15. Ohio State 415
Men's Individual Results (10,000 meters, 254 runners)
1. Dathan Ritzenhein (Colorado) 29:14.1; 2. Ryan Hall (Stanford) 29:15;4. 3. Gavin Thompson (Eastern Michigan) 29:17.4; 4. Grant Robison (Stanford) 29:19.2; 5. Ian Dobson (Stanford) 29:24.7; 6. Louis Luchini (Stanford) 29:28.2; 7. Westly Keating (Texas-Pan American) 29:30.4; 8. Alistair Craig (Arkansas) 29:33.1; 9. Simon Bairu (Wisconsin) 29:33.8; 10. Henrik Ahnstrom (Northern Arizona) 29:41.6; 11. Mindaugas Pukstas (Oklahoma State) 29:42.6; 12. Adam Tenforde (Stanford) 29:44.9; 13. Donald Sage (Stanford) 29:45.8; 14. Paul Morrison (Texas) 29:46.4; 15. Chris Solinsky (Wisconsin) 29:48.5
Other Stanford Runners: 33. Seth Hejny 30:13.3
NCAA Women's Division 1 Cross Country Championship
The Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course, Waterloo, Ia
Women's Team Results (31 teams)
1. Stanford 120; 2. Brigham Young 128; 3. Providence 222; 4. Michigan 232; 5. Colorado 269; 6. North Carolina State 290; 7. UCLA 293; 8. North Carolina 294; 9. Princeton 348; 10. Notre Dame 352; 11. Villanova 380; 12. Missouri 383; 13. Columbia 401; 14. Arizona State 406; 15. Northern Arizona 407
Women's Individual Results (6,000 meters, 252 runners)
1. Shalane Flanagan (North Carolina) 19:30.4; 2. Kim Smith (Providence) 19:42.7; 3. Sara Bei (Stanford) 19:49.1; 4. Michaela Mannova (BYU) 19:52.2; 5. Mary Cullen (Providence) 19:53.0; 6. Alicia Craig (Stanford) 19:55.0; 7. Carol Henry (North Carolina) 19:59.3; 8. Emily Kroshus (Princeton) 20:03.9; 9. Ida Nilsson (Northern Arizona) 20:05.5; 10. Johanna Nilsson (Northern Arizona) 20:07.0; 11. Vicky Gill (Florida State) 20:08.5; 12. Michelle Carson (Michigan State) 20:13.1; 13. Kassi Andersen (BYU) 20:14.5; 14. Laura Turner (BYU) 20:16.0; 15. Renee Metivier (Colorado) 20:21.7
Other Stanford Runners: 21. Katy Trotter 20:29.4; 24. Arianna Lambie 20:31.6; 92. Amanda Trotter 21:12.4; 102. Jeane Goff 21:17.3; 130. Anita Siraki 21:25.8
For complete results, go to www.unipanthers