STANFORD PLACES TWO IN TOP-FIVE AT NCAA’S
Cuffe fourth, Rosa fifth at national XC championships
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Aisling Cuffe was fourth in the women's race and Jim Rosa was fifth in the men's, making Stanford the only school to earn top-five individual finishes in both the men's and women's races at the NCAA cross country championships Saturday.
Cuffe had the highest finish for a Stanford woman since 2006 and Rosa had the highest non-Chris Derrick finish for a Cardinal man since the same year. Rosa, Cuffe and Jessica Tonn, who was 16th in the women's race, earned All-America honors.
The Stanford women placed 11th with 322 points, and the men were 19th with 417. Top-ranked Providence won the women's title with 142 and Pac-12 champion Colorado won the men's title, with 149.
Cuffe clocked 20:09.03 over the 6-kilometer (3.73-mile) course and was closing in on second and third. Cuffe was nine seconds behind winner Abbey D'Agostino of Dartmouth (20:00.3). Tonn finished in 20:28.7.
Cuffe, as is her custom, moved up throughout the race. Cuffe was 25th after 2K, and 11th at 4K. Tonn, working well with her teammate, earned her first cross country All-America honor. Cuffe became the 10th different Stanford woman to finish among the top five and was the highest Cardinal finisher since Ariana Lambie was fourth in 2006.
The runners braved frigid and sometimes sloppy conditions at the LaVern Gibson course. The temperature at the start of the men's race was 29 degrees and was accompanied by winds of 20 mph and gusts of 30 mph.
Rosa was the top American-born runner in the men's field, moving up the entire race and finishing the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) course in 30:08.9. He became the 11th different Stanford men's runner to finish among the top five, and the first since Chris Derrick was second in 2011.
Oregon's Edward Cheserek, the Pac-12 champion, fell behind and then rallied past defending champion Kennedy Kithuka of Texas Tech at about 8K. Cheserek won in 29:41.1, with Kithuka second in 29:59.1. Rosa was fewer than 10 seconds behind Kithuka, the overwhelming favorite.
Rosa was 37th at 3K, 15th at 5K, and seventh at 8K, and crossed the finish line pumping his fists.
The following are the winners and Stanford results:
MEN
Team: 1, Colorado 149; 19, Stanford 417.
Indivdual winner: Edward Cheserek (Oregon) 29:41.1. Stanford: 5, Jim Rosa 30:08.9; 84, Erik Olson 31:13.1; 100, Michael Atchoo 31:19.7; 161, Sean McGorty 31:53.8; 163, Tyler Stutzman 31:54.1; 196, Garrett Sweatt 32:14.5; 247, Marco Bertolotti 33:29.8.
WOMEN
Team: 1, Providence 142. 11, Stanford 322.
Individual winner: Abbey D'Agostino (Dartmouth) 20:00.3. Stanford: 4, Aisling Cuffe 20:09.03; 16, Jessica Tonn 20:28.7; 95, Cami Chapus 21:16.8; 143, Megan Lacy 21:36.5; 160, Rebecca Mehra 21:42.2; 196, Claudia Saunders 21:59.9; 214, Molly McNamara 22:14.2.
For more information, contact:
David Kiefer
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Stanford University
dkiefer@stanford.edu
(650) 759-0258, cell
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