SEATTLE -- Stanford begins its postseason run at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor track and field championships this weekend. The meet also doubles as the final opportunity to earn qualifying marks to the NCAA Championships on March 11-12 in Birmingham, Alabama.
The MPSF consists of 19 women’s teams and 14 men’s – schools traditionally from the Pac-12, Big West, and West Coast conferences. Stanford, which is bringing 66 athletes (24 women, 22 men) is seeking its first MPSF titles since the women won in 2012 and the men in 2011.
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Meet Information:
What: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships
Where: Seattle, Wash.
Site: Dempsey Indoor
Surface: 307-meter flat track.
Events begin:
Friday: Noon
Saturday: 10:30 a.m.
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Friday: and Saturday: Live
Twitter: @StanfordXCTF
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* * *Stanford in USTFCCCA rankings:
Men: No. 19
Women: No. 26
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Notable events:
Women’s 3,000 meters: For the first time since Elise Cranny arrived in the fall of 2014, Cranny and teammate Aisling Cuffe will appear in the same race. Cuffe was out with an injury throughout Cranny’s freshman year, and Cranny missed the 2015 cross country season with a similar hip injury while Cuffe won her second Pac-12 individual title. This will be Cuffe’s first track race of the year and her first since finishing fourth in the 5,000 at the 2014 U.S. Championships. Cranny, the 2015 NCAA indoor 3,000 runner-up, raced for the first time this academic year, on Feb. 13, winning the mile in a personal record 4:38.44 at the Iowa State Classic. This race showcases a formidable Cardinal lineup that also includes Rebecca Mehra, who in her most recent race, ran a 4:36.0 split to anchor the Stanford distance medley relay to the fastest time in the nation this year. Cross country and track All-America Vanessa Fraser is in the field as well, strengthening an outstanding field. Though it’s unknown whether Cuffe will make a concerted try for an NCAA qualifier in this race, Cranny, Fraser, and Mehra seem to be in position to do so. Fraser is on the bubble at No. 15 with a 9:14.06. It may take a time of around 9:10 to get in.
Women’s 800: Claudia Saunders’ 2:04.43 at the Penn State National seemed like more than enough to get into NCAA’s – it would have earned passage in each of the past six years. But Saunders’ spot seems precarious at No. 15. The senior is a two-time NCAA outdoor 800 runner-up who will try to improve her time while aiming for her first individual conference title – indoors or outdoors. Stanford could be hoping to maximize its point-scoring possibilities at NCAA’s if it can get both Olivia Baker and Saunders into the 800, and use others in the DMR. Baker is in a little better position, at No. 12 (2:04.10), but also will race to give herself a better chance.
Men’s triple jump: Defending MPSF champ Darian Brooks, a Seattle native, is in a similar position as Saunders. His school-record 52-9 1/4 in the season-opener at the same facility looked to be enough. However, Brooks is No. 11 and may need to improve to ensure a spot at nationals.
Men’s pole vault: The MPSF marks the last opportunity for Dylan Duvio to qualify. He was third at NCAA’s outdoors with a personal best 18-2 ½. This year, he and teammates Garrett Starkey, and Harrison Williams share the same season best of 17-3 ½. As pole vault coach Michael Eskind said, just one more bar – getting the next height past that in competition – may be enough.
Men’s mile: Sean McGorty and Tom Coyle each broke four minutes on this same track last year. Coyle has not been close to that this year, and McGorty has yet to race a mile, though he already has wrapped up an NCAA spot in the 3,000. But this will be an opportunity for some fast racing for both of them.
