FOR EIGHT OF the 10 kilometers at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, back-to-back men's individual titles seemed possible for Stanford.
A year after Charles Hicks gave the Cardinal its first NCAA individual cross-country title, Ky Robinson led a stacked field at Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Virginia. Robinson would finish third, and in doing so gave the Cardinal two consecutive top-three individual finishes for the second time in program history. Grant Robison (third in 2002) and Ryan Hall (second in 2003) were the first to do so.
The Cardinal placed eighth at NCAA's capping a season in which it peaked in the postseason. In late October, the Stanford men were ranked No. 25, and going in the NCAA Championships, the Cardinal was No. 10.
Stanford earned its 10th consecutive top-10 NCAA finish. Stanford was among four schools to place both their men's and women's in the top 12 of their respective races.
At the final championship meet in the long history of the Pac-12 Conference, Stanford captured the men's title, its 17th, thereby breaking a tie with Oregon for the most of any men's program. It also marked the 29th consecutive season that Stanford placed among the top three teams.
The victory was Stanford's second in a row and third in four seasons under J.J. Clark, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, and Ricardo Santos, who earned West Region Men's Coach of the Year honors.
Robinson became the fifth Stanford runner in the past seven seasons to win the Pac-12 men's individual title. The senior from Australia led three Cardinal into the top 10, with Cole Sprout in third and Robert DiDonato in ninth. DiDonato had been Stanford's No. 8 runner in two invitationals before the conference meet and his performance may have been the decider in Stanford's victory at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington.
Lex Young placed 12th to become the highest-finishing freshman and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, giving Stanford a second consecutive such award, following DiDonato last year.
Robinson went on to win the NCAA West Region crown at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in a 10K time of 28:55.6, setting a record for a regional in Sacramento. He became the first Stanford men's winner in nine years, since Maksim Korolev upset Oregon's Edward Cheserek at Stanford Golf Course in 2014. The team victory sent the Cardinal to the NCAA Championships for the 30th consecutive season.
Robinson completed the season with honors that included West Region Men's Athlete of the Year, Pac-12 Men's Athlete of the Year, and Pac-12 Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Stanford won its 18th West Region title and its fourth consecutive. Robinson (first), Sprout (fourth), and DiDonato (seventh) led the way.
At the NCAA Championships, DiDonato came through as Stanford's No. 2 runner, placing 49th – only nine spots from All-America recognition. Lex Young was the No. 3 Cardinal runner, placing 74th. He was the highest finishing American true freshman in the NCAA field.
Thus finished the 92nd season of Stanford men's cross country.
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Combined Men's and Women's Teams
- NCAA West Regional team sweep for third consecutive year and 12th overall.
- 30th consecutive season qualifying both men's and women's teams to the NCAA's.
- Among four programs with top-12 NCAA men's and women's team finishes.
- 22nd time that both the men's and women's teams placed among the top 12 in the same year
Men's Team
- Pac-12 champions
- West Region champions
- 8th at NCAA Championships
- All-Academic Team
- Fifth Pac-12 individual title in seven years
- 17th Pac-12 team title
- 30th consecutive NCAA Championships team appearance
- 10th consecutive NCAA top-10 team finish
- 18th West Region title
- Fourth consecutive regional team title
- 11 consecutive seasons with an All-American
- 29th consecutive conference top-three finish
- 71 consecutive victories over Cal in championship meets when both have full teams
- 36 consecutive victories over Cal at conference championships
Individuals
Ricardo Santos
- West Region Men's Coach of the Year (Dean Miller Award)
- Pac-12 Men's Coach of the Year
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
Evan Burke
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
- All-West Region
- All-Pac-12 Second Team
- USTFCCCA All-Academic
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
Ky Robinson
- All-American
- NCAA West Region champion
- West Region Men's Athlete of the Year (John Chaplin Award)
- All-West Region
- Pac-12 champion
- Pac-12 Men's Athlete of the Year
- Pac-12 Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- All-Pac-12 First Team
- USTFCCCA All-Academic
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
- All-West Region
- All-Pac-12 First Team
- USTFCCCA All-Academic
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
- Pac-12 Men's Freshman of the Year
- All-Pac-12 Second Team
- Highest-placing American true freshman at NCAA Championships