Guide to West Region XC

Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
Release: 11/11/2014

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STANFORD, Calif. – The NCAA West Regional cross country meet at Stanford Golf Course on Friday presents some choices for the top teams, and an incentive for others on the NCAA bubble. In all, 38 schools will race in the 13th NCAA regional held at Stanford. The top two teams in each of the men’s and women’s races, as well as the top four individuals not on those teams (as long as they place in the top 25) will earn passage to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.

This meet is among nine regionals across the country that will automatically qualify 18 teams and 36 individuals for each gender. In addition, 13 teams and two individuals will be selected at-large by an NCAA subcommittee on Saturday.

This creates some intrigue for regional coaches. Because the regional and national meets are only eight days apart and the men’s race distance is now increased from 8-kilometers (4.97 miles) to 10K (6.2 miles), there may be some strategy involved in who should run and not run, to best prepare for Nov. 22. Of course, those choices must not jeopardize those teams’ chances to advance.

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Here are some details and links concerning Friday’s meet:

What: NCAA West Regionals
Where: Stanford Golf Course
Women’s start: 11 a.m.
Women’s distance: 6K (3.73 miles)
Men’s start: Noon
Men’s distance: 10K (6.2 miles)
Automatic team qualifying for NCAA’s: Top two
Automatic individual qualifying: Top four not on those teams, finishing in top 25.

Follow the meet:
Meet Central: Click here
Live results, live splits, and entries: Click here
Box Assignments: Click here
Entries: Click here
Twitter: @StanfordXCTF

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Stanford Men’s Overview: Stanford is the three-time defending West Region champ, but the regional success hasn’t carried over into nationals. This year, the Cardinal will seek to correct that by peaking in Terra Haute, Ind., on Nov. 22. Stanford coach Chris Miltenberg will hold out Sean McGorty, who made his debut at the Pac-12 Championships on Oct. 31, until nationals. Without McGorty and Jim Rosa, the All-America who is redshirting this season, Stanford will be hard-pressed to win a fourth consecutive crown. The Cardinal, which finished just three points behind Oregon for second at Pac-12s, is ranked No. 3 in the USTFCCCA Regional poll, behind the Ducks and West Coast Conference champion Portland. But even if Stanford does not break into the top two for an automatic berth, the Cardinal seems assured of an at-large berth barring catastrophe.

Stanford Women’s Overview: This will be the third meeting of the season between Pac-12 champion Shelby Houlihan of Arizona State and runner-up Elise Cranny of Stanford, with the Cardinal freshman seeking her first victory over the senior. Stanford finished second only to Oregon at the Pac-12 Championships and trail only the Ducks in the USTFCCCA Regional rankings. The Pac-12’s third-place team, Colorado, is in the Mountain Region, so the path to a top-two finish would appear to be more direct, though Washington should put up a fight. Stanford will run its top seven, including emerging sophomore Emma Fisher and senior Molly McNamara, who are having their best seasons. Stanford also is seeking its first West Region title since 2007, which capped a run of nine consecutive victories.

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Stanford Men’s Entries:

Michael Atchoo, 5th sr. (Troy, Mich.; Troy HS)
• 14th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 4
• School indoor mile record-holder (3:57.14)
• Anchored distance medley relay team to 2014 NCAA indoor title.
• 2014 NCAA outdoor finalist in the 1,500m (eighth).
• Five-time track All-America, all first team (four indoor, one outdoor)
• Graduate student in mechanical engineering (3.37 cumulative GPA).

Jack Keelan, So. (La Grange Park, Ill.; St. Ignatius Prep)
• 27th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 7
• Second in a 1-2-3 Stanford sweep of the 2014 U.S. junior national XC championship.
• Fourth at the 2014 NACAC junior XC championship in Tobago, helping U.S. to victory.
• Ran track PB of 13:55.59 for the 5,000m at the 2014 Payton Jordan Invite.

