STANFORD, Calif. – The NCAA Cross Country Championships will be in Madison, Wisconsin, on Nov. 17. No doubt Stanford's men's and women's teams will be in the mix for team and individual honors.
Before that, the Cardinal men, including reigning champ Grant Fisher, will attempt to repeat their Pac-12 title when the conference championships will be held at the Stanford Golf Course on Oct. 26.
In the preseason rankings released by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday, the Stanford women were ranked No. 3 and No. 1 in the West, and the men are No. 4 nationally and No. 2 in the West. Stanford is the only school ranked among the top six nationally in both polls.
Last year, each team placed fourth at the NCAA Championships, and Stanford was the only school among the top seven in both races. All-time, Stanford's teams have combined for 32 NCAA podium (top four) finishes and nine national championships.
Stanford's sustained success in cross country and indoor and outdoor track earned it the Terry Crawford Women's Program of the Year award, and it was third in consideration for the men's award. Stanford was the only school to have programs in the top three of both the men's and women's standings.
Fisher, the 2017 NCAA outdoor 5,000-meter champion, leads a team that returns all seven from its NCAA lineup. The Cardinal women, third in the Pac-12 last year, return five of seven from their NCAA team.
Stanford's runners report on Thursday and the season begins Saturday (10 a.m.) when the Cardinal is likely planning to run at a controlled pace at the USF Invitational at Golden Gate Park. A day later, the teams will embark for Bend, Oregon, for a two-week training camp.
The Card will play host to the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 29, and then should race close to its top lineups at the Pre-National Invitational on the NCAA course in Madison on Oct. 13, in preparation for the postseason.
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USTFCCCA team preseason rankings:
Men: No. 4 (No. 2 West Region)
Women: No. 3 (No. 1 West Region)
2017 results:
NCAA
Men: 4th.
Women: 4th.
NCAA West Region
Men: 3rd
Women: 2nd
Pac-12
Men: 1st
Women: 3rd
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At a glance:
Men
Head coach: Chris Miltenberg (7th season), The Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field.
Returning from postseason lineups (9):
Callum Bolger, so.: Only true freshman in 2017 NCAA lineup.
Isaac Cortes, so.: Middle-distance standout.
Tai Dinger, sr.: Academic All-American.
Steven Fahy, sr.: Pac-12 steeple champ; 17th at NCAA XC.
Grant Fisher, sr.: Pac-12 XC champ, two-time NCAA top-5.
Blair Hurlock, sr.: All-West Region.
Alex Ostberg, jr.: Fourth in Pac-12, 16th at NCAA's.
Alek Parsons, so.: Sub-14 in the 5,000.
Thomas Ratcliffe, so.: 2016 Pac-12 XC Freshman of the Year.
Graduated (2):
Sam Wharton: 2014 XC All-American.
Jack Keelan: 2018 Pac-12 10,000 champion.
Top newcomers:
Connor Lane, fr.: U.S., NACAC, Pan Am U20 XC champ.
Clayton Mendez, fr.: Ninth at Foot Locker XC nationals.
DJ Principe, fr.: 2016 New Balance Outdoor Nationals 5,000 champ.
Michael Vernau, fr.: 8:49.36 for two miles in 2017.
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Women
Head coach: Elizabeth DeBole (third season).
Returning from postseason lineups (9):
Christina Aragon, jr.: 2016 XC All-American.
Elise Cranny, sr.: 11-time All-American; 2014 Pac-12 XC runner-up.
Hannah DeBalsi, so.: PB of 9:55.05 for two miles.
Ella Donaghu, jr.: Two-time XC All-West Region.
Jessica Lawson, so.: Only freshman in 2017 NCAA lineup.
Hannah Long, jr.: NCAA championship experience.
Jordan Oakes, so.: Fourth in Pac-12 steeplechase.
Fiona O'Keeffe, jr.: Two-time NCAA XC All-American.
Catherine Pagano: NCAA West Prelims qualifier in 1,500.
Graduated (3):
Maddy Berkson: Four-time NCAA West Prelims qualifier in T&F.
Vanessa Fraser: Two-time XC All-American; school 5,000 record-holder.
Abbie McNulty: No. 3 on Stanford's all-time 10,000 list.
Top newcomers:
Caitlin Collier, fr.: No. 5 prep 800 runner in history.
Courtney Smith, sr.: 2016 NCAA XC All-American at Harvard.
Rebecca Story, fr.: No. 1 distance recruit in the country by Flotrack.
