STANFORD, Calif. – Often the best sports stories are the ones that go beyond the mere results and add a context of something deeper.
That certainly was the case with Stanford’s results at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships last weekend in Seattle. The Cardinal won six events and competed well throughout, but the team’s achievements also brought to light some fascinating backstories and historical context that enhanced the meaning of those achievements.
Here are a few:
* * *
Cranny and Mehra overcome adversity
The Race:
The move was dramatic and decisive. With 150 meters left in the women’s 1,500, Stanford senior Rebecca Mehra burst from a crowded pack to pass leader Anna Maxwell of Washington, only for Cardinal sophomore Elise Cranny to slingshot past to win. Cranny clocked 4:17.72 and Mehra 4:18.38.
“It was starting to really speed up with 500 to go,” Mehra said. “I knew I had to get around people and get into position. I love kicking races, so it was, ‘Here we go. It’s my time.’ I saw Anna starting to go on 300. I went with her and I started to push it.”
Said Cranny, “We train together, so seeing her be able to make that move and go I knew to just follow her and stay with her. We do everything together. That definitely gave me a lot of confidence, because if she was going, I knew I can go too.”
Said Mehra, “if anyone’s going to outkick me, I’m glad it’s going to be my teammate. I’m really freaking happy for her. It’s been a hard year, and she’s showing that you can come back and be strong or better.”
The Story:
Both had experienced ups and downs during this academic year and the Pac-12 result was a validation of their ability stay focused on the process rather than get discouraged at their struggles. Cranny missed cross country season with a back injury and put pressure on herself to quickly return to the form she showed as an NCAA 1,500 finalist and four-time All-America as a freshman.
After the race, Cranny credited the inspiration provided by her teammates, and later revealed a specific moment that she feels has changed her approach. It happened not long after Cranny finished eighth in the 3,000 at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor championships – running 20 seconds slower than she had in finishing second in the event at the NCAA Indoor the year before while setting an American junior indoor record of 8:58.88.
It was only her second race since returning from injury two weeks earlier, but Cranny was determined to run fast enough to qualify individually to the NCAA Indoor Championships, but fell far short.
“That was a moment where I was extremely discouraged,” Cranny said.
A week later, teammate Aisling Cuffe, a two-time Pac-12 cross country champion who had overcome a similar injury, had dinner with Cranny and was able to offer some perspective.
“When we were talking about racing, she was so positive and she reminded me that it’s the best part of our sport,” Cranny said. “I was talking through being stressed about the outcome of the race and she reminded me to just race and do the best you can on that day -- to not be afraid of the outcome but to enjoy each race you have and work on just being a little bit better each race.
“This was so helpful because I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to be back running really fast times right away, but both Aisling and Molly McNamara have demonstrated the importance of patience. Getting better little by little each day.
“I think this weekend I was finally able to let go of the concern over how the race would play out and just trust that the race would help with my development as a runner in the long run. It was incredible to race this way because I felt relaxed, calm, and much less stressed than I had in previous races.”
For Mehra, her season took a turn for the worse shortly after she was at the top of her game. She anchored Stanford to third in the distance medley relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships, but, soon after, became sick and missed much training and had been laboring to return to top fitness since.
“This season’s been kind of rough, but I knew I couldn’t get down on myself,” Mehra said. “I’ve done it before. I’ve been through injuries and sicknesses and pretty much everything you could think of. I knew if I kept confident and understood the great runners I’m training with, like Molly and Elise … I know if I’m training with them, I can do it too.”
Adding to the demands of the weekend for Mehra was the upcoming presentation of her honors thesis, which she presented Tuesday morning. An international relations major, Mehra, who is half Indian, was provided a grant to research her paper, titled “Connecting the Drops: The Negotiation of the Indus Water Treaty,” about a water-distribution treaty signed in 1960 between enemies India and Pakistan, yet is regarded as one of the most successful of its kind.
Mehra, a senior who plans to use a fifth-year of eligibility next year, also understands Cranny’s experiences.
“Injuries can be very difficult to come back from, even more so emotionally than physically in many cases,” Mehra said. “But I’ve been very proud of how high she has held her head through all of this. I’ve done my best over the years to set an example of bouncing back when the going gets tough, and I think as a very young collegiate athlete she has done the same thing. I have been so lucky to call her my teammate, and I really think we’ve helped each other grow both as runners and people in so many ways.”