Maksim Korolev, 5th sr. (Harrisonville, Mo.; Harrisonville HS; Harvard Univ.)
• Ninth at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 2
• Graduate transfer from Harvard, in first year at Stanford.
• Third at 2013 NCAA XC championships, the highest finish ever for a Harvard runner.
• 2013 Ivy League and NCAA Northeast Regional champ.
• 2014 Wisconsin Invitational champion on Oct. 17 for Stanford.
• Three-time All-America (one indoor T&F, one outdoor T&F, one XC).
• Graduated from Harvard with degree in human development and regenerative biology.
• Stanford graduate student in management science and engineering.
• Personal bests are 13:42.56 for 5,000 and 29:13.80 for 10,000.

Cameron Miller, Jr. (Bakersfield, Calif.; Stockdale HS)
• 46th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 8
• Did not run cross country his first two years because of injury.
• Emerged as Stanford’s No. 4 at Wisconsin Invite.
• History major carries a 3.76 GPA.

Joe Rosa, Sr. (West Windsor, N.J.; West Windsor-Plainsboro North HS)
• Finished third at Pac-12 Championships (23:37)
• Two-time first-team T&F All-America in the 5,000m.
• Placed fifth at 2014 NCAA indoors and seventh outdoors.
• Twin brother of Jim Rosa, last year’s NCAA XC fifth-place finisher.
• Has personal bests of 13:31.69 (5,000) and 29:16.71 (10,000).
• Reigning Pac-12 10,000m track champion.
• Two-time HS Nike Cross Nationals champ.
• Stanford’s No. 1 runner most of 2012 XC season.
• Redshirted 2013 cross-county season with injury.
• Majoring in management science and engineering.

Garrett Sweatt, Jr. (Edwardsville, Ill.; Edwardsville HS)
• 21st at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 5
• Stanford’s No. 1, and eighth overall, at Washington Invite Oct. 4.
• Personal bests of 3:48.09 (1,500m) and 14:08.43 (5,000).
• Majoring in biology, with a 3.25 GPA.

Sam Wharton, So. (Tipp City, Ohio; Tippecanoe HS)
• 26th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 6
• In first season of collegiate competition.
• Third at 2014 NACAC junior championships in Tobago, helping U.S. to team title.
• Won 2012 Nike Cross Nationals and was sixth at FootLocker nationals.
• Has personal best of 14:11.53 for 5,000m.

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Stanford Women’s Entries:

Sophie Chase, So. (Burke, Va.; Lake Braddock HS)
• 22nd at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 4
• In first collegiate season after redshirting as a true freshman last year.
• Stanford’s No. 2 at Wisconsin Invite and No. 3 at Washington.
• Has track bests of 4:26.74 (1,500m) and 2:10.81 (800).

Elise Cranny, Fr. (Longmont, Colo.; Niwot HS)
• Second at Pac-12 Championships
• Named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
• Won Washington Invite on Oct. 4 in collegiate debut (20:11).
• Seventh at the Wisconsin Invite on Oct. 17.
• Fourth in 1,500m at the IAAF World Junior T&F Champs on July 28 in Eugene.
• Ran 1,500 best of 4:10.95 at the 2014 Payton Jordan Invite.
• Only three college runners were faster in 2014; two were NCAA champions.
• Won 2014 U.S. junior cross country title.
• Converting all 1,500’s and 1,600’s to miles, her 4:31.03c is No. 3 HS all-time.

Emma Fisher, So. (Elmhurt, Ill.; York Community HS)
• 13th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 2
• In first season after redshirting as a true freshman last year.
• Track bests are 9:37.31 (3,000m) and 17:02.99 (5,000).

Vanessa Fraser, So. (Scotts Valley, Calif.; Scotts Valley HS)
• 27th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 6
• In first season after redshirting as a true freshman last year.
• Has a track best of 16:22.64 for 5,000m.

