The Stanford cross-country teams experienced mixed fortunes at the Pac-10 Championships on Saturday. The women carried off their 11th consecutive conference title while the men fell just short.

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Senior sisters Katy and Amanda Trotter finished second and third, respectively, in the Pac-10 Women’s Championship 6,000-meter course. The runners helped the Stanford women’s team earn its 11th straight conference title as the squad finished with 22 points. #gallery http://daily.stanford.org/image/full/6452
Bernard Bluhm

Senior sisters Katy and Amanda Trotter finished second and third, respectively, in the Pac-10 Women’s Championship 6,000-meter course. The runners helped the Stanford women’s team earn its 11th straight conference title as the squad finished with 22 points.

In its final appearance on their home course in the 2006 season, the top-ranked women’s team dominated the opposition, sweeping the top four individual spots on the way to a meet-low score of 22. No. 8 Arizona State was Stanford’s closest challenger but finished with 51 points, more than double the Cardinal’s score. Junior Arianna Lambie won her second straight individual Pac-10 title with a time of 20 minutes, 15.09 seconds.

Unsurprisingly, the women were elated with their accomplishment.

“We showed that we are a force to be reckoned with,” Lambie said. “When you’re on a team that has four women better than anyone else in the Pac-10, you know you’re part of something special. We weren’t sure how the race would play out, but we took charge early on and no one challenged us, so the confidence grew.”

The Cardinal had command of the race from the beginning and never let up. Their quick start led to a succession of Stanford runners crossing the finish line ahead of any other rivals. After Lambie, seniors Katy and Amanda Trotter arrived with times of 20:18.31 and 20:18.37, respectively, and junior Teresa McWalters was close behind in fourth place at 20:25.03. Junior Lauren Centrowitz rounded out Stanford’s top five by finishing 12th with a time of 21:05.37.

McWalters described the Cardinal’s performance as an illustration of the squad’s togetherness throughout the season.

“The way we ran out there on Saturday is a wonderful example of the cohesive unity we share as an entire team,” McWalters said. “Every one of us plays an integral role.”

The other race was a heartbreaker for the No. 5 men’s squad as the team fell just short of No. 7 Oregon in the battle for the men’s title. Driven forward by the men’s individual champion, sophomore Galen Rupp, the Ducks eked out a five-point margin of victory, finishing with 53 points to second-placed Stanford’s 58.

Junior Neftalem Araia again led the way for the Cardinal, finishing third with a time of 23:15.42. Senior Brett Gotcher joined Araia in the top 10 with an eighth-place finish at 23:35.72, and fellow seniors Jonathan Pierce (23:47.70) and Jacob Gomez (23:49.62) secured 13th and 14th place. Junior Forrest Tahdooahnippah was the Cardinal’s fifth-scoring runner, finishing in 20th place at 24:05.02.

The narrow loss was a shock for the men’s team, which was favored to extend its streak of six straight conference championships.

“We had a purpose and that was to win, but Oregon ran very well and we just couldn’t quite put it together,” Gotcher said. “I am still really confident in all my teammates right now because I see what they can do everyday at practice. We have to figure out a few more things, but we’ll be back.”

The men’s and women’s teams will next compete at the NCAA West Regional meet in Portland, Ore. on Nov. 11.