Last Year:

5th Pac-12

2nd West Regional

11th NCAA 

 

Probable Top Five:

SR Aisling Cuffe (4:18 1500m; 9:04 3k; 15:11 5k; 4th NCAA XC '13)

FR Elise Cranny (4:10 1500m; 10:17 3200m; 3x NXN, 2nd, 7th, 29th)

FR Claire Howlett (4:48 1600m; 10:20 3200m; 16:28 5k)

JR Cami Chapus (4:23 1500m; 16:34 5k; 95th NCAA XC '13)

FR Abbie McNulty (4:55 Mile; 10:22 3200m; 17:08 5k; 25th NXN '13)

 

Impact Freshman/Recruits:

Elise Cranny - Niwot, CO (4:10 1500m; 10:17 3200m; 3x NXN, 2nd, 7th, 29th)

Claire Howlett - Westhill, CT (4:48 1600m; 10:20 3200m; 16:28 5k)

Abbie McNulty - Bishop Feehan, MA (4:55 Mile; 10:22 3200m; 17:08 5k; 25th NXN '13)

Maddy Berkson - Classical, RI (2:06 800m; 4:26 1500m; 9:44 3k)

Clare Flanagan - Blake School, MN (4:48 1600m; 10:20 2 Mile; 56th NXN '12; 2x MN State XC Champ)

Anna Laman - Australia (2:05 800m; 4:13 1500m; 9:50 3k; 12th World Juniors 1500m)

Tess Michaelson - Lincoln, OR (2:11 800m; 4:41 1500m)

Karina Shepard - Dracut, MA (2:07 800m; 4:55 Mile)

Megan Wilson - Sidwell Friends, DC (4:56 Mile)

Julia Maxwell - Branson, CA (4:55 Mile; 10:24 3200m; 1st CIF XC '12-13; 20th Footlocker '12)

 

Analysis:
Do you wonder how Coach Chris Miltenburg sleeps at night? Does his conscience bother him that he has 10, yes 10, new recruits coming onto the team that was 11th last year? Talk about an embarrassment of riches. Miltenburg’s incoming class reads like a "who’s who" of top female distance runners in the country. Throw in a top Australian, and the future looks bright for the Stanford ladies.

First of all, Coach Miltenburg brings back Aisling Cuffe, certainly one of the favorites to win the whole thing based on her 4th last season, and she had an outstanding track season running an outstanding 15:11 for 5k. Cuffe’s senior leadership will be a big help bringing the young “dream team” around at the right time. She’ll get some help in that area from junior Cami Chapus, who was a solid mid pack performer for the Cardinal last year and ran 4:23 for 1500 on the track.

But it is the new comers that get your attention.

Elise Cranny was 4th in the World Junior 1500 and recorded one of the fastest 1500s for girls in U.S. history with a 4:10 last spring.  Where did she do it? Stanford. So we should have seen this signing coming. The Niwot, Colorado native also was second at the Nike Nationals, so she can get it done on the grass too. Australian Anna Laman may push East Coast recruits Abbie McNulty and Claire Howlett for starting five spots. Laman has a 4:13 1500m to her credit and her 2:05 800m gives an idea of what she can do in a sprint finish.

Howlett, McNulty, and Minnesota cross champion Clare Flanagan, all have run similar 10:20ish times for 3200 meters, and that gives them a shot at running in the big races for Stanford. And how can Julia Maxwell be forgotten? The California state cross champion is no slouch and she has great blood lines as well. Her late father, Brian Maxwell, ran a 2:14 marathon and along with Julia’s mother, started PowerBar Company from their basement. She is a great talent and will be hard to keep off the travelling squad.

Miltenburg really has something going at Stanford. The ex-Georgetown athlete and assistant coach can probably sleep okay after all. Bringing back Cuffe and reloading with instant freshman talent, the Cardinal women look poised to send some wakeup calls of their own to their NCAA  competitors.

#7 Indiana Men
#8 North Carolina Women