Track & Field: Chris Derrick goes the distance
By Karen Feng
Chris Derrick has had a good run so far. The 2012 graduate received a degree in economics with a focus in law and has become one of the most decorated distance runners in Stanford history.
Recent graduate Chris Derrick (above) is one of the greatest distance runners in both Stanford and NCAA history. The 14-time All-American broke the American collegiate record in the 10K earlier in May and narrowly missed an Olympic berth when he finished fourth in the same event at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials a few weeks ago. (SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily)
But it wasn’t always that way. Until high school, Derrick played basketball and baseball but found that his lack of ability left him at a dead end. Fearing that he wouldn’t participate in any activities in high school, his parents forced him to take part in a cross-country summer camp. One practice later, he knew he had found his sport.
He improved drastically throughout his high-school career at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Ill., to become the 2007 Gatorade National Boys Cross-Country Runner of the Year, the 2008 Nike Cross Nationals individual and team champion and the 2008 Illinois cross-country state champion. Derrick broke the record for the high school-only 5,000 meters with a time of 13:55.96.
