SEATTLE – Stanford track and field athletes will be locked into several fascinating matchups as the Pac-12 Championships take place Saturday and Sunday at University of Washington.
They involve the likes of two-time defending Pac-12 men’s triple jump champion Darian Brooks, defending women’s discus champion Valarie Allman, Sean McGorty and Grant Fisher in the men’s 1,500, and Claudia Saunders in the women’s 800.
The Stanford women are seeking to crown a conference champion for the 20th consecutive year, the longest such streak in the conference, and could extend its streak of top-five team finishes to 21.
The Stanford men are loaded in the distances and stronger in the sprints/hurdles and jumps/pole vault. They seem poised for their first top-five men’s team finish since 2012.
Stanford is looking for strong team performances while also attempting to qualify as many as possible to the NCAA West Prelims, May 26-28 in Lawrence, Kansas. From there, the top 12 advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from June 8-11.
In its 122nd season of track and field, Stanford sends 56 athletes to the conference championships.
MEET INFORMATION:
What: Pac-12 Championships
Where: Seattle, Wash.
Site: Husky Track, University of Washington
Forecast: Saturday, chance of showers, high 72;
Sunday, chance of showers, high 65.
Events begin:
Saturday: Field, 10 a.m.; Running, 1 p.m.
Sunday: Field, 9 a.m.: Running, 1 p.m.
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FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Live results: Click here
Men’s Entries: Click here
Women’s Entries: Click here
Schedule: Click here
TV: Pac-12 Network
Tape delayed: Sunday, May 22, 9 a.m.
Pac-12 Top-10 lists: Click here
Stanford Men's All-Time Top-10: Click here
Stanford Women's All-Time Top-10: Click here
Stanford in USTFCCCA rankings:
Women - No. 8
Men - No. 17
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COACHING STAFF:
Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field: Chris Miltenberg, fourth season.
Associate Head Coach/Throws: Michelle Eisenreich, fourth season.
Assistant Coach/Jumps/Multis/Pole Vault: Michael Eskind, fourth season.
Assistant Coach/Sprints/Hurdles: Gabe Sanders, first season.
Assistant Coach/Men’s Distance: John Oliver, fourth season.
Assistant Coach/Women’s Distance: Elizabeth DeBole, second season.
* * *TOP SEEDS
Stanford athletes seeded among the top three, with their marks:
Men
5,000: Sean McGorty (No. 1, 13:24.25), Grant Fisher (No. 3, 13:39.42)
110 hurdles: Harrison Williams (No. 3, 13.88)
400 hurdles: Jackson Shumway (No. 2, 51.39)
4x400 relay: Stanford (No. 1, 3:05.59)
High jump: Dartis Willis II (No. 3, 7-2 ¼)
Pole vault: Dylan Duvio (No. 2, 17-2 ¾)
Women
400: Kristyn Williams (No. 2, 52.99), Olivia Baker (No. 3, 53.17)
800: Claudia Saunders (No. 2, 2:03.73)
1,500: Molly McNamara (No. 2, 4:15.22)
5,000: Vanessa Fraser (No. 1, 15:41.64), Elise Cranny (No. 2, 15:49.27)
4x400: Stanford (No. 3, 3:32.67)
Pole vault: Kaitlyn Merritt (No. 3, 13-5 ¼)
Discus: Valarie Allman (No. 3, 190-11)
Javelin: Mackenzie Little (No. 1, 183-4)
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TOP MATCHUPS:
Men’s 1,500: The last time Stanford's Sean McGorty and Washington's Izaic Yorks met in an individual race, was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation mile final, only a few yards away, at Washington’s Dempsey Indoor. York outleaned McGorty, 3:53.89 to McGorty 3:53.95, while producing the fastest American collegiate indoor times ever, no matter the track size. Yorks took the collegiate outdoor lead in the 1,500 with his 3:37.74 to win Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational on May 1. Also factoring into this race should be freshman Grant Fisher, in his first conference championship meet. Fisher, while racing unattached as an indoor redshirt, raced Yorks once before and beat him at the Husky Invitational indoor 3,000, with 7:50.06 on Feb. 13. McGorty is coming off a 13:24.25 performance in the 5,000 at the Payton Jordan, the fastest by a collegian this year and earned the Olympic qualifying standard.