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Stanford Schedule:
Friday
Noon: Women’s weight throw (Valarie Allman)
2 p.m.: Women’s pole vault (Kaitlyn Merritt, Jackie McNulty)
4:45 p.m.: Men’s 60-meter hurdles prelims (Harrison Williams)
5:15 p.m.: Men’s 60 prelims (Isaiah Brandt-Sims)
5:15 p.m.: Women’s long jump (Daryth Gayles, Marisa Kwiatkowski)
5:15 p.m.: Men’s long jump (Jaak Uudmae)
5:30 p.m.: Men’s pole vault (Dalton Duvio, Dylan Duvio, Dan Emery, Garrett Starkey, Harrison Williams)
5:40 p.m.: Women’s 5,000 (Emma Fisher, Megan Lacy)
6 p.m.: Men’s 5,000 (Jack Bordoni, Collin Leibold, Jim Rosa, Adam Thorne, Sam Wharton)
6:50 p.m.: Men’s 200 (Jackson Shumway)
7:15 p.m.: Women’s distance medley relay (Pool: Maddy Berkson, Danielle Katz, Molly McNamara, Claudia Saunders, Malika Waschmann)
7:30 p.m.: Men’s distance medley relay (Justin Brinkley, Daniel Brady, Tom Coyle, Patrick Perrier)
Saturday
10:30 a.m.: Women’s shot put (Lena Giger)
10:30 a.m.: Women’s triple jump (Carla Forbes, Marisa Kwiatkowski)
11 a.m.: Women’s mile (Maddy Berkson, Molly McNamara)
11:20 a.m.: Men’s mile (Tom Coyle, Sean McGorty, Patrick Perrier, Adam Thorne)
11:40 a.m.: Men’s 60 hurdles final (Harrison Williams)
11:45 a.m.: Women’s 400 (Kaitlyn Williams, Kristyn Williams)
12:10 p.m.: Men’s 400 (Daniel Brady, Jackson Shumway)
12:35 p.m.: Men’s 60 final (Isaiah Brandt-Sims)
12:40 p.m.: Women’s 800 (Olivia Baker, Claudia Saunders, Malika Waschmann)
12:45 p.m.: Men’s shot put (Tristen Newman)
1 p.m.: Men’s triple jump (Darian Brooks, Jaak Uudmae)
1 p.m.: Men’s 800 (Justin Brinkley)
1:15 p.m.: Women’s 3,000 (Sophie Chase, Elise Cranny, Aisling Cuffe, Danielle Katz, Vanessa Fraser, Rebecca Mehra)
1:50 p.m.: Men’s 3,000 (Steven Fahy, Collin Leibold)
2:25 p.m.: Women’s 4x400 relay (Pool: Olivia Baker, Gaby Gayles, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Claudia Saunders, Kaitlyn Williams, Kristyn Williams).
2:45 p.m.: Men’s 4x400 relay (Daniel Brady, Harrison Williams, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Jackson Shumway).
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Stanford athletes ranked in NCAA Division I top 25:
Men
3,000: 4, Sean McGorty, 7:48.79
5,000: 21, Collin Leibold, 13:50.04.
Distance medley relay: 4, Stanford (Tom Coyle, Jackson Shumway, Justin Brinkley, Sean McGorty), 9:27.27.
Pole vault: 29 (tie), Dylan Duvio, Garrett Starkey, Harrison Williams, each 17-3 ½.
Triple jump: 11, Darian Brooks, 52-9 ¼ (16.08m).
Heptathlon: 8, Harrison Williams, 5,690.
Women
800: 12, Olivia Baker, 2:04.10; 15, Claudia Saunders, 2:04.43; 24, Malika Waschmann, 2:05.47.
Mile: 23, Elise Cranny, 4:38.44
3,000: 15, Vanessa Fraser, 9:14.06.
5,000: 27, Vanessa Fraser, 16:06.25.
4x400 relay: 13, Stanford (Gaby Gayles, Olivia Baker, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Kristyn Williams), 3:34.22*.
Distance medley relay: 1, Stanford ‘A’ (Claudia Saunders, Kristyn Williams, Olivia Baker, Rebecca Mehra), 10:54.58; 19, Stanford ‘B’ (Maddy Berkson, Kaitlyn Williams, Malika Waschmann, Hannah Long), 11:18.50.
*adjustment for altitude.
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How to qualify for nationals: There are no specific qualifying standards for the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held in Birmingham, Alabama on March 11-12. Rather, the individuals who register the top 16 marks in each event during a window from Dec. 1-March 2, will advance. Because not all tracks are the same size, all marks will be converted to a formula that is based on making it equal to a standard 200-meter banked track. After those conversions are determined, the final 16 will advance.
Last Call to Qualify
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