STANFORD, Calif. -- The Stanford cross country teams rose to the occasion in 2021, sweeping the men's and women's titles at the NCAA West Regional and finishing among the top six teams at the NCAA Championships – making Stanford the only program in the country with two teams in the top six.
Charles Hicks captured the Pac-12 individual men's title, and followed with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and a victory in the under-23 race at the European Championships. The Stanford men placed fifth. Stanford's top four men were freshmen in eligibility.
Julia Heymach, despite not racing until the postseason, won the NCAA West Region title and was 13th at the NCAA Championships to lead the Cardinal women to sixth as a team.
Among major major honors: J.J. Clark, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, was named West Region Coach of the Year for both men and women by the USTFCCCA. Christina Aragon was named Pac-12 Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year. And, Hicks and Ky Robinson earned All-America honors for the men and Heymach did so for the women.
Julia Heymach, Audrey Suarez, Grace Connolly, Lily Flynn, Zofia Dudek. Photo by Spencer Allen/ISIphotos.com.
* * *
Achievements and honors:
Combined team
- Swept team titles at the NCAA West Regionals for its first time since 2016.
- Only program in the country with top-6 NCAA men's and women's team finishes.
- Six consecutive top-6 men's and women's NCAA finishes.
- 28th consecutive year qualifying men's and women's teams to NCAA's.
- Ninth time that Stanford has swept the team titles at the NCAA West Regionals.
* * *
Charles Hicks wins Pac-12 title. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
Men
- Nine consecutive seasons with an All-American.
- Eighth consecutive top-6 NCAA finish.
- NCAA fifth-place finish.
- 30th NCAA team appearance all-time.
- 28th consecutive NCAA team appearance.
- 27th consecutive Pac-12 top-three finish.
- 20th NCAA top-five team finish.
- 67 consecutive victories over Cal in championship meets when both have full teams.
- 34 consecutive victories over Cal at conference championships.
- Two All-Americans.
- 16th NCAA West Regional title.
- USTFCCCA Team Academic Award.
Honors
J.J. Clark
- USTFCCCA West Region Men's Coach of the Year.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Callum Bolger
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Evan Burke
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Liam Conway
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Devin Hart
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Charles Hicks
- Pac-12 champion.
- European under-23 champion.
- All-American.
- USTFCCCA West Region Men's Athlete of the Year.
- Pac-12 Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
- Fourth at NCAA Championships.
- Highest NCAA men's for a Stanford runner since 2018.
- All-West Region.
- All-Pac-12 first team.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
DJ Principe
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Ky Robinson
- All-American.
- All-West Region.
- All-Pac-12 first team.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Joshua Schumacher
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- All-West Region.
- All-Pac-12 second team.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
* * *
Julia Heymach wins NCAA West Region title. Photo by Spencer Allen/ISIphotos.com.
Women
- Eleven consecutive seasons with an All-American.
- Sixth consecutive top-6 team finish.
- Sixth at NCAA Championships.
- 34th NCAA team appearance all-time.
- 29th consecutive NCAA team appearance, the longest streak in the country.
- 29th consecutive top-16 NCAA team finishes.
- 17th NCAA West Region title
- Third NCAA West Region championship in five seasons.
- 57 consecutive victories over Cal in championship meets when both have full teams.
- 31 consecutive victories over Cal at conference championships.
- USTFCCCA Team Academic Award.
Honors
J.J. Clark
- USTFCCCA West Region Women's Coach of the Year.
Christina Aragon
- Pac-12 Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- All-West Region.
- All-Pac-12 second team.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Kristin Fahy
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Lily Flynn
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Julia Heymach
- All-American.
- NCAA West Region champion.
- USTFCCCA West Region Women's Athlete of the Year.
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Jessica Lawson
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Audrey Roberts
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
Rebecca Story
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- All-West Region.
- USTFCCCA All-Academic.