Men Third at Pre-Nats – Stanford Cardinal

VERONA, Wis. – Cole Sprout paced the No. 9 Stanford men to a third-place finish at the ultra-competitive Wisconsin Pre-Nationals cross-country meet on Saturday.

Stanford placed six among the top 53 and scored 142 points to finish behind only No. 3 Arkansas (89) and No. 4 Iowa State (128) in a race that featured 19 teams ranked among the USTFCCCA’s Top 30. Stanford beat four top-10 teams: No. 5 Notre Dame (seventh), No. 6 Northern Arizona (fifth), No. 8 New Mexico (fourth), and No. 10 Wisconsin (sixth).

No. 8 Stanford placed 11th with 374 points and was led by Sophia Kennedy in 13th place in a women’s race that was equally strong, with 19 ranked teams in the field.

In each race, Stanford’s top runner broke the school record on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course. Sprout placed ninth with a time of 23:04.0 over the 8-kilometer (4.97-mile) course, breaking the school mark of 23:09.9 by Ky Robinson in 2022.

Kennedy covered the 6K (3.73-mile) course in 19:41.7, breaking the Stanford record of 19:46 by Kathy Kroeger in 2012.

Sprout was followed by teammates Lex Young in 20th (23:11.6) and Thomas Boyden in 23rd (23:12.5). Stanford raced eight, with three freshmen. Paul Bergeron led the Card frosh by placing 48th. Among the five Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the field, Stanford was the top placer, with Sprout the top ACC individual finisher and Bergeron as the top ACC freshman.

Sprout improved 10 places over the final half of the race, with Lex Young improving eight spots over the final two kilometers. Bergeron was 78th after the first 2K, but improved 30 spots the rest of the way, and Leo Young moved up from 56th to 43rd over the final 4K.

For the women, Imogen Gardiner finished as Stanford’s No. 4 runner, for her highest finish among the team in a major race. Gardiner placed 117th while moving up 17 positions over the final 2K.

Of the eight ACC teams in the field, Stanford placed fourth, with Kennedy placing fourth among conference competitors.

The Pre-Nationals conclude Stanford’s regular season. Stanford next races in its first ACC championship meet, Nov. 1 in Cary, North Carolina. 

Wisconsin Pre-Nationals
At Thomas Zimmer Championship Course

Men (8K, 4.97 miles)
Team leaders – 1, Arkansas 89; 2, Iowa State 128; 3, Stanford 142; 4, New Mexico 166; 5, Northern Arizona 178.
Individuals – 1, Habtom Samuel (New Mexico) 22:34.6; 9, Cole Sprout (Stanford) 23:04.0; 20, Lex Young (Stanford) 23:11.6; 22, Thomas Boyden (Stanford) 23:12.5; 43, Leo Young (Stanford)…