Men’s triple jump: Stanford senior Darian Brooks has won the past two Pac-12 titles, but each victory came in dramatic fashion against foes whom he will face once again. In 2014, Brooks came from behind on the final jump of the entire competition to become Stanford’s first conference men’s triple jump champ since 1970. Brooks set lifetime bests on his final four jumps. Despite his career day, Brooks found himself trailing Arizona State’s Josh Dixon by ¾ of an inch with one jump left. Brooks responded with a 52-6 ¾ to win by 17 inches, breaking Allen Meredith’s longstanding Stanford mark of 52-3. In 2015, Brooks jumped 52-0 1/2 on his second jump, but had to withstand a late charge from his second cousin and high school teammate Casey Burns of Washington, who closed within four inches to finish second in a personal record 51-8. Burns and Arizona State’s Dixon are back, though USC’s Eric Sloan, fourth at the NCAA indoor championships, is not in the triple jump field. Brooks is a Seattle native out of Kennedy Catholic High.
Women’s discus: Stanford junior Valarie Allman is the defending champ, and is throwing better than ever, setting personal records in three of her five meets this year. However, she ranks only third in the field. USC’s Tera Novy, the runner-up to Allman last year, leads at 200-5. Arizona State sophomore Maggie Ewen, third at Pac-12’s last year, is seeded second at 193-7.
Women’s 800: This race features a rematch between the two top finishers at last year’s NCAA Championships. Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers outkicked Stanford’s Claudia Saunders down the homestretch to win in Eugene, though Saunders clocked a school record 2:00.63. Now, they race again. Stanford sophomore Olivia Baker, the collegiate leader in this event and the NCAA Indoor third-place finisher to Rogers’ first, is running the 400. Stanford has never had a Pac-12 women's 800 champion. The last time a Stanford runner won a women's outdoor conference 800 title was 1984, when Marcia Martin captured the WCAA.championship.
NOTABLE:
Men’s 4x400: Stanford enters as top seed in the field based on its school-record 3:05.59 at the Michael Johnson Invitational at Baylor. No other Pac-12 team has broken 3:08, though it’s likely many schools haven’t raced all out with their best lineups. Still, Stanford’s team of Harrison Williams, Frank Kurtz, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, and Jackson Shumway (45.3 anchor split) broke the mark of 3:06.6 set in 1978 by a team anchored by NFL Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton. If Stanford wins the Pac-12 title, it will mark its’ first conference championship victory in the 4x400 or its’ predecessor, the mile relay, since 1954. That’s when the then-Indians team of Keith Brownsberger, Gerry Wood, Larry Spicer, and Walt Garrett
clocked 3:15.5 to take the Pacific Coast Conference title. The location? Seattle.
Women’s javelin: Stanford freshman Mackenzie Little has competed in four meets, won three of them and was second in the other. Little has the longest throw in the Pac-12 field by 25 feet. She follows Brianna Bain, who won four conference javelin championships in four years at Stanford. It’s not inconceivable that Little – an Australian who won the 2013 World Youth Championships – could match Bain’s feat. At least she could extend Stanford’s javelin win streak to five. In her collegiate debut, Little threw 183-4, only six inches off Bain’s school record.
Men’s 5,000 and 10,000: Jim Rosa and Joe Rosa, Stanford fifth-year seniors and twins, are making their outdoor season debuts. The twins have combined for six All-America honors before being limited by injury the past two years. During cross country season, Jim Rosa placed sixth at the NCAA Championships and ran one indoor race, clocking 13:57.41 for fourth at the MPSF Championships. However, he has not raced collegiately outdoors on the track since placing sixth in the NCAA Outdoor 10,000 in 2014 while running a personal record 28:57.51. Joe raced five times during the cross-country season, but hasn’t raced collegiately on the track – indoors or outdoors – since he ran to a personal record 13:31.69 to finish seventh in the 5,000 at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene. This will be their one chance at achieving NCAA West Prelim qualifying times. As of now, the cutoff in the 5,000 is 14:01.55 and in the 10,000, it’s 29:42.32, though must faster times will be required. Each will likely run one event, though they both are entered in two.
