The word dynasty is thrown around too often in sports. Win two consecutive team titles and reporters are talking about a team's place in history. But in men's track and field the word dynasty truly is applicable when it refers to Arkansas.
The Razorbacks entered this year's NCAA Championships at Wallace Wade Stadium as the favorite, having won eight straight team titles. But the ninth was not to be, as Stanford pulled off the upset and took home the title.
"Our max and their max on paper, it was no contest," said Stanford 800 and 1500-meter runner Mike Stember. "We couldn't afford to make any mistakes. We don't have 17 or 18 athletes; we have a few big-time caliber athletes."
Stanford followed Stember's plan; they simply didn't make any mistakes.
The Cardinal opened up the meet by taking first, second and fourth in the 10,000. Senior Brad Hauser won the race, but it was his brother Brent who might have done the most for the team.
Brent started to fall apart the last 100 meters, having to dive across the line to hold on to fourth. To a man, the Cardinal called the gutty performance their inspiration for the rest of the meet.
"Anyone who wasn't moved by that, I don't know what would move them," Stanford coach Vin Lananna said.
A dominating performance by Stanford in the 10,000 is not unusual. It would be what the Cardinal did the next two days that sealed the upset.
On Friday, Stember, who had talked his coach into allowing him to double, scored five points for Stanford by running a personal best 1:46.20 in the 800.
Stanford took a a 12-point lead on Auburn and a 13-point lead on Arkansas into the final day.
The Cardinal did not have a sprinter in the first three events Saturday. When the 1500 run began, Stanford was down seven points to Auburn, and Arkansas had pulled within nine.
But the 1500 all but put the meet out of contention. Gabe Jennings won handily, and Stember, in his second final, came from behind for second.
"I knew we had to go 1-2," said Stember. "I knew with fresh legs, Gabe had it wrapped up. The 800 took it out of my legs for the last 100, but I held on."
Then the rain came. Thunderstorms shut the meet down for an hour and a half, as Stanford waited to seal the victory with the 5000.
The rain gave the Cardinal time to ponder the achievement.
"I looked in the Hausers' eyes, and it made me want to cry," Jennings said. "They built this program. They came here five years ago, and we were nothing. We didn't have a track. Just to be a part of their last race was an incredible feeling."
The Hausers not only built the program, they also brought home the championship. After the rain stopped, Brad won the 5000 for his second victory of the meet. Brent finished fourth as the Cardinal scored 18 points, raising their total to 72 and guaranteeing their first title.
"I've been waiting for a team title for five years," Brad Hauser said. " My hat's off to Arkansas, they've made my five years a living hell."
Jennings best captured the mood of the rest of the team.
"I just want to sit back and enjoy this moment," he said. "Brad and Brent Hauser's victory."
The women's competition produced anything but an upset.
LSU coach Pat Henry won his 20th national title as the Lady Tigers pulled out a come-from-behind victory to edge out USC and UCLA.
Perhaps the most interesting individual story on the women's side was the performance of Seilala Sua. Sua took home first place in the women's shot put and discus throw to collect her sixth and seventh individual NCAA titles.
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