PORTLAND, Ore. – Stanford signee Liam Anderson won the Nike Cross Nationals in course record time on Saturday, one of the two major national high school cross country championship meets of the year.
Anderson, a senior at Redwood High in Larkspur, California, covered the 3.1-mile (5-kilometer) course at in 14:57.6, winning by more than three seconds. Anderson's time was a course record as he became the first boy ever to break 15:00 at NXN, which has been held at Glendoveer Golf Course since 2014.
"This has been the goal for three years now, so for everything to finally come to fruition and come full circle is a really an incredible feeling," Anderson said to the Marin Independent Journal. "My coaches and I have been working so hard for this for so long."
Anderson, a two-time California state Division III cross country champion, was the top returning finisher after placing third last year. He was among three recent Stanford signees competing in the race, along with Ryan Oosting of Arlington (Mass.) High and Charles Hicks of The Bolles School of Jacksonville, Florida.
Oosting, the Massachusetts All-State champ, was 12th in 15:14.4. Hicks, the NXN Northeast Regional winner, was 14th in 15:16.3.
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Fahy Captures Regional
WALNUT, Calif. – The other national high school championship meet is the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, which takes place on Dec. 8. That meet will include Kristin Fahy, another recent Stanford signee, who won the Foot Locker West Regional on Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.
Fahy, the California Division II champion from La Costa Canyon High in Carlsbad, ran 17:52.8 over 5K to win by five seconds. The top 10 in each of the four regionals qualify for the national race. Fahy will be among three Stanford signees competing, along with Grace Connolly of Natick (Mass.) High, who was third in the girls' Northeast Regional and Devin Hart of Point Pleasant Borough (N.J.) High, who was fifth in the boys' Northeast race.
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McNulty Races Indoors
BOSTON – Abbie McNulty opened Stanford's indoor track and field season by racing in the invitational 5,000 meters at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on Saturday.
McNulty, a fifth-year senior, placed fifth in the second section on the 200-meter banked track at Boston University's Track and Tennis Center in 16:11.05.
In the first section of the race, Elise Cranny, competing in her first post-collegiate race, was fifth in a personal record 15:24.32. Cranny, the Pac-12 5,000 champion for the Cardinal last spring, shattered her lifetime best by nearly 25 seconds.
The rest of the Cardinal team will make their indoor season debut on Jan. 12 at the UW Indoor Preview in Seattle.