PORTLAND, Ore. – Ekaterini (Katerina) Stefanidi ’12 captured bronze at the IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday night to become the first Stanford -affiliated women’s pole vaulter to medal at a world championships or Olympics.
Stefanidi cleared 15 feet, 9 inches (4.80 meters) to finish third behind Americans Jennifer Suhr (16-0 ¾, 4.90) and Sandi Morris (15-11, 4.85). Competing for Greece, Stefanidi became the third Stanford vaulter to win a world competition medal, among men or women, following Toby Stevenson ’00 (silver, 2004 Olympics) and Bill Miller (gold, 1932 Olympics).
Stefanidi, 26, opened at 14-9 (4.50) and was perfect at every height through her final clearance. She took one jump and failed at 15-11, but passed to 16-0 ¾, her Greek indoor record set in winning the Millrose Games last month, for her final two tries knowing that only a clearance at that height would improve her place.
At Stanford, Stefanidi was a two-time NCAA champion and continues to hold the school record of 14-9 ½ (4.50). She competed at the 2012 Olympics and 2015 World Championships without reaching the finals, and was ranked No. 6 in the world last year by Track & Field News.
One more Stanford alum competes at World Indoors: women’s shot putter Jillian Camarena-Williams ’04 on Saturday.
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Outdoor Season is On
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Dylan Duvio and Valarie Allman, first-team All-Americans last year, will open their outdoor seasons Saturday at the Hornet Invitational at Sacramento State.
Duvio was third in the men’s pole vault and Allman, the Pac-12 champion, was fifth in the women’s discus at NCAA Outdoors last year. They headline a contingent of 40 Stanford athletes – the largest of any meet indoors or outdoors – this year.
Eight Cardinal freshmen will make their collegiate debut: hurdler Lucas Ege, sprinter Zac Espinoza, sprinter Amit Maity, high jumper Trevor Rex, and sprinter Isaac Westlund for the men; and hurdler Hannah Labrie-Smith, sprinter Missy Mongiovi, and pole vaulter Nicole Summersett for the women.
Among the other Stanford athletes to pay close attention to is sophomore 400 hurdler Daniel Brady, who suffered sudden hearing loss last season, limiting his training. He didn’t hit his stride until late in the year, which he capped with a personal record 52.36 at the Pan Am Junior Championships in his native Canada in August. This will be his first 400 hurdles race since then.
Looking sharp in training has been Labrie-Smith, who will make her collegiate debut while running the 400 hurdles for the first time. In 2014, Labrie-Smith of San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic High School ran 42.24 in the 300 hurdles at the Arcadia Invitational to break a 31-year-old San Diego Section record held by Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers. Labrie-Smith dropped that time to 41.67 to win the California state title.
The final event, the men’s 4x400 relay, includes three Stanford teams. Most intriguing is an all-freshmen quartet of Maity, Ege, Westlund, and Espinosa. The relay that Stanford will field at the Big Meet and Pac-12 Championships is very much open. Jackson Shumway and Harrison Williams, low-47 runners who are idle this week, are presumed to be locks, but there will be a big fight for the other spots and a lot of candidates to fill them.
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Meet Information:
Hornet Invitational
Where: Sacramento, Calif.
Site: Hornet Stadium
Events begin:
Friday: 1 p.m.
Saturday: 9:30 a.m.
Full schedule: Click here.
Heat sheets: Click here.
Live results: Click here.
Twitter: @StanfordXCTF
Instagram: StanfordXCTF
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Stanford Schedule:
Friday
2:30 p.m. (approximate): Men’s hammer throw (Tristen Newman).
Saturday
9:45 a.m.: Men’s shot put (Tristen Newman).
10:30 a.m.: Women’s discus (Valarie Allman).
Followed by: Men’s discus (Nick Budincich).
11:15 a.m.: Women’s pole vault (Taylore Jaques, Jackie McNulty, Kaitlyn Merritt, Nicole Summersett).