Women’s 5,000: Aisling Cuffe is in a similar spot. She is racing against the clock to advance her collegiate season. The two-time Pac-12 cross country champion has been limited by injuries the past two years – she didn’t race at all during the 2014-15 academic year – and has raced once outdoors this season. That came at the Stanford Twilight meet when she finished third in the 5,000 in 16:16.02. She’s ranked 33rd now in the West. With 48 advancing, she’s probably on the bubble with her current time. Cuffe, after all, was the NCAA indoor and outdoor 5,000 runner-up in 2014 and was fourth at the U.S. Championships that same year. She’s entered in the 1,500 and 5,000, though it’s likely she’ll race just once.
Women’s 4x400 relay: Stanford has four runners who have broken 54 seconds in the 400 this season, something no other Pac-12 school can claim (USC and Arizona have three each). However, those four runners – senior Kristyn Williams (52.99), sophomore Olivia Baker (53.17), sophomore Gaby Gayles (53.59), and sophomore Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (53.82) – have not run a relay together this outdoor season. However, they did establish a Stanford indoor record of 3:33.78. This season’s best, a Stanford Invitational meet record of 3:32.67, included freshman Missy Mongiovi rather than Crunkleton Wilson and was the fourth-fastest in school history.
Women’s 5,000: Stanford has six women at 16:20 or faster. No other school in the country has more than four. Vanessa Fraser, a junior seeking her first conference title of any kind, has Stanford’s fastest 5,000 of 15:41.64. She also is entered in the 10,000.
Harrison's Day: Stanford sophomore Harrison Williams, the school decathlon record holder, did not compete in the Pac-12 decathlon last week, preferring to save his next for the NCAA Championships. However, Williams will be active this weekend, competing in the pole vault, 110 high hurdles, and 4x400 relay.
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STANFORD'S SCHEDULE:
Saturday
10 a.m.: Men’s hammer trials/final (Tristen Newman)
12:30 p.m.: Women’s long jump trials/final (Gaby Gayles, Marisa Kwiatkowski)
12:30 p.m.: Women’s shot put trials/final (Lena Giger)
1 p.m.: Men’s pole vault final (Dylan Duvio, Garrett Starkey, Harrison Williams)
1 p.m.: Women’s javelin trials/final (Mackenzie Little, Victoria Smith)
1 p.m.: Women’s 4x100 relay (team TBA)
1:25 p.m.: Women’s 1,500 trials (Maddy Berkson, Elise Cranny, Aisling Cuffe, Molly McNamara, Rebecca Mehra)
1:40 p.m.: Men’s 1,500 trials (Justin Brinkley, Tom Coyle, Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty, Patrick Perrier)
2 p.m.: Women’s high jump trials/final (Rachel Reichenbach)
2:15 p.m.: Men’s 110 hurdles trials (Harrison Williams)
2:35 p.m.: Women’s 400 trials (Olivia Baker, Gaby Gayles, Missy Mongiovi, Kaitlyn Williams, Kristyn Williams)
3:05 p.m.: Women’s 100 trials (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson)
3:20 p.m.: Men’s 100 trials (Isaiah Brandt-Sims)
3:35 p.m.: Women’s 800 trials (Anna Laman, Claudia Saunders, Malika Waschmann)
3:50 p.m.: Men’s 800 trials (Tai Dinger, Brian Smith)
4 p.m.: Men’s shot put trials/final (Tristen Newman)
4 p.m.: Men’s javelin trials/final (Charles Kerr, Andrew Rondema)
4:05 p.m.: Women’s 3,000 steeplechase final (Danielle Katz)
4:25 p.m.: Men’s 3,000 steeplechase final (Steven Fahy)
4:45 p.m.: Women’s 400 hurdles trials (Hannah Labrie-Smith)
