Grant Fisher used a late kick to win his second consecutive Pac-12 men’s cross country championship and lead the Cardinal to back to back teams crowns, on Friday at Stanford Golf Course.
Stanford placed three runners in the top four on the way to a convincing victory, scoring 44 points to 62 for runner-up Washington and 82 for third-place Oregon.
Led by Elise Cranny’s third place, the Stanford women placed third with 81 points, trailing Oregon (32) and Colorado (48).
Fisher covered the 8-kilometer (4.97-mile) course in 23:09.8, surging past Washington’s Talon Hull over the final 150 meters to become Stanford’s first back-to-back men’s individual champion since Grant Robison won the Pac-10 crowns in 2009-10.
Stanford’s Alex Ostberg was third and Alek Parsons, who made a bid for win before Hull overtook him down the stretch was fourth. Ostberg and Parsons were each timed in 23:10.8. The top 12 finished within 7.9 seconds of each other.
“The talent in this conference is off the charts,” Fisher said. “I waited, because there are too many guys in this race who are super strong. I knew on that last 2K everyone would start to go. I tried to be in a good spot and be aware of everybody heading into the finish.”
Last year, Fisher won in Springfield, Oregon, by kicking past Colorado’s Joe Klecker. This time, the pack remained large until five runners still had a shot going into the stretch. Parsons, Hull, and Ostberg had been the front of the pack the whole race, with Fisher close behind.
But even halfway down the long slightly uphill stretch to the finish, no one made a big move. Parsons finally made a push only for Hull to Fisher to respond and pull away. Hull had a slight lead, but Fisher outsprinted the sophomore to the finish.
“I was saving a little bit,” Fisher said. “We have a long straightaway to the finish and Coach (Chris) Miltenberg was telling me to gradually build up. I was confident on that last straight. If anyone came up to me, I had that last gear. It was a great result. I’m super excited for our team that we won.”
Fisher, Ostberg, Parsons, Callum Bolger (13th) and Tai Dinger (23rd) were among the Cardinal’s top seven in both championship years. Parsons, a redshirt sophomore, was 21st last year, but has come into his own this season.
“It’s great to see Grant win for the second year in a row,” said Miltenberg, Stanford’s Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. “I guarantee you he is more psyched about the team title than the individual title.
“We have a great team, because we have a group of guys who all think that way. It starts with Grant having that mindset from the top. This is huge for him, but more importantly, huge for our whole team. If you can compete in the Pac-12, you can compete with anybody in the country.”
This was the first time Stanford won back-to-back team titles since 2009-10. It’s the fourth time the Cardinal men have won consecutive titles. They also did it from 1996-98, 2000-05.
“There aren’t many opportunities like this for the team to come together and try and win something like a conference title, so we seize the moment every time we have an opportunity and make the most of it,” Ostberg said. “I’m just thankful to be in this position, to be able to race and to be there with my teammates.”
Stanford ran with a pack mentality, with five among the front 18 for much of the last half of the race.
“Cross-country races are by nature, unpredictable, so you really have to go out and prepare for anything,” Ostberg said. “There were a lot of people there towards the end, but when we came down to it, we were strong and that’s what it takes to win these championships. You have to be strong, you have to have really good emotional control, and stay calm and cool.”
Cranny covered the 6K (3.73-mile) course in 19:29.6, with Colorado’s Dani Jones winning her second consecutive title in 19:24.5, followed by Oregon’s Jessica Hull. Fiona O’Keeffe, who led for much of the race, was fifth in 19:43.2.
At 2K, O’Keeffe gapped the field for a stretch, but the pack soon regained contact and six runners comprised the lead group. It broke apart as Jones surged forward with Jessica Hull in tow. For Cranny, it was her highest conference placing since she was second in 2014. For O’Keeffe, it was her best Pac-12 finish. Behind them, came a trio of sophomores — Jordan Oakes (20th), Julia Heymach (26th), and Jessica Lawson (27th), and freshman Rebecca Story (30th).
Stanford, ranked No. 4 in the country for the men and No. 6 for the women, next race at the NCAA West Regional in Sacramento on Nov. 9. The NCAA Championships are Nov. 17 in Madison, Wisconsin.
By David Kiefer
By David Kiefer
By David Kiefer