2012 Stanford University Invitational Men's Individual & Team Results

2012 Stanford University Invitational Women's Individual & Team Results

Palo Alto, CA -- The Academy of Art University men's and women's cross country teams had their chance to compete on one of the biggest cross country stages in the country Saturday, offering solid performances in the 2012 Stanford Invitational. Out at the Stanford Golf Course, it was another impressive run for senior Jenny Bergren who used a season-best time on a 6k course (21:35) to claim 15th overall and beat out top finishers from 23 other teams including Chico State, USC, and Cal. Freshman Clemens Kammer led the men with a 67th place finish that saw an improved time on the 8k compared to last week.

“This was our first opportunity to face competition at the top level of NCAA Division I and Division II,” assistant coach Torrey Olson said. “It was great to race against best of both divisions and also to have an experience that a lot of the kids on our team haven't had before. It was a really good learning opportunity. I felt people did learn what they needed to learn and while we still have some stuff to work on, I come away very optimistic for last couple races of season.”

Running with the likes of competitors from Stanford, ranked #6 nationally for Division I, and Adams State, ranked #2 nationally for Division II, Bergren came out strong from the sound of the gun. Her second 6k race of the season saw a nearly 20-second drop in time and displayed her ability to truly compete with some of the best intercollegiate cross country runners in the United States. She may have finished 15th overall, a feat in and of itself considering the opponents, but among Division II competitors, Bergen was the third-best finisher.

“It was great to see Jenny go out and stick in the lead in that first mile with the top women in country,” Coach Olson said. “She really put her nose right in and showed her tenacity. For her to run aggressively like she did today was very impressive to me from a personal level.”

Perhaps one of the most inspiring stories from Saturday's action was freshman Arianna Michaels. As the second highest finisher for Academy of Art University, Michaels ran what was considered her best race of a young career on this elite stage. Michaels bettered her time from the SF State Invitational by over 35 seconds, taking 115th overall in the process. She was also surrounded by other schools' upperclassmen when she crossed the finish line.

“Arianna Michaels was great,” Coach Olson said. “This was the first race where she was in charge of her own race and that's a good thing to see. She and we know she can run faster, but she was comfortable with the distance and breaking that 23-minute barrier in the 6k was significant for her.”

"The women had a good meet overall, but the highlight for me was Arianna,” head coach Charles Ryan said. “She is really learning how to race and ran like a veteran today. She is exciting and her potential is limitless.”

Rounding out the ART U top five, senior Zoë Meyers placed 153rd with a time of 23:36 and Cassandra Schumacher came in at 25:51 to take 211st. Junior Kylie Long was 220th (26:52). As a team, the Knights finished 26th behind California Baptist, but in front of San Jose State, Southern Oregon, and Hawaii.

For the men, Clemens Kammer was also in the mix against similarly tough competition like #1 Adams State, #9 Stanford, and #2 Chico State. Kammer improved upon his SF State Invitational mark and finished ahead of the top runners from California Baptist, University of San Diego, and Azusa Pacific. At 67th overall, Kammer sported a time of 25:55 while sophomore Jack Nevins came in at 27:16 (152nd).

As the third ART U finisher, sophomore Temarius Walker continued to drop his time this season. Walker took 177th overall with a 28:57 mark which is over a minute less than his season opener three weeks ago.  Sophomore Thomas Benson also ran a season-best (29:38) to claim 183rd overall while freshman Shaquille Howard improved his time as well.

"Temarius and Thomas were really on their game today,” Coach Ryan said. “They continue to improve, close the gap, and learn more about themselves each race. It's great to witness their progression."

Behind Azusa Pacific, ART U placed 25th overall ahead of Cal State Monterey Bay, Pepperdine, San Jose State, and Notre Dame de Namur.

One more meet stands between now and the Pacific West Conference Championships (Oct. 27): Santa Clara's Bronco Invitational on Oct. 13. The Urban Knights will have a full two weeks off from competition before this next race to be held at Baylands Park in Santa Clara.