STANFORD, Calif. – When Stanford junior Sean McGorty sees his freshman teammate Grant Fisher, he realizes how different they’ve been, even though their success Saturday was similar, with a top-two finish at the Stanford Invitational.
When McGorty arrived in 2013, he was aggressive, determined to run every workout with the fastest groups and take on more than what was asked. His approach may have contributed to an injury that sidelined him for several months.
Fisher, the two-time Foot Locker national high school champ, has taken a more patient approach – simply willing to accept a more tempered approach and hold back when necessary. That was their gameplan Saturday and a reason why there is so much optimism with the program.
McGorty ran 23:07.0, the fastest collegiate time ever in this meet over the 8-kilometer (4.97-mile) distance, which has been in place since 1989 (the course was modified in 2010, making it flatter and faster). His performance highlighted victories by both the Stanford men and women at the 42nd annual cross country meet at the Stanford Golf Course.
Fisher ran his first race longer than 5K (3.11 miles) and made up much ground over the final mile to run down Chico State’s William Reyes for second, in 23:33.9. However, it did not count as Fisher’s Stanford debut because he ran unattached to protect a possible redshirt year. Head coach Chris Miltenberg, Stanford’s Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field, is bringing Fisher along slowly and said the soonest the freshman would race next, if at all, is the Pac-12 Championships on Oct. 30 in Colfax, Washington.
“He executed his plan,” McGorty said. “That’s very impressive for a freshman. He fits in very well. I’m very excited with having him as a teammate.”
McGorty was the only member of Stanford’s 2014 NCAA runner-up lineup to compete Saturday. Most of the rest of the Cardinal ‘A’ team was held out in favor of the Washington Invitational on Friday. McGorty will not run in Seattle, but it will be the first true test for the No. 2-ranked Cardinal.
Instead, McGorty followed the lead of his coach, something that was driven home after the injury. Now, he’s willing to relax.
“It was a chance for me to learn,” McGorty said. “I really had to trust Coach Milt with everything. It required a lot of patience and trust. I really think it’s made me a better runner. Now, I’m really ready to reach my potential.”
Miltenberg stationed himself at the 5K mark on Saturday. McGorty was to let someone else lead for 5K and then make a move, pushing negative splits over each 1,000 meters to the finish. McGorty said he got a little impatient, pulling even with Reyes earlier than he was supposed to, but stayed in control even as he increased his pace.
Fisher ran in a second pack for the first 5K, but pushed forward and eventually caught Reyes down the stretch, proving that he can handle the extra distance.
Even shorthanded, Stanford beat out Chico State for the victory, 63-68. Steven Fahy was ninth (24:02.2), Ryan Silva 15th (24:15.6), Thomas Coyle 18th (24:21.1), and Patrick Perrier 26th (24:26.0) completed the Cardinal scoring. Coyle ran with long deep scratches on his right thigh after being spiked by a teammate near the start.
The victory signaled something else for McGorty, who was Stanford’s No. 3 runner during Stanford’s runner-up performance at NCAA’s last year. It was a sign that even though teammates such as Jim or Joe Rosa may lead the Cardinal, McGorty is becoming the team’s ace.
“He’s evolved to that point,” Miltenberg said. “He’s got to know that that’s where he’s at right now. He needs to embrace that. The question is, Can he do that while bringing the other guys along with him? He’s really started to figure that out now.”
The No. 5 Stanford women’s team beat runner-up Cal Poly by 44-65, giving the Cardinal its 12th consecutive Stanford Invitational victory.
The Cardinal is deep in hard training now. Stanford’s runners raced knowing they wouldn’t be sharp and wouldn’t have a kick. They knew they would be hurting. But this is what got Miltenberg so excited about his team’s performance. They went out hard, disregarding how much they knew they would hurt later on.
For Sophie Chase, a junior who earned All-West Region honors last year, but has been coming back from ailments, her performance was a great sign, Miltenberg said.
Chase and teammate Molly McNamara ran with the lead pack through 4K of the 6K (3.73 miles) before falling off the pace. Erin Teschuk of North Dakota State won individual honors, running 20:06.8, the fastest at the meet in five years.
McNamara finished fifth (20:51.1) and led a Cardinal top five that finished within 26 seconds of each other -- all among the top 18. Danielle Katz was eighth (21:03.4), Chase ninth (21:03.8), Julia Maxwell 11th (21:07.8), and Abbie McNulty 18th (21:17.4).
“That’s the Sophie Chase I watched in high school – just fearless and bold,” Miltenberg said. “The Fresno meet two weeks ago was a turning point for her. She struggled a little and fell off the pace. She realized she doesn’t need to calculate a pace. She just has to go do it.
“Today, she was hurting and gritted it out. If you’re not willing to do that, nothing ever happens. That’s reflective of a mindset shift, and that’s back to the Sophie Chase I know. A good sign of what’s to come.”
This Stanford top seven did not include All-Americas Elise Cranny or Vanessa Fraser, who were being held out for Washington, or any freshmen. However, it did include four -- McNamara, Chase, McNulty, and Claire Howlett (27th, 21:33.6) -- who were part of the Cardinal’s 14th-place lineup at NCAA’s last year.
McNamara, in her fifth year, feels like the mentality that Chase provided has become a hallmark with this team.
“I’ve seen this progression of what this team’s become,” she said. “We’ve really found a new identity.
“Sophie didn’t put herself in a pecking order. She gave herself permission to say, I’m going to go out there and be a baller. If I tank or die over the last 2K, I’m going to be OK with that. That’s the attitude we’ve started to develop – we’re not going to be afraid of anything.
“That kind of vibe and energy, and that kind of bad-assery has been so awesome. We’re going to go out there and bleed for each other.”
* * *
42nd Stanford Invitational
At Stanford Golf Course
Men
Team leaders: 1, Stanford 63; 2, Chico State 68; 3, Cal Poly 100; 4, Cal Poly Pomona 132; 5, UC Davis 173.
Individual leaders: 1, Sean McGorty (Stanford) 23:07.0; 2, Grant Fisher (unattached) 23:33.9; 3, William Reyes (Chico State) 23:36.7; 4, Valentin Pepiot (Academy of Art) 23:53.2; 5, Mark Huizar (Cal Poly) 23:56.7. Other Stanford: 9, Steven Fahy 24:02.1; 15, Ryan Silva 24:15.6; 18, Thomas Coyle 24:21.1; 26, Patrick Perrier 24:26.0; 42, Jack Bordoni 24:40.2; 78, Justin Brinkley 25:11.5; 91, Will Drinkwater 25:19.2;
Women
Team leaders: 1, Stanford 44; 2, Cal Poly 65; 3, UC Davis 187; 4, Chico State 190; 5, UC Santa Barbara 224.
Individual leaders: 1, Erin Teschuk (North Dakota State) 20:06.8; 2, Aminat Olowora (Southwestern) 20:13.1; 3, Chloe Berlioux (Sacramento State) 20:45.6; 4, Karlie Garcia (unattached) 20:49.1; 5, Molly McNamara (Stanford) 20:51.1. Other Stanford: 8, Danielle Katz 21:03.4; 9, Sophie Chase 21:03.8; 11, Julia Maxwell 21:07.8; 18, Abbie McNulty 21:17.4; 27, Claire Howlett 21:33.6; 29, Maddy Berkson 21:42.1; 50, Megan Lacy 22:03.8.