STANFORD, Calif. – Sophomore Grant Fisher was named NCAA Division I Scholar Athlete of the Year for cross country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Thursday, giving the Stanford men back-to-back winners.
Fisher, a three-time All-America in cross country and track, placed fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Nov. 19, and carries a 3.43 cumulative grade-point average. He follows teammate Sean McGorty, who earned the honor last year.
Fisher joins Missouri's NCAA women's champ Karissa Schweizer as the individual winners. Fisher is the fourth Stanford men's winner. Besides McGorty, the others are Neftalem Araia in 2006 and Chris Derrick in 2010 and 2011. No other school has had more than two.
To qualify for the honor, runners must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and finish in the top-25 (or 10 percent) at regionals or as an All-American (top 40) at the national meet.
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All-Academic selections:
Fisher was joined by teammates Steven Fahy, Jack Keelan, Garrett Sweatt, and McGorty among men's All-Academic selections. No other men's program could match Stanford's five selections. The Cardinal, with a 3.49 GPA, also was among those receiving All-Academic Team honors.
Stanford had four All-Academic women's selections: freshmen Christina Aragon and Fiona O'Keeffe, and veterans Vanessa Fraser and Danielle Katz.
The Cardinal women carried a 3.62 team GPA and were among those receiving All-Academic Team honors as well.
Here are Stanford's men's All-Academic award winners, with their academic years listed (eligibility years may differ):
Steven Fahy, Jr., Carlsbad, Calif., 3.62 (human biology).
Grant Fisher, So., Grand Blanc, Mich., 3.43 (undeclared).
Jack Keelan, Sr., La Grange Park, Ill., 3.58 (product design).
Sean McGorty, Sr., Fairfax, Va., 3.51 (management science and engineering)
Garrett Sweatt, 5th Sr., Edwardsville, Ill., 3.38 (biology).
Stanford's women's All-Academic winners are:
Christina Aragon, Fr., Billings, Mont., 3.45 (undeclared).
Danielle Katz, Sr., Los Gatos, Calif., 3.71 (product design).
Vanessa Fraser, Sr., Scotts Valley, Calif., 3.51 (symbolic systems).
Fiona O'Keeffe, Fr., Davis, Calif., 3.78 (undeclared).
Both Stanford teams placed among the top five at the NCAA Championships. Stanford was the only school to accomplish that feat, and it was the first time Stanford teams had a pair of top-five finishes in a decade.
The Cardinal men were second, earning their third consecutive top-three finish, and the women were fifth, with three freshmen among their scorers.
Of Stanford's USTFCCCA All-Academic runners, four of them – Fisher, McGorty, Aragon, and O'Keeffe – earned All-America honors by virtue of their top-40 NCAA finishes.
To read Stanford's Season in Review story, click here.