Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's
Aisling Cuffe was named Pac-12 Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the conference Thursday.
A biology major and a fifth-year senior, Cuffe carries a 3.54 cumulative GPA while assembling a collegiate career that is among the best in the country. Cuffe is a seven-time All-America, a two-time NCAA 5,000-meter runner-up and was the 2013 Pac-12 cross country champion.
Cuffe is the first Cardinal to win the award since Arianna Lambie in 2007. Her All-Academic accolades include two each from the Pac-12 in cross country and outdoor track and field, and from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
In 2013, Cuffe was fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and followed with a superb track season that included a time of 15:11.13 in the 5,000 at the Payton Jordan Invitational, making her the third-fastest collegian of all-time, and culminated with a fourth-place finish in the 5,000 at the U.S. Championships.
An injury kept her out of action during the 2014-15 academic year, but Cuffe returned to action and won the Washington Invitational cross country race in Seattle on Oct. 2.
Cuffe returns to the conference meet for the first time since her 2013 victory when she competes Friday at Colfax Golf Club in Eastern Washington. The women's race is at 11:35 a.m. and the men's, which includes Scholar-Athlete winner Morgan Pearson of Colorado, is at 10:30 a.m.
For more information on the Pac-12 Championships and to for live updates, look for links at GoStanford.com.