2013 BYU Hall of Fame
Defying the odds, the 1997 BYU women's cross country team defeated Stanford, 100-102, bringing home the first NCAA Championship ever by a BYU women's team.
Entering the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the experts had picked Stanford, the defending champions, to easily win another NCAA title. The media, the coaches' poll and the publications all agreed that Stanford was the nation's No. 1 team. After all, the Cardinal hadn't lost a meet in over a year.
But BYU took home the title in a manner as impressive as the title itself.
All-American Courtney Pugmire finished first for the Cougars with a time of 16:58. She passed two competitors in the last 150 meters to place eighth overall, claiming her fourth All-America honor.
Maggie Chan shadowed two of Stanford's top runners until the course's final hill, where she passed them both on her way to a 13th place finish and her third All-America award.
Sophomore Elizabeth Jackson finished 22nd to win her second All-American citation, and freshman Tara Haynes was 27th, just missing All-American status.
With four of the seven runners finished for both schools, BYU trailed Stanford in the team totals. The championship would come down to where the fifth runner would place.
Then it happened.
With less than 100 meters to go, BYU's fifth runner, sophomore Caisa Monahan, was accidentally tripped by another runner. With the team title on the line, teammate Emily Nay sprinted past Monahan to place 33rd overall and cement BYU's team score at 100.
Now it was a matter of where Stanford's fifth runner would finish.
Courageously, Monahan got up and finished the course just ahead of the Cardinal’s fifth runner, knocking Stanford's score back a point and ensuring the Cougars 100-102 victory and the 1997 NCAA Championship.