Molly McNamara, Sr. (Little River, N.J.; Red Bank Catholic HS)
• 14th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 3
• Majoring in human biology and carries a 3.22 GPA.
• Founded Cardinal RHED (Resilience, Health, and Emotional Development), a student-led group that initiates programs and finds resources for Stanford student-athletes in regards to mental health.
• Has track bests of 4:24.96 (1,500m) and 2:09.21 (800).

Abbie McNulty, Fr. (Cumberland, R.I.; Bishop Feehan HS)
• 42nd at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 7
• Has a track best of 10:22.03 for 3,200 meters.

Rebecca Mehra, Jr. (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.; Palos Verdes HS)
• 25th at Pac-12 Championships, Stanford’s No. 5
• Second-team 2014 outdoor track All-America in the 1,500m.
• Ran 4:17.82 for 1,500 in breakthrough 2014 season.
• Coached in HS by Olympian and Stanford grad Jeff Atkinson.
• Majoring in international relations and carries a 3.41 GPA.

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Head Coach:

Chris Miltenberg (Georgetown ’03)
Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field
• Third season as men’s and women’s head coach for track and cross country
• Coached Georgetown women to the 2011 NCAA cross country title.
• Named 2013 USTFCCCA West Region Cross Country Coach of the Year.
• Coached Stanford men to NCAA West Region titles in his first two seasons.
• Also coached Kathy Kroeger (2012) and Aisling Cuffe (2013) to individual Pac-12 titles.
• Coached seven different runners, in five events, into 2014 NCAA outdoor track finals.
• The USTFCCCA rated Stanford’s combined track and cross country programs second among women and seventh among men.
• One of his Stanford XC runners in 2012, Miles Unterreiner, was selected as a Rhodes Scholar.
• Coached the Cardinal men to the NCAA indoor distance medley relay title.
• Was a two-time All-America distance runner at Georgetown.

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Stanford Team Honors:

Men
NCAA Men’s Titles: 4 (1996, 1997, 2002, 2003).
NCAA West Regional Titles: 14 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013).
Individual Regional Titles: 7, Jonathon Riley (2000), Donald Sage (2001-02), Ian Dobson (2003), Ryan Hall (2004), Neftalem Araia (2006), Chris Derrick (2009).

Women
NCAA Titles: 4 (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007).
NCAA West Regional Titles: 14 (1982, 1984, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007).
Individual Regional Titles: 9, Ceci Hopp (1982), Louise Watson (1992), Julia Stamps (1999), Alicia Craig (2002-04), Arianna Lambie (2005-06), Teresa McWalters (2007).
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USTFCCCA Men’s Rankings:

National: 2, Oregon; 8, Portland; 9, Stanford; 11, Washington; 17, UCLA.

West Region: 1, Oregon; 2, Portland; 3, Stanford; 4, Washington; 5, UCLA; 6, Boise State; 7, Arizona State; 8, Gonzaga; 9, UC Santa Barbara; 10, California; 11, Arizona; 12, Washington State; 13, Cal Poly; 14, San Francisco; 15, Santa Clara.

USTFCCCA Women’s Rankings:

National: 3, Oregon; 10, Stanford; 15, Washington; 24, Arizona State; 25, Boise State; 27, UCLA.

West Region: 1, Oregon; 2, Stanford; 3, Washington; 4, Arizona State; 5, Boise State; 6, UCLA; 7, UC Davis; 8, Portland; 9, Loyola Marymount; 10, Cal Poly; 11, UC Santa Barbara; 12, California; 13, Arizona; 14, San Francisco; 15, UC Riverside.

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Conference championships involving West Regional Schools (West teams in bold):

Men (8K)

Pac-12 (Oakland, Calif.)

Team: 1, Colorado 30; 2, Oregon 57; 3, Stanford 60; 4, Washington 87; 5, UCLA 168; 6, Arizona State 182; 7, California 189; 8, Arizona 206; 9, Washington State 224.

