STANFORD, Calif. -- No school has a better cross country program than Stanford.
Based on finishes at the NCAA Championships, Stanford had the nation's best combined performance of any men's and women's program for the second consecutive year.
On a cloudy and windy November 18 morning at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky, the Cardinal placed both its men's and women's teams on the podium – the coveted top four – for the first time since 2006. No other school had two teams in the top seven.
In 2016 in Terre Haute, Indiana, no school besides Stanford had two teams in the NCAA top five.
"This speaks to the culture that our men and our women have built together, that we can be solid every time we're out here," said Chris Miltenberg said, in his sixth year as the Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field.
Stanford's success includes four consecutive men's podium finishes and the highest finish for the women, fourth, in five years. The men extended its run to five years of having a top-six individual placer. It won the Pac-12 championship for the first time since 2010 and Grant Fisher gave the Cardinal its first individual conference winner since the same year.
And, for the first time since its 2007 title team, Stanford placed five women in the top 70 at the NCAA Championships.
"I'm very happy with how we progressed," senior Abbie McNulty said. "Two years ago we were 14th. It's great seeing how far we've come in two years, and how far we're going to go."
Redshirt sophomore Alex Ostberg placed 16th in his first NCAA championship meet. Steven Fahy, a redshirt junior, was 17th after placing 59th a year earlier. Each credited their improvement to the system, the foundation they built under Miltenberg and the way they've built on that.
"It comes down to a belief in the training system and a belief in myself," Ostberg said after the NCAA race.
"This isn't just a three-month process," Fahy said. "It's really been three or four years in the making, and it's something we're going to keep building on. It doesn't end here."
* * *
Achievements and honors:
Team
Both teams advanced to the NCAA's for the 24th consecutive year, an ongoing record.
Teams have combined for 32 NCAA podium (top four) finishes.
First time both teams finished on podium in the same year since 2006.
Only school to have both teams place among the top seven.
12th time both teams have placed among the top five in the same year.
Men
Pac-12 champion.
NCAA fourth-place finish.
26th NCAA team appearance all-time.
24th consecutive NCAA team appearance.
23rd consecutive Pac-12 top-three finish.
16th NCAA top-four finish.
Eighth conference individual title.
Fifth consecutive year with an NCAA top-six individual placer.
Fifth consecutive year with an All-American.
Fifth consecutive year with a top-three Pac-12 finisher.
Fourth consecutive year on the podium (top four).
60 consecutive victories over Cal in championship competition when both have full teams.
30 consecutive victories over Cal at conference championships.
Three All-Americans.
Chris Miltenberg
Pac-12 Coach of the Year
Isaac Cortes
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Tom Coyle
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Tai Dinger
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic first team
Steven Fahy
All-American
All-Pac-12 first team
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic second team
Grant Fisher
All-American
Pac-12 champion
Pac-12 Athlete of the Year
All-Pac-12 first team
USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week (Oct. 30)
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Blair Hurlock
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Jack Keelan
Pac-12 All-Academic second team
Will Lauer
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Alex Ostberg
All-American
All-Pac-12 first team
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Alek Parsons
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic second team
Sam Wharton
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
* * *
Women
NCAA fourth-place finish.
Pac-12 third place.
Two All-Americans.
30th NCAA team appearance all-time.
25th consecutive NCAA team appearance, the longest streak in the country.
25 consecutive top-16 NCAA team finishes.
16th NCAA podium (top four) finish.
Seventh consecutive year with an All-American.
50 consecutive victories over Cal in championship competition when both have full teams.
27 consecutive victories over Cal at conference championships.
Placed five in the top 70 at NCAA Championships for first time in 10 years.
Christina Aragon
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Maddy Berkson
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Elise Cranny
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Ella Donaghu
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Vanessa Fraser
All-American
All-Pac-12 first team
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Abbie McNulty
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention
Fiona O'Keeffe
All-American
All-Pac-12 first team
All-West Region
Pac-12 All-Academic second team
Catherine Pagano
Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention