STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford strengthened its cross country and track and field programs with the announcement of five new signees. Chris Miltenberg, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field, now has a recruiting class of 19 overall.
Men's signees are Evan Burke (London, Ontario, Canada)/ London South Collegiate Institute), Zane Fodge (McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville HS), and Matt Rizzo (Bronxville, N.Y./Bronxville HS). Women's additions are Abi Archer (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral HS) and Brielle Smith (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest HS).
They join previously announced men's signees Liam Anderson (Corte Madera, Calif./Redwood HS), Devin Hart (Point Pleasant, N.J./ Point Pleasant Borough HS), Charles Hicks (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School), Karson Lippert (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS), Max Manson (Superior, Colo./Monarch HS), Ryan Oosting, (Arlington, Mass./Arlington HS) and Dorien Simon (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes HS).
And women's signees Grace Connolly (Natick, Mass./Natick HS), Kristin Fahy (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS), Lily Flynn (New Rochelle, N.Y./The Ursuline School), Morgan Foster (Phoenix, Ariz./Chandler HS), Alexa Rossum (Atlanta, Ga./Buford HS), Ellie Talius (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake HS), and Laurel Wong (Salinas, Calif./Santa Catalina School).
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Abi Archer (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral HS)
Personal bests: 3,200 – 10:48.36; 1,600 – 4:56.07.
Abi Archer is a seven-time Arizona state champion and the reigning Gatorade Arizona Cross Country Runner of the Year. After winning her third consecutive state cross country championship – 2018 in Division I and 2016 and 2017 in Division II – Archer placed third in the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest regional and 10th in the NXN final. Archer, who was a state champion in lacrosse at Chaparral High, won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the past two Arizona Division II state championship meets. Archer is considering a major involving biomechanical engineering.
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Evan Burke (London, Ontario, Canada)/ London South Collegiate Institute)
Personal bests: 1,500 – 3:53.22; 3,000 – 8:14.99.
Evan Burke, 17, earned his first international victory with a 27:20 effort at the NACAC Under-20 cross country championships in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday. Burke finished fourth in the 3,000 meters at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year, where he set a national U18 record of 8:14.99. He was the 2018 national club U18 champion at 1,500 and 3,000. His record 3,000 time was the best in Canada for the U18, U20, and U23 age groups. Burke has qualified to run for Canada at the World U20 Championships in Denmark in March.
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Zane Fodge (McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville HS)
Personal bests: 800 – 1:54.23; 1,500 – 3:56.38.
Zane Fodge was sixth at the Nike Cross Nationals Northwest regional and is among Oregon's top high school middle-distance runners. Fodge was third in the 1,500 at the Oregon 6A championships last year and fifth in the 800. He is the defending 6A-5 Greater Valley Conference 800 champion in both the 800 and 1,500. Among other accomplishments, he was a four-time BorderClash qualifier, and served as Oregon's captain. He has reached two NXN finals. He has a cross country 5K personal best of 15:16.2.
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Photo by John Nepolitan/ArmoryTrack.com
Matt Rizzo (Bronxville, N.Y./Bronxville HS)
Personal bests: Mile -- 4:09.12; 1,500 – 3:53.34; 800 – 1:52.55.
Matt Rizzo won the high school mile at the Millrose Games on Saturday to take the national lead with a 4:09.12. On the way to that victory, he was clocked at a personal best 3:53.34 for 1,500 meters. Rizzo was the New York Class C cross country champion last fall for his first state title. Last year, Rizzo was seventh at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in the 800 and followed with a Section 1 Class C title outdoors in the same event.
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Brielle Smith (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest HS)
Personal best: Javelin – 163-8 (49.88m).
Brielle Smith broke the New Jersey record in the javelin with a toss of 163-8 (49.88 meters) to win the Meet of Champions. Smith set a personal best by nine feet on her last throw to break the state mark and won by 22 feet. Smith is the 2018 New Balance Outdoor Nationals champion and a two-time Junior Olympic national champion. Smith has been a three-sport athlete at Oakcrest, serving as team captain in basketball and soccer as well as track and field. She is a three-time all-conference soccer goalkeeper, and a three-time top-three state Meet of Champions placer. Also, Smith has served as class president all four years.