In the final event of the 2006 season, the No. 1 Stanford women’s cross-country team lived up to its top billing by capturing its second straight national title at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 20 [2006]. The men’s team finished fourth, a two-place improvement from last year’s title meet.

The victory was the third NCAA championship in four years for the women’s squad, the favorite throughout the season that was able to brush off the pressures of either history or expectations.

“We’ve treated this season as it’s own, not thinking about pressure from last year’s win or our position as favorites,” junior Arianna Lambie said. “So this championship is exhilarating in its own right.”

Lambie paced the women with a fourth-place finish in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 20 minutes, 43.8 seconds last Monday morning. Lambie’s time counted for third place in the team standings because an individual runner from Yale, whose team did not qualify as a whole, finished just ahead of her.

The next Stanford runner to cross the line was junior Teresa McWalters, who claimed 27th place in the team competition (31st overall) in 21:18.2. Sophomore Lindsey Flacks followed in 45th (56th overall) in 21:43.1. Seniors Amanda and Katy Trotter rounded out the Cardinal’s top five. Amanda claimed 58th place (70th overall) in 21:52.0, and Katy finished in 62nd (78th overall) in 21:55.0.

Katy Trotter’s 62nd-place finish was key for the Cardinal’s posting at the top of the team standings. Each of the top four runners from No. 6 Colorado, the runner-up, finished ahead of the corresponding runner on Stanford’s roster. However, Trotter’s finish well outstripped Colorado’s fifth runner, Erin Marston, who claimed 131st place. That margin gave Stanford 195 points to Colorado’s 223, securing another championship for the Cardinal.

Trotter finished 23 places ahead of the next-closest fifth runner on the other contending teams.

“Several teams had the potential to challenge us,” Lambie said. “But none had the crucial fifth runner that Stanford had. . .Katy [Trotter] is the most dependable runner I know, and Amanda is as committed as anyone. They are truly irreplaceable.”

The race was also a success for the men’s team, which claimed fourth place in the team competition. The squad had finished sixth at each of the past two NCAA Championships.

Junior Neftalem Araia played the major role in boosting the men’s squad to its high finish by claiming second place in the individual standings of the 10,000-meter race in 30:44.9. Only senior Josh Rohatinsky of Brigham Young beat Araia to the finish line.

Araia was soon joined by sophomore Garrett Heath, who finished 41st (64th overall) in 32:11.4 and by junior Forrest Tahdooahnippah in 45th (68th overall) in 32:12.6. Sophomore Hakon DeVries arrived in 52nd place (78th overall) in 32:21.2, and senior Brett Gotcher rounded out Stanford’s top five with a 55th-place finish (81st overall) at 32:22.2.

The close group of Cardinal runners finishing after Araia propelled Stanford to a 195-point total in the team standings, one point ahead of both No. 5 Arkansas and No. 6 Oregon, allowing the Cardinal to claim fourth place and a trophy for their efforts.

The result was also a measure of revenge against Oregon, which foiled Stanford at both the Pacific-10 Championships and the NCAA West Regional this season. Those disappointments fuelled the runners’ drive and focus heading into the NCAA Championships last week.