* * *
Support key to Brooks' success
The Competition:
Darian Brooks seemed in complete control. In his two previous triple jump victories at the Pac-12 Championships, drama was king. On the last jump of the competition in 2014, Brooks rallied not only to win, but to break a 44-year-old school record. In 2015, he watched his second cousin and high school teammate, Washington’s Casey Burns, close within four inches late in the competition before holding on.
This time, with both Burns and Arizona State’s Josh Dixon back in the field – Dixon was the jumper who held the lead in 2014 – Brooks made his second jump count (51-11 ¾) and again faced a late challenge, this time by Arizona State’s Tim White, before holding on. But despite the late change, Brooks never seemed in danger of losing. His last jump was his best, but lost distance on the landing.
“It was a little different,” Brooks said. “I came in with a little more confidence. But, again, the field is packed. With that confidence, there’s a little bit of nervousness, and a little bit of fear that you’ve got to tap into. Being at home, I’ve got to put on a face that says, ‘I can do this,’ or I’m going to scare my mom to death.”
Brooks became the second in conference history to win three men’s triple jump titles, joining Luther Hayes of USC (1959-61) as the only to accomplish the feat. The list of greats who did not includes former world-record holder and three-time Olympian Willie Banks, 1976 Olympic silver medalist James Butts, and NCAA champion and football star Kermit Alexander – all of UCLA.
However, back in February, it didn’t look like it would be this easy. Brooks was fourth at the MPSF Championships behind the two Arizona State jumpers and winner Eric Sloan of USC. Both Sloan and Oregon’s Nate Moore would finish among the top five at NCAA Indoors and the Pac-12 title would seemingly come down to a battle royale. Instead, an injured Sloan, and Moore, didn’t compete.
“Coming into this season, this was probably the toughest field for the Pac-12 we’ve had,” Brooks said. “Not having those guys here kind of hurt me because I wanted to have a really tough competition. It brings out PR’s and it hits the heart more. This win was nice, it feels good. I’m not ungrateful, but I wanted to do a little better than that.”
The Story:
Brooks is from Seattle and it seemed appropriate that his unprecedented accomplishment came in his hometown in front of family, friends, and his high school English teacher, David Vinson, all screaming “Let’s Go, ‘Rocket!’”
“I am extremely proud of Darian and so very honored and blessed to be his mother,” wrote Kim Brooks, in an e-mail. “Every time I watch Darian compete I am overwhelmingly filled with joy and admiration of him. For this meet in particular, we had been discussing getting a third win for some time and so for him to get that third title here at home with family and friends watching made it even more special.”
Back at Kennedy Catholic High School, Brooks expressed an interest in aeronautical engineering and early on began researching the best universities. He discovered Stanford was among the best. That, and his connection with then-coach Edrick Floreal convinced Brooks that Stanford was the best choice.
In fact, Brooks did not apply to any other school, so convinced he was of his fit for Stanford.
“As you may imagine, that put me edge a bit,” Kim wrote. “I always asked him ‘What's Plan B?’ In this case, he had none and quite honestly was adamant that he didn't need one, so I trusted my son. It just showed that Darian had every faith and confidence that he would be accepted into Stanford. His hard work and determination is what makes him the man that he is.”
Part of the reason for that effort came from Vinson. He saw the potential in Brooks and encouraged him to aim high, and not to get discouraged through the grinding standardized test process.
“I cannot say enough about the amount of support and encouragement David Vinson has provided to Darian over the years,” Kim wrote. “David has gone above and beyond my expectations as a high school teacher. I truly wish there were more David Vinsons in the world. He cares and is consistent with not only his support but his friendship. Mr. Vinson not only provided his senior high school class with the educational knowledge specific to college applications, he went above and beyond to assure the application was mailed!”
Throughout Brooks’ collegiate career, Vinson has attended every meet in Seattle, which numbers several a year because of the many meets at University of Washington’s indoor facility, and continues to check in with Darian and visit when he is home.