5 p.m.: Men’s 400 hurdles trials (Daniel Brady, Colin Dolese, Jackson Shumway)
5:15 p.m.: Women’s 200 trials (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson)
5:30 p.m.: Men’s 200 trials (Isaiah Brandt-Sims)
5:45 p.m.: Women’s 10,000 final (Vanessa Fraser, Abbie McNulty)
6:30 p.m.: Men’s 10,000 final (Jack Keelan, Jim Rosa, Joe Rosa, Garrett Sweatt, Sam Wharton)
Sunday
9 a.m.: Women’s hammer trials/final (Valarie Allman, Lena Giger)
11:30 a.m.: Women’s triple jump trials/final (Carla Forbes, Marisa Kwiatkowski)
Noon: Women’s discus trials/final (Valarie Allman)
1 p.m.: Women’s pole vault final (Kaitlyn Merritt)
1 p.m.: Women’s 4x100 final
1:20 p.m.: Women’s 1,500 final
1:30 p.m.: Men’s 1,500 final
1:55 p.m.: Men’s 110 hurdles final
2 p.m.: Men’s high jump final (Dartis Willis II)
2:05 p.m.: Women’s 400 final
2:15 p.m.: Men’s 400 final
2:25 p.m.: Women’s 100 final
2:30 p.m.: Men’s triple jump trials/final (Darian Brooks, Jaak Uudmae)
2:35 p.m.: Men’s 100 final
2:45 p.m.: Women’s 800 final
2:55 p.m.: Men’s 800 final
3:10 p.m.: Women’s 400 hurdles final
3:20 p.m.: Men’s 400 hurdles final
3:35 p.m.: Women’s 200 final
3:45 p.m.: Men’s 200 final
3:55 p.m.: Women’s 5,000 final (Elise Cranny, Aisling Cuffe, Emma Fisher, Vanessa Fraser, Danielle Katz, Molly McNamara, Abbie McNulty, Rebecca Mehra)
4:20 p.m.: Men’s 5,000 final (Justin Brinkley, Tom Coyle, Tai Dinger, Steven Fahy, Grant Fisher, Jack Keelan, Sean McGorty, Patrick Perrier, Jim Rosa, Joe Rosa, Garrett Sweatt, Sam Wharton)
4:45 p.m.: Women’s 4x400 relay (team TBA)
5 p.m.: Men’s 4x400 relay (team TBA)
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NCAA WEST PRELIMS
Stanford athletes in NCAA West Prelims qualifying position going into this weekend (top 48 advance in individual events, and 24 on relays):
Men
800: Justin Brinkley (No. 39), Tai Dinger (No. 41).
1,500: Sean McGorty (No. 8), Tom Coyle (No. 14), Grant Fisher (No. 18), Justin Brinkley (No. 25).
Steeplechase: Steven Fahy (No. 25).
5,000: Sean McGorty (No. 1), Grant Fisher (No. 6), Jack Keelan (No. 9), Collin Leibold (No. 19).
10,000: Sam Wharton (No. 37).
110 HH: Harrison Williams (No. 16).
400 IH: Jackson Shumway (No. 18), Colin Dolese (No. 48).
4x400 relay: Stanford (No. 8).
High jump: Dartis Willis II (No. 10).
Pole vault: Dylan Duvio (No. 19), Garrett Starkey (No. 40).
Triple jump: Darian Brooks (No. 20).
Shot put: Tristen Newman (No. 32).
Javelin: Andrew Rondema (No. 43), Charles Kerr (No. 47).
Decathlon: Harrison Williams (No. 3).
Women
400: Kristyn Williams (No. 14), Olivia Baker (No. 15), Gaby Gayles (No. 22), Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (No. 28).
800: Olivia Baker (No. 1), Claudia Saunders (No. 6), Molly McNamara (No. 9), Elise Cranny (No. 39).
1,500: Molly McNamara (No. 5), Claudia Saunders (No. 8), Elise Cranny (No. 10), Malika Waschmann (No. 11), Vanessa Fraser (No. 29), Rebecca Mehra (No. 46).
Steeplechase: Danielle Katz (No. 21).
5,000: Vanessa Fraser (No. 4), Elise Cranny (No. 5), Danielle Katz (No. 25), Aisling Cuffe (No. 33), Julia Maxwell (No. 37), Emma Fisher (No. 46).
10,000: Abbie McNulty (No. 48).
4x400 relay: Stanford (No. 12).
High jump: Rachel Reichenbach (No. 48).
Pole vault: Kaitlyn Merritt (No. 24).
Long jump: Daryth Gayles (No. 13).
Triple jump: Carla Forbes (No. 30), Marisa Kwiatkowski (No. 30).
Shot put: Lena Giger (No. 20).
Discus: Valarie Allman (No. 6).
Hammer: Valarie Allman (No. 15).
Javelin: Mackenzie Little (No. 3).