Stanford runs after Pac-10 cross-country titles Stanford runs after Pac-10 cross-country titles (October 28, 2005)

by Rick Eymer

The Stanford men's and women's cross-country teams have dominated Pac-10 Championships for more than a decade, and both are favored to repeat as champions when the conference runners converge on the Dell Ulrich Golf Course on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.

The men's 8,000-meter race gets under way at 9:30 a.m. The women's 6,000- meter race follows an hour later. The races will mark the conference meet debut of Stanford head coach Peter Tegen.

The nationally No. 4-ranked men's team has won five straight Pac-10 titles, and have finished first or second in the past 10 conference meets.

The second-ranked women's team has won nine straight conference titles, and 12 of the past 13.

Redshirt junior Jonathan Pierce enters as one of the most experienced Cardinal runners for the men. He finished sixth at the Pre-NCAA meet, and was 16th in last year's Pac-10 championships.

Junior Jacob Gomez, eighth at the Murray Keatinge Invitational earlier this season, is Stanford's top returning finisher at the Pac-10's with his fourth-placer finish. He did not run at the Pre-NCAA meet.

Senior David Vidal ran seventh at last year's conference meet. He finished second at the Murray Keatinge Invitational and was 22nd at the Pre-NCAA meet.

The Cardinal also has a wealth of other runners to call upon, including redshirt junior Brett Gotcher, sophomore Garrett Heath, redshirt sophomore Neftalem Araia, sophomore Hari Mix, sophomore Forrest Tahdooanippah, and redshirt sophomore Russell Brown.

Stanford will be challenged by No. 7 Arizona and No. 24 Washington. The Wildcats return Pac-10 champion Robert Cheseret.

The Cardinal women also feature a strong group of distance runners, which includes redshirt sophomore Arianna Lambie, who has won three of the four meets in which she has run this season. Lambie, an All-American and Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, was held out last year.

Lambie finished third at the Pre-NCAA meet and should be among the top runners in Tucson. She was third at the 2003 Pac-10 meet.

Redshirt sophomore Teresa McWalters has also had a solid season, finishing second and fourth in her two previous meets. She was 11th at last year's conference meet.

Junior Amanda Trotter and Katy Trotter, redshirt sophomore Julie Allen, redshirt freshman Lindsay Flacks, redshirt freshman Katie Harrington, sophomore Lauren Centrowitz, and sophomore Lindsay Allen are all quality runners who help give Stanford a deep, talented group.

Julie Allen, both Trotters, Harrington and Flacks have also finished among the top seven runners at some point during the season. Both Allens, both Trotters, McWalters and Centrowitz raced in last year's Pac-10 meet.

Fifth-ranked Arizona State, No. 22 Oregon and No. 26 Washington figure to challenge the Stanford women. The Sun Devils return defending conference champion Amy Hastings.

Stanford hosts the NCAA West Regional Championships on Nov. 12, while the NCAA Championships will be on Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind.

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