“As for my decision to come to Stanford and accept the challenge, it was a combination of my parents and Mr. Vinson, that really pushed me,” said Brooks, who has been coached by Michael Eskind the past four years and will graduate in June with a psychology degree. “I am extremely grateful to all three of them because Stanford is where I belong and I couldn't be any happier at any other school or any other team.”
Kim agrees.
“As a mom, I had reservations with my baby leaving the state at first. But I am very happy with Stanford and what it’s provided. Over the last 4-5 years Darian's growth has shown each time he has come home.”
With that, Darian wanted to pass along a message to his parents and high school teacher: “Thank you,” he said.
* * *
Relay team ends 62-year winless streak
The Race:
The Stanford lineup for the Pac-12 men’s 4x400 relay was comprised of a decathlete, a freshman in eligibility who hadn’t raced an open 400 for five weeks, a short sprinter, and a former walk-on intermediate hurdler.
Of the eight teams in the field, Stanford was the only one that did not have an entry in the open 400. Arizona had two of the top five in the 400, Oregon had two of the top six including winner Marcus Chambers, and USC had runner-up Ricky Morgan Jr.
Yet Stanford won. Not only won, but led from start to finish.
Harrison Williams opened with a 46.8, Frank Kurtz split 47.3, Isaiah Brandt-Sims ran 47.4, and Jackson Shumway, the most decorated of the four at the meet with a runner-up 400 hurdles finish, anchored with a 46.3.
It amounted to a 3:08.13 – good for a 0.57 gap on second-place Arizona – and Stanford’s first 4x400 or mile relay conference victory since 1954.
“I didn’t know that,” Williams, the Stanford decathlon record-holder said immediately after the race. “It’s pretty cool, I’m glad we could bring it home.”
Stanford was the favorite based on its school-record 3:05.59, run April 23 – the most recent race Kurtz competed in – at Baylor’s Michael Johnson Invitational. But there certainly were no guarantees.
“We figured we’d be able to get it done no matter what happened,” Shumway said. “And that’s pretty much what we did. We all work pretty hard. Students of the game, I guess.”
The race wasn’t without drama. Brandt-Sims held off charges by both Arizona and Arizona State.
“I definitely could feel them behind me on the backstretch,” said Brandt-Sims, who raced the 100 and 200 and was a receiver on Stanford’s Rose Bowl-winning football team last season. “I had to push through it and not let them pass me.”
Shumway felt pressure from Arizona’s Miles Parish, the third-place 400 finisher, but eventually pulled away.
“It was like, Just go away, just get off me,” Shumway said. “I just tried to turn on the jets right there and get him off me. He stuck with me for about 50 meters and then I got rid of him. It felt pretty good to feel him drop off and to finish it up.”
The Story:
The victory and the end of the Pac-12 relay drought is impressive enough, but the real story is that it almost never happened.
On the final exchange, Brandt-Sims reached with his left hand to place the baton in the outstretched palm of Shumway’s left.
“I recall Isaiah and I being a little too far away, but I knew I had to get moving,” Shumway said.
But, somehow, the baton missed Shumway.
“My stomach dropped a little bit,” Williams recalled.
"I was so focused on watching his hand I didn’t end up bringing the baton quite high enough so he could easily grab it and run," Brandt-Sims said.
Fortunately, Brandt-Sims still had it, but over the next three strides, the handoff and the race, was on the brink.
The only option to keeping momentum and not coming to a complete stop was a blind handoff. As Brandt-Sims continued to reach forward while keeping the baton in a stationary position, Shumway reached backward and fished for the stick before snagging it in an awkward backhand grip. Meanwhile, Brandt-Sims waited as long as he could before letting go, making sure it was secure in Shumway’s hand.
"Jack’s first attempt to grab the baton missed but then I got the baton touching his wrist so he could feel it," Brandt-Sims said. "Immediately, he seemed to know he had it because he turned his head and started to take off. Then in a flash he had wrapped his hand around the baton and left."
“I actually turned around and started running and just hoped Isaiah would be able to get the stick in my hand,” Shumway said. “It ended up being a pretty fast exchange because I was already moving pretty fast by the time the stick was in my hand.”
And the race was history.
Stanford’s first victory in 62 years seems impressive enough, but consider that in all those years, Stanford had not even finished second either. The team’s best conference finishes were third in 2010, 2002, 1996, 1977, 1962, and 1955. Otherwise, Stanford’s finishes are mostly littered with seventh, eighth, ninth, and even 10th-place finishes.
