TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Stanford women earned their highest finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships since 2012 by placing third and the Cardinal men were sixth, on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course on Saturday, and
West Region champion Ella Donaghu was Stanford's top women's runner, finishing eighth (20:17.9) over 3.73 miles, with teammate Jessica Lawson 11th (20:24.6), and Fiona O'Keeffe 27th (20:36.8). All three earned All-America honors by placing among the top 40. O'Keeffe is now a four-time cross country All-American, while Donaghu and Lawson earn their first.
The Stanford men, in the rain, scored 248 points in earning its sixth consecutive top-6 finish. Alex Ostberg earned his third cross country All-America honor by leading the team in 25th, covering the 10K (6.21-mile) course in 31:11.6. Alek Parsons (34th, 31:14.4) and Steven Fahy (35th, 31:15.0) each earned their second All-America honors.
Alex Ostberg. Photo by Aaron Shepley.
Stanford was second at the 2-kilometer split and third thereafter. The Cardinal scored 123 points, getting a strong 53rd place from Abi Archer (20:58.7), who was the fifth freshman in the field. Julia Heymach was Stanford's fifth scorer, placing 63rd (21:01.9).
Donaghu was Stanford's first top-10 individual finisher since Aisling Cuffe was fourth in 2013. Comparing previous NCAA finishes, Donaghu's finish was 61 places better than her previous best of 69th, last year. Lawson's previous best was 44th. Heymach had a 33-place improvement over her 2018 finish of 96th.
"They performed very well, especially considering Fiona was not 100 percent," said J.J. Clark, Stanford's first-year Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. "They all gave their very best."
The decision to race O'Keeffe was a meet day decision. She was limited by injury after winning the Pac-12 title on Nov. 1. O'Keeffe, however, ran solidly just behind Donaghu and Lawson. All three stayed in the 15-20 range for most of the race.
"There were 252 finishers in the race, so finishing eighth and 11th shows their talent and skill," Clark said. "Massive improvement within a year's time. Well done for both."
Arkansas, with four in the top 21, won with 96 points, with BYU next with 102. New Mexico's Weini Kelati made a big move midway through the race and never was threatened after that, running 19:47.5 for her first title.
This is Stanford's fourth consecutive top-five team finish, and 16th top-three finish.
The Stanford men finished among the top six for the sixth consecutive year and continued to show why the Cardinal is regarded as the most consistent program in the country.
"The men had a solid year," Clark said. "A top-10 performance is very respectable. We had higher goals but we fought hard. The men pulled off a sixth-place finish despite not having a perfect race."
The 2019 third-place Stanford women's team. Photo by Aaron Shepley.
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NCAA Championships
At LaVern Gibson Championship Course
Winners and Stanford
Men (10K, 6.21 miles)
Team – 1, BYU 109; 2, Northern Arizona 163; 3, Colorado 164; 4, Iowa State 211; 5, Tulsa 244; 6, Stanford 248.
Individual – 1, Edwin Kurgat (Iowa State) 30:32.7; 2, Joe Klecker (Colorado) 30:37.1; 3, Conner Mantz (BYU) 30:40.0; 25, Alex Ostberg (Stanford) 31:11.6; 34, Alek Parsons (Stanford) 31:14.4; 35, Steven Fahy (Stanford) 31:15.0; 99, Clayton Mendez (Stanford) 31:58.9; 102, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 31:59.6; 183, Thomas Ratcliffe (Stanford) 32:45.0; 231, DJ Principe (Stanford) 33:57.7.
Women (6K, 3.73 miles)
Team – 1, Arkansas 96; 2, BYU 102; 3, Stanford 123; 4, New Mexico 168; 5, North Carolina State 190; 6, Michigan State 209; 7, Wisconsin 235; 8, Air Force 259; 9, Furman 290; 10, Colorado 294.
Individual – 1, Weini Kelati (NM) 19:47.5; 2, Alicia Monson (Wisconsin) 19:57.1; 3, Katie Izzo (Arkansas) 19:59.3; 8, Ella Donaghu (Stanford) 20:17.9; 11, Jessica Lawson (Stanford) 20:24.6; 27, Fiona O'Keeffe (Stanford) 20:36.8; 53, Abi Archer (Stanford) 20:58.7; 63, Julia Heymach (Stanford) 21:01.9; 95, Jordan Oakes (Stanford) 21:13.6; 195, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 22:01.4.
Jessica Lawson. Photo by Chuck Aragon.