Stanford University’s women’s cross country team secured its 13th West Region title during the 2025 season, marking the program’s fourth regional championship in five years. The decisive meet took place in Sacramento, where Stanford edged out Oregon by nine points with a total of 66.
The team’s performance was led by upperclassmen. Amy Bunnage returned to the lineup and finished fourth, followed closely by fellow junior Sophia Kennedy in fifth place. Graduate transfer Mena Scatchard achieved her best finish for Stanford, taking tenth place. Seniors Riley Stewart and Julia Flynn contributed significantly, finishing 18th and 29th respectively.
Throughout the season, Stanford consistently placed in the top ten at major meets. At their opening competition in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Flynn and Stewart both finished within the top five while freshman Hanne Thomsen debuted with a sixth-place finish as Stanford claimed second overall.
After training at high altitude in Colorado during September, the team competed at the Gans Creek Classic in Missouri and won the Black Invite championship with 53 points. Thomsen’s third-place result earned her ACC Women’s Freshman and Performer of the Week honors.
Sophia Kennedy made her season debut at the Nuttycombe Invite, leading Stanford to an eighth-place finish among a field that included 16 ranked teams. Kennedy placed seventh individually, beginning a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes for her during the year.
In its second appearance at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, Stanford finished fourth overall. Kennedy again led with a seventh-place result to earn All-ACC honors. Scatchard, Flynn, Stewart, and Thomsen all finished within twenty seconds of each other as part of a group effort that netted 150 points for Stanford.
With another regional title secured two weeks later, Stanford extended its streak of NCAA XC Championship appearances to 33 consecutive years—the longest active run nationally.
At nationals on a rain-soaked course back at Gans Creek XC Course in Missouri, Bunnage and Kennedy earned All-America honors by placing inside the top 35. Scatchard recorded a personal-best time under 19:30 minutes. In her first NCAA Championship race, freshman Thomsen ran under twenty minutes for six kilometers for the first time and served as Stanford’s fourth scorer; Stewart rounded out scoring with a season-best time as Stanford repeated its sixth-place national finish from last year.
Team members recognized for individual achievements this season include Amy Bunnage, Sophia Kennedy, Hanne Thomsen, Mena Scatchard, and Riley Stewart.
