Jan. 30, 2009
Updated Women's Indoor Records
Seattle, Wash. - With most of the action taking place tomorrow, the Stanford distance runners and multi-event athlete's jumpstarted the UW Invitational on Friday evening. Chris Derrick led Stanford with an outstanding effort in the men's 5,000 meters. The Stanford freshman ran one of the fastest times in school history in his first-ever track meet for the Cardinal.
Derrick's time of 13:44.02 was the third fastest indoor 5,000-meter time in school history. Only former Olympians Ian Dobson and Brad Hauser have run faster for the Cardinal. It was the fastest time ever by a Stanford freshman indoors and the third fastest time by a freshman overall in school history. Brad and his brother Brent Hauser ran faster as freshmen outdoors in 1997 and 1998.
The time was an NCAA automatic standard and the fastest collegiate time in the nation this year. Derrick who finished seventh overall at the NCAA Cross Country Championships will be headed back to the national meet for indoor track and field.
Derrick won the 5,000 meters, but was not alone as several other Stanford runners performed well. Jacob Riley finished second with an NCAA provisional time of 14:01.92. The time was a personal best for Riley. Placing third was Brendan Gregg, who just missed the provisional standard, but did achieve a personal best with a time of 14:11.29.
In the distance medley, Stanford finished seventh with a time of 9:58.50. The Cardinal team was comprised of Justin Marpole-Bird, Zach Chandy, Spencer Castro and Dylan Ferris.
The Cardinal women were led by the distance medley relay team that achieved an NCAA automatic standard. Running against a loaded field, the Stanford women's DMR team finished third, but achieved the NCAA automatic standard with a time of 11:07.53. The team of Alicia Follmar, Idara Otu, Maria Lattanzi and Lauren Centrowitz became the first female Stanford athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships in this young season.
In the 5,000 meters a pair of Stanford runners finished seventh an eighth overall. Emilie Amaro finished with a time of 16:53.10 just ahead of her teammate Kate Niehaus who finished with a time of 16:54.74.
Whitney <!>Liehr |
In the pentathlon, Whitney Liehr led the Cardinal with a personal-best score of 3,692 points to finish sixth. Liehr remains second on the Stanford pentathlon list. Making her debut in the pentathlon was freshman Josephine Kvist. Kvist performed well finishing 11th with 3,393 points. Finally, Kara Bennett completed the Stanford trio with 3,084 points in 13th place.
The majority of the events will take place Saturday as the UW Invitational continues from Dempsey Indoor Stadium. A large group of Stanford athletes will look for more fast times and top marks as they attempt to earn NCAA standards.