For the men and women of Stanford cross country, the 2009 season was a year to forget. After disappointing finishes of 10th and 16th at the NCAA Championships respectively, both components of the Cardinal’s historic program faced serious questions. But after a valuable learning process, Stanford is back, looking to reclaim its throne atop the collegiate distance running elite.

The Cardinal men enter the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation. In a sport where team rankings matter very little—as evidenced by Stanford’s performance at nationals—a veteran men’s team understands that the expectations for the squad are not to be taken for granted.

“I think that last year’s national finish taught us in a very cruel way the need to maintain a healthy fear [and] respect for failure going into the biggest race of the year,” said All-American junior Chris Derrick. “Accepting that will help us face the obstacles that we will inevitably face this year.”

Last year’s finish, though unsatisfactory for the team, cannot overshadow the returning talent that Stanford brings into the 2010 season. Joining Derrick is fellow All-American senior Elliott Heath, as well as redshirt junior Jake Riley and redshirt senior J.T. Sullivan, both of whom excelled in their respective distance track events in the spring.

With relatively few new contributors, Cardinal fans should be familiar with the faces on the men’s team. However, the Stanford men believe that there is a noticeable difference in this season’s group.

“Ironically, perhaps, I think that there is a more secure confidence associated with this team than last year’s,” Derrick said. “Last year at this time we wondered if we could win NCAAs and spent part of the season trying to prove that fact to ourselves. This year, we know that we can win if we perform to our abilities.

“That confidence is coupled with greater respect for the challenges that we will face and a more realistic idea for just how difficult it is to win a national championship,” he continued. “I think that those two things combine to form a more mature outlook for this season.”

On the women’s side, preseason rankings do matter, in the form of team motivation. The Cardinal enters the season at No. 12, a ranking the women believe undervalues their potential.

“When I look at preseason polls I think our team is vastly underrated,” said senior Alex Gits. “We have some real talent on this team that no doubt will be successful individually, but contribute to team scoring.”

The women are led by junior Steph Marcy, who nearly earned All-American honors last year with a 53rd-place finish at nationals. Sophomores Alex Dunne and Kathy Kroeger and junior Georgia Griffin also return for Stanford, this time with valuable big-race experience after joining Marcy and Gits at nationals.

Like the men’s team, the loss of just a few seniors is expected to help give the women a valuable edge.

“As far as personnel, our team is very similar compared to last year because we didn’t lose many seniors,” Gits said. “However, our returners have come to training camp already very focused, fit and goal-oriented, which I believe is going to contribute to a very successful year ahead.”

The cross country season officially began on Sept. 4 as Stanford, racing with limited runners, swept the Jim Vanden Heuvel Twilight meet in Reno, Nev. Leading the way for the women was Alex Gits, who finished the 4,000-meter course in first overall with a time of 14:54. J.T. Sullivan followed suit, finishing in second with a team-best time of 20:04 in the men’s 6,000-meter race.

Up next for the Cardinal is the Stanford Invitational, a home meet that is guaranteed to see action from many of the nation’s best. Stanford is expected to bring its full squads to the race.

The Stanford Invitational takes place on Sept. 25 and is an all-day event.