When the Cardinal broke the school-record last month, it broke the mark held by the 1978 team anchored by NFL Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton. That team was fourth in the Pac-8.
Like this year’s team, the 1954 quartet won in Seattle, though it was the the Pacific Coast Conference then. The team of Keith Brownsberger, Gerry Wood, Larry Spicer, and Walt Garrett clocked 3:15.5 in what was the mile relay.
Until that point, it was a fairly regular occurrence. Stanford also won conference mile relay titles in 1950, 1948, 1940, 1931, 1929, 1926, 1925, and 1919. That’s nine in 36 years. Now, subtract years in which there was no conference meet or Stanford didn’t participate and the numbers are nine in 26 years, or, roughly one title every three years.
The Stanford women’s 4x400 also ended a drought. The Cardinal hadn’t finished higher than third since the 2006 team of Idara Otu, Nashonme Johnson, Janice Davis, and Chauntae Bayne-Hackett won the Pac-10 title.
This year’s squad was second in 3:36.19. The team was, with their splits, in order: Gaby Gayles (53.9), Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (54.5), Claudia Saunders (55.2), and Olivia Baker (52.0).
Unlike the men, Stanford is loaded in the 400, which was won by Baker. Three Stanford runners, including Gayles in fifth and Kristyn Williams in sixth, scored. In fact, the Cardinal has four who have run under 54 seconds in the open 400 this year, more than any other Pac-12 team.
* * *
Baker wins 400
The Race:
When interviewed earlier this season about being a half-miler, Stanford sophomore Olivia Baker, the fastest collegian in the country this year at 2:01.02, corrected the questioner. She hasn’t given up the 400, she said. There is room for both.
Those weren’t just hollow words. Baker, one of the nation’s fastest quartermilers coming out of high school, proved it Sunday with her come-from-behind victory in the 400 at Pac-12’s.
USC’s Kendall Ellis got off to a hot start and took a lead of more than 10 meters into the homestretch. But while Ellis paid for her fast early pace, Baker gained strength. With each stride, Baker gained ground and finally caught Ellis just before the finish line, winning in 53.20.
“What Coach (Gabe Sanders) always says is, ‘The first 200 is about execution, the last 200 is about is about racing,’” Baker said. “I was focused on getting the 200 strong, controlled, and composed, and then the last 200 was a fight to the fight to the finish.
The Story:
Baker couldn’t have pulled off the rally if it wasn’t for the 800.
“I was just staying within striking distance,” Baker said. “Going into the last 100, I definitely felt like she was within reach. Being an 800 runner, I knew that the stronger part of my race would be the back end, and that even if people passed me on the front end, I knew I would be one of the strongest closers in the field.
“I just dig, and never give up, because you never know. The race isn’t over until you run the full 400 meters.
* * *
Allman repeats as discus champ
The Competition:
Stanford junior Valarie Allman found herself as the defending women’s discus champion, but with the third-best mark coming into the competition.
Still, it didn’t seem to matter. Allman unleashed a throw of 188-11 on her second try, and her two main rivals could not keep up. USC’s Tera Novy, who has a throw of 200-5 this season, took a first-throw lead of 186-7, but followed with foot fouls on her five remaining throws.
Arizona State’s Maggie Ewen, who earlier won the hammer to Allman’s second, threw 181-8 on her first throw, but failed to mount a rally after Allman took her first lead, which held to the end.
The Story:
This was a big day for a pair of roommates. Allman and Cranny, whose high schools in Boulder County, Colorado, are only six miles apart, live together in the Mirrielees House on campus and will room together again next year.
Allman likens their friendship to “an old married couple.” Though their events differ, they share a similar outlook and ability to perform in the clutch. When asked for the biggest reason she won the competition, Allman said, “I went in with the mentality Coach Milt has been providing, which was to go in and compete tough.”
She credits the ability to perform to the base plan that she put in with associate head coach Michelle Eisenreich and the strength work laid out by performance coach Allison Bradshaw.
“Together, we’ve worked on my technique, strength, mental capacity, and discipline,” Allman said. “They’ve empowered me to be able to go up against some of the best competition in the country.”
She wasn’t alone.