SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For a record 13th time, the Stanford women’s cross country team established itself as the best in the region, taking home the NCAA DI West Region crown on Friday morning.
With the regional title, the Stanford women’s program earned its 33rd consecutive trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships which will take place next Saturday, November 22 in Columbia, Mo.
The Stanford men, who finished sixth overall, will have to wait until Saturday afternoon to see its fate for a possible 32nd-straight appearance in the NCAA Championships.
Amy Bunnage and Sophia Kennedy led the way for Stanford, pacing the top five placements through the entire 6-kilometer race. Bunnage, who made her season debut on Friday, led the pack through the first two checkpoints before slotting third for a majority of the race. Bunnage ultimately placed fourth to secure important points for the Cardinal with a time of 19:19.4.
Nearly in lock step with Bunnage, Kennedy earned her third top-10 finish and first top-five placement of the season with a personal-best 19:23.9 that cleared her previous time by nearly 12 seconds. Tailing the top group, Kennedy kept stride the entire race to claim fifth place overall while both her and Bunnage earned two of Stanford’s four All-Region honors on the women’s side.
Mena Scatchard rounded out the top three scoring Cardinal harriers in the morning slate, earning a career-best time of 19:50.3 which placed her 10th overall. Scatchard improved her position throughout the race to claim her first top-10 finish of the season and an All-Region honor.
Earning Stanford’s final All-Region honor on the women’s side was Riley Stewart with the senior recording a time of 20:13.5 which slotted her 18th overall. Stewart increased two spots in total during the race to help Stanford’s title hopes. Looking to secure the win, Julia Flynn served as the final scoring harrier for Stanford, claiming 29th overall with a time of 20:25.6 to round out the scoring for the Cardinal as Stanford finished with 66 points.
On the men’s side, Stanford’s Leo Young ran himself into a possible berth in the NCAA Championships with a third place overall finish. Young, who claimed his fourth team win of the season, slashed through the field in the final 1000 meters, climbing five spots to finish third with a time of 29:25.3 and an All-Region honor.
Checking behind Young, James Dargan ran well for the Cardinal, earning an All-Region honor with a time of 29:35.4 and a 12th place finish overall. Dargan, who got as high as ninth overall, hung with Young in the pack and claimed Stanford’s final All-Region honor on the men’s side.
The Cardinal continued pressing toward the top of the leaderboard on the team score with its final scoring harriers, starting with Josh Bell. Bell, who emerged in the top 40 halfway through the 10-kilometer run, kept pace through the back half to claim 39th with a time of 30:17.1. Behind Bell, Byron Grevious placed inside the top 50 with a time of 30:24.6 with a move in that latter half of the race. Nolan Topper finished the scoring for Stanford just a sliver behind Grevious and the rest of the pack, placing 53rd overall with a time of 30:27.6.
NCAA XC DI West Regionals
At Haggin Oaks Golf Course (Sacramento, Calif.)
Women (6K, 3.73 miles)
Team leaders - 1, Stanford 66; 2, Oregon 75; 3, Boise State 114; 4, Washington State 120
Individuals - 1, Rosemary Longisa (Washington State) 19:08.3; 4, Amy Bunnage (Stanford) 19:19.4; 5, Sophia Kennedy (Stanford) 19:23.9; 10, Mena Scatchard (Stanford) 19:50.3; 18, Riley Stewart 20:13.5; 29, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 20:25.6; 46, Hanne Thomsen (Stanford) 20:46.8; 65, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 21:06.3
Men (10K, 6.2 miles)
Team leaders – 1, Oregon 55; 2, Cal Baptist 95; 3, Washington State 98; 6, Stanford 153
Individuals – 1, Solomon Kipchoge (Washington State) 28:54.4; 3, Leo Young 29:25.3; 12, James Dargan (Stanford); 39, Josh Bell (Stanford) 30:17.1; 49, Byron Grevious (Stanford) 30:24.6; 53, Nolan Topper (Stanford) 30:27.6; 71, Evan Noonan (Stanford) 30:50.3; 109, Toby Chippendale (Stanford) 31:35.6