The defending national champions placed four runners in the top six to capture the NCAA title in Waterloo, Iowa. In another dominating team performance, Ryan Hall (29:15.4 for 10,000 meters) finished second and was followed by Grant Robison (fourth, 29:19.2), Ian Dobson (fifth, 29:24.7), and Louis Luchini (sixth, 29:28.2). Earlier, the Cardinal won its ninth consecutive NCAA West Regional title, with Dobson (29:32) and Hall (29:33) placing first and second. In his first season as head coach Andrew Gerard, led the team to its fourth consecutive Pac-10 title, with Dobson capturing the individual crown and leading five Stanford runners into the top nine. The 2002 champion Robison (24:35.50) finished second, with Donald Sage (24:44.90) in fourth.

After missing the national championship by a mere point to Colorado in the closest NCAA finish in history the previous year, No. 1 Stanford came back to dominate the 2002 race in Terre Haute, Ind. The Cardinal scored 47 points, ahead of runner-up Wisconsin's 60 points. Grant Robison (29:36.7 for 10,000 meters) came in third and was followed by three teammates in the top 10: Louis Luchini (fifth, 29:41.0), Donald Sage (sixth, 29:44.4), and Ian Dobson (ninth, 29:47.2). The team also won its eighth consecutive NCAA West Regional title as Sage defended his individual title and led five teammates in the top-10. Along the way, the Cardinal claimed its sixth Pac-10 Championship and third consecutive, with Robison earning his second consecutive individual title in a close race over Dobson (second) and Sage (third). Vin Lananna closed his 10th and final year at Stanford with Men's and Women's National Coach of the Year honors.

Stanford repeated as NCAA champion with a narrow 53-56 victory over Arkansas in Greenville, S.C. The Cardinal surged over the final three kilometers of the 10,000-meter race to overcome the Razorbacks, which held an unofficial 58-80 lead through seven kilometers. The three-point margin marked the second-closest team race in the history of the men's Division I Championships, and the closest in 27 years. Senior Nathan Nutter paced the Cardinal with an eighth-place finish, completing the course in 29:14. Juniors Brad Hauser and Jason Balkman followed, finishing 10th and 14th, respectively, with Brent Hauser 17th and Jonathon Riley 23rd.

Stanford captured its first title with an impressive performance at the NCAA Championships in Tucson, Ariz., beating heavy favorite and defending champion Arkansas. Stanford scored 46 points to the Razorbacks' 74 behind Greg Jimmerson's 30:38 over the 10,000-meter course. Brad Hauser was next for the Cardinal, in sixth place, and J.J. White was ninth. The Cardinal placed all of its scorers in the top 15, as Brent Hauser took 14th and Nathan Nutter 15th. Combined with the women's NCAA title, it was the first time a school swept national titles in cross country since Wisconsin in 1985.