Followed by: Men’s pole vault (Dylan Duvio, Dan Emery, Garrett Starkey).
11:15 a.m.: Men’s high jump (Trevor Rex).
11:25 a.m.: Women’s 1,500 (Danielle Katz, Julia Maxwell, Abbie McNulty).
11:45 a.m.: Men’s 1,500 (Jack Bordoni, Tai Dinger, Thomas Gibson, Adam Thorne).
12:30 p.m.: Men’s javelin (Charles Kerr, Andrew Rondema).
1:30 p.m.: Women’s shot put (Lena Giger).
1:35 p.m.: Women’s 100 (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Amber Lewis).
1:55 p.m.: Men’s 100 (Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Miguel Shaw).
2:25 p.m.: Women’s 800 (Maddy Berkson, Karina Shepard).
2:40 p.m.: Men’s 800 (Daniel Book, Brian Smith, Christian White).
3 p.m.: Women’s 400 hurdles (Hannah Labrie-Smith).
3:15 p.m.: Men’s 400 hurdles (Daniel Brady, Colin Dolese, Lucas Ege).
3:35 p.m.: Women’s 200 (Gaby Gayles, Amber Lewis, Missy Mongiovi).
3:55 p.m.: Men’s 200 (Frank Kurtz, Amit Maity, Miguel Shaw).
5 p.m.: Women’s 4x400 relay (Missy Mongiovi, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Hannah Labrie-Smith, Gaby Gayles).
5:10 p.m.: Men’s 4x400 relay (A: Colin Dolese, Daniel Brady, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Frank Kurtz; B: Amit Maity, Lucas Ege, Isaac Westlund, Zac Espinosa; C: Christian White, Brian Smith, Daniel Book, Tai Dinger).
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All-Americans Named
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Thirteen Stanford athletes received All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend. Earning their first All-America honors were first-teamers Justin Brinkley and Malika Waschmann in the men’s and women’s distance medley relays, respectively.
Here is the breakdown:
Men
First team: Justin Brinkley (distance medley relay), Tom Coyle (DMR), Sean McGorty (DMR, 3,000), Jackson Shumway (DMR), Harrison Williams (heptathlon).
Second team: Darian Brooks (triple jump).
Women
First team: Olivia Baker (800), Elise Cranny (DMR), Rebecca Mehra (DMR), Malika Waschmann (DMR), Kristyn Williams (DMR).
Second team: Vanessa Fraser (3,000), Claudia Saunders (800).
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Rainy opener
BERKELEY, Calif. – Before the indoor season was through, three Stanford athletes competed outdoors at the Cal Outdoor Opener on March 5.
In pouring rain at Cal’s Edwards Stadium, freshman Brian Smith, in his collegiate debut, was a close second to Cal’s Josh Lewis in the 800, 1:54.04 to 1:54.08. Stanford freshman Daniel Book was third in 1:55.45, and sophomore Christian Smith was ninth in 1:57.59.
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Top Programs
NEW ORLEANS – Each year the U.S. Track and Cross Country Coaches Association determines a Program of the Year for men and women based on their NCAA team placings in cross country, and indoor and outdoor track.
After the first two rounds – with only outdoor track and field left – Stanford is No. 3 among the men and No. 9 among the women. The only other schools with two top-nine teams are Arkansas, Oregon, and Washington.
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Recruit second at Nationals
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Thomas Ratcliffe, who signed a letter of intent to come to Stanford next fall, was second in the two mile at the New Balance Indoor Nationals at The Armory.
Ratcliffe, of Concord, Massachusetts, ran 8:57.86 -- a personal record by nine seconds -- to finish just behind winner Garek Bielaczyc of Salt Lake City, who set a national freshman record of 8:57.03.
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Looking ahead
STANFORD, Calif. – The Cardinal’s home opener will be the 40th running of the Stanford Invitational, on April 1-2 at Cobb Track and Angell Field.