Individual leaders: 1, Edward Cheserek (Oregon) 23:23; 2, Eric Jenkins (Oregon) 23:34; 3, Joe Rosa (Stanford) 23:37; 4, Blake Theroux (Colorado) 23:42; 5, Connor Winter (Colorado) 23:44; 6, Ammar Moussa (Colorado) 23:49; 7, Pierce Murphy (Colorado) 23:53; 8, Ben Saarel (Colorado) 23:54; 9, Maksim Korolev (Stanford) 23:56; 10, Chris Walden (California) 23:57.


Big Sky (Grand Forks, N.D.)

Team: 1, Northern Arizona 24; 2, Southern Utah 66; 3, Weber State 67; 4, Idaho 143; 5, Montana State 147; 6, Eastern Washington 151; 7, Montana 204; 8, North Dakota 204; 9, Idaho State 244; 10, Portland State 278; 11, Sacramento State 282; 12, Northern Colorado 351.

Individual leaders: 1, Futsum Zienasellassie (NAU) 24:07.8; 2, Matt McElroy (NAU) 24:08.3; 3, Caleb Hoover (NAU) 24:12.6; 4, Nate Jewkes (S. Utah) 24:13.5; 5, Mike Hardy (Weber State) 24:16.2. Top West Regional runner: 13, Vince Hamilton (E. Washington) 24:40.2.


Big West (Riverside, Calif.)

Team: 1, UC Santa Barbara 21; 2, Cal Poly 49; 3, UC Riverside 95; 4, Long Beach State 114; 5, Cal State Fullerton 129; 6, UC Davis 144; 7, UC Irvine 197; 8, Cal State Northridge 218.

Individual leaders: 1, Bryan Guijarro (UCSB) 23:47.4; 2, Anthony Ortolan (UCSB) 23:48.1; 3, Seth Totten (UC Riverside) 23:04.7; 4, Bryce Rausa (UCSB) 24:08.8; 5, Shyan Vaziri (UCSB) 24:12.7.


Mountain West (Fresno, Calif.)

Team: 1, New Mexico 26; 2, Air Force 73; 3, Colorado State 76; 4, Boise State 79; 5, Utah State 152; 6, Wyoming 160; 7, Fresno State 181; 8, San Jose State 197.

Individual leaders: 1, David Elliott (Boise State) 23:38.7; 2, Patrick Corona (Air Force) 23:41.5; 3, Jake Shelley (New Mexico) 23:43.10; 4, Alex Cornwell (New Mexico) 23:44.0; 5, Ross Matheson (New Mexico) 23:47.9.


West Coast (Sunnyvale, Calif.)

Team: 1, Portland 28; 2, BYU 31; 3, Gonzaga 109; 4, San Francisco 124; 5, Santa Clara 134; 6, Loyola Marymount 150; 7, Saint Mary’s 165; 8, San Diego 150; 9, Pepperdine 280.

Individual leaders: 1, David Perry (Portland) 23:25.4; 2, Scott Fauble (Portland) 23:26.1; 3, Jonathan Nelson (BYU) 23:57.6; 4, Reid Buchanan (Portland) 23:28.9; 5, Conner Peloquin (BYU) 23:31.0.


Western Athletic (McAllen, Texas)

Team: 1, Utah Valley 37; 2, New Mexico State 73; 3, Missouri-Kansas City 81; 4, Seattle 84; 5, Grand Canyon 111; 6, Texas-Pan American 160; 7, Chicago State 197.

Individual leaders: 1, Daniel Rubio (New Mexico St.) 24:56; 2, Kolton Sheldon (UMKC) 25:04; 3, Taylor Wardall (UMKC) 25:07; 4, Trac Norris (Utah Valley) 25:16; 5, Gus Arroyo (Seattle) 25:22.

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Women (6K)

Pac-12 (Oakland, Calif.)

Team: 1, Oregon 54; 2, Stanford 74; 3, Colorado 82; 4, Washington 93; 5, UCLA 143; 6, Arizona State 158; 7, California 185; 8, Arizona 200; 9, Utah 241; 10, Washington State 246; 11, USC 336; 12, Oregon State 342.

