By Alejandro Salinas on November 7, 2019

Graduate student Steven Fahy was named the Pac-12 Men’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year before the Pac-12 Championships last Friday morning. Fahy is the sixth Cardinal to receive the award, which recognizes one outstanding senior student-athlete each year.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Pac-12 for this award,” Fahy said. “Having my name added to a list of really impressive and highly accomplished student-athletes and human beings, both from Stanford and around the conference, is something I can always take pride in.”

A product of Carlsbad, California, Fahy is the midst of his final season of eligibility. He completed his undergraduate studies in human biology with a 3.76 grade-point average last spring and is now pursuing a master’s in comparative medicine.

“I first want to give credit to my mom and dad for the countless hours put aside to allow me to pursue my interests,” Fahy said. “They’ve always had a vested interest in both my academics and athletics, but most importantly they entrusted me with the freedom to follow my own path and budget my time as I chose. Their support and belief in me set me up really well to deal with a lot of the challenges of being a student-athlete.”

Fahy was forced to miss the entire cross country season last year due to a lingering injury that limited him into the indoor track and field season. However, the four-time All-American returned to the track in the outdoor season and won the NCAA title in his staple event, the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In a dramatic finish that included him falling over the final barrier, Fahy outlasted the field to collect his first national title.

“I think learning how to manage the degree to which my commitments as a student encroached on my commitments as an athlete was key to being able to do well in both in the long-term,” he said.

Fahy is the second consecutive Cardinal to have received the award after Grant Fisher ’19 earned the award last fall. Other past Stanford recipients include Neftalem Araia (2007), Elliot Heath (2010), Chris Derrick (2011) and Tyler Stutzman (2013).

“I also want to thank my teammates and coaches for providing an environment that cultivates accountability and integrity while also keeping things fun and giving an added purpose to the daily routine,” he added. “The standards they set and uphold have really become ingrained in the way I approach almost everything I do on a daily basis.”

Contact Alejandro Salinas at asalinas ‘at’ stanford.edu.