Individual leaders: 1, Shelby Houlihan (Arizona State) 19:59; 2, Elise Cranny (Stanford) 20:04; 3, Bethan Knights (California) 20:17; 4, Erin Clark (Colorado) 20:19; 5, Maddie Meyers (Washington) 20:21; 6, Frida Berge (Oregon) 20:25; 7, Maddie Alm (Colorado) 20:28; 8, Kelsey Smith (UCLA) 20:29; 9, Abby Regan (Washington State) 20:30; 10, Waverly Neer (Oregon) 20:32.


Big Sky (Grand Forks, N.D.)

Team: 1, Northern Arizona 61; 2, Weber State 80; 3, Montana State 122; 4, Eastern Washington 136; 5, Idaho State 158; 6, Portland State 172; 7, Southern Utah 192; 8, Montana 202; 9, Sacramento State 204; 10, Northern Colorado 219; 11, Idaho 220; 12, North Dakota 243.

Individual leaders (5K): 1, Sarah Reiter (E. Washington) 17:05.2; 2, Ashley Hawks (S. Utah) 17:09.4; 3, Chloe Berlioux (Sacramento St.) 17:18.8; 4, Melanie Townsend (NAU) 17:20.2; 5, Kayla Freeman (NAU) 17:22.8.


Big West (Riverside, Calif.)

Team: 1, UC Davis 36; 2, Cal Poly 66; 3, UC Santa Barbara 86; 4, UC Riverside 95; 5, Cal State Fullerton 149; 6, Cal State Northridge 150; 7, Long Beach State 177; 8, UC Irvine 194; 9, Hawaii 258.

Individual leaders: 1, Raquel Hefflin (UC Riverside) 20:12.6; 2, Christine Hoffmann (UC Davis) 20:22.7; 3, Elizabeth Nelson (CSUN) 20:27.2; 4, Daniella Moreno (UCSB) 20:45.7; 5, Faith Makau (UC Riverside) 20:48.8.


Mountain West (Fresno, Calif.)

Team: 1, New Mexico 33; 2, Boise State 58; 3, Wyoming 79; 4, Colorado State 103; 5, Air Force 141; 6, Nevada 163; 7, Utah State 180; 8, Fresno State 225; 9, UNLV 245; 10, San Diego State 276; 11, San Jose State 295.

Individual leaders: 1, Emma Bates (Boise State) 19:37.3; 2, Marisa Howard (Boise State) 19:53.4; 3, Holly Page (Wyoming) 20:18.6; 4, Alice Wright (New Mexico) 20:21.2; 5, Calli Thackery (New Mexico) 20:26.7.


West Coast (Sunnyvale, Calif.)

Team: 1, BYU 36; 2, Portland 57; 3, Loyola Marymount 65; 4, San Francisco 93; 5, Gonzaga 114; 6, San Diego 191; 7, Santa Clara 225; 8, Pacific 236; 9, Pepperdine 237; 10, Saint Mary’s 256.

Individual leaders: 1, Tansey Lystad (Portland) 19:39.1; 2, Carrie Jube (BYU) 19:48.7; 3, Danielle Shanahan (LMU) 19:50.7; 4, Andrea Harrison (BYU) 19:55.2; 5, Grace Graham-Zamudio (LMU) 20:03.2.


Western Athletic (McAllen, Texas)

Team: 1, Seattle 43; 2, Utah Valley 45; 3, Missouri-Kansas City 62; 4, New Mexico State 83; 5, Grand Canyon 132; 6, Texas-Pan American 168; 7, Cal State Bakersfield 192; 8, Chicago State 251.

Individual leaders (5K): 1, Courtney Frerichs (UMKC) 16:52; 2, Sophie Curatilo (Seattle) 17:48; 3, Darian Sharp (Utah Valley) 17:54; 4, Diana Hawk (New Mexico St.) 17:55; 5, Lila Rice (Seattle) 17:59.







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