EUGENE, Ore. – A pair of Stanford sophomores – Elise Cranny in the 1,500 and Olivia Baker in the 800 -- earned runner-up finishes Saturday to lead the Cardinal women to seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
Stanford used four top-four finishes, including Valarie Allman’s third (discus) and Claudia Saunders’ fourth (800), on a day of women’s only finals. The Cardinal scored 29 points, its’ highest place and point total in three years. Stanford’s combined 44 points for men and women was the most for the program since 2011.
Cranny set a school record of 4:09.534 to place second by 0.004 to Mississippi State’s Marta Freitas (4:09.530). Cranny nearly stole the victory by nearly catching Freitas, who prematurely raised her arms in triumph meters before crossing the line, not realizing that Cranny had closed considerably down the homestretch.
“I saw her beginning to celebrate before the line, which made me think I could catch her,” Cranny said. But we were already at the line. I would have had 10 more meters.”
The race was a huge breakthrough for Cranny, who ran 4:10.95 in high school, but just now is understanding the importance of staying calm and relaxed in pressure situations. That was her approach in Saturday’s final, to stick to the rail while on Freitas’ inside shoulder. The only problem was the gap Freitas opened early on the homestretch, one that seemed insurmountable.
“I wish I could go back and redo the part between 150 and 100 to go, because I let her go a little bit, which made it more difficult to try to get her,” Cranny said. “I didn’t really think I would end up that close, because there was quite a gap and she was moving. But the crowd was awesome, so I kept sprinting, trying to get as close as I could.”
Though the race was so close, the end result was positive for Cranny.
“I was super excited to run a best time and excited that I wasn’t focused on time,” Cranny said. “As Coach (Chris Miltenberg) says, the time will come if you just compete. I just wanted to compete and put myself in the race. It’s a little bittersweet to have been so close, but I’m happy because I fought hard all the way to the end, which is something Coach Milt always tells us.”
Cranny broke the Stanford record of 4:10.23 set in 2009 by Lauren Centrowitz, and matched Stanford’s highest finish in that event, by Sally Glynn in 2001.
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Baker happy, but needs to be “better”
In the 800, Olivia Baker shotgunned around the final turn to pass three runners, including Claudia Saunders, in pursuit of Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers, who won her second consecutive NCAA outdoor title. Baker ran 2:05.65 and Saunders, the runner-up the past two years, was fourth in 2:02.99.
Saunders and Baker were fourth and fifth with 200 to go when Rogers made her move. Saunders tried to respond, but was unable. Meanwhile, Baker went wide off the turn with the best kick of any competitor not named Rogers, to earn her highest NCAA individual finish, improving upon her third-place at NCAA Indoors.
“I’m definitely happy with a second place,” Baker said. “However, I still have some work to do to get that first place.”
Baker said she knew she had “get out of the box,” with 200 left, but wasn’t able to until she came off the turn.
“But it was too late to make a run for first place,” she said. “I saw Raevyn make a move at 150 and knew that I needed to go, but by the time I made some space for myself, she was too far ahead.”
Baker has made incredible strides this season after being primarily a 400 runner in high school. She made the NCAA’s last year, but did not reach the final. This year, besides her success indoors, Baker ran the fastest collegiate time (2:01.02) until Rogers’ 2:00.75 in Saturday’s race, has reached the Olympic standard and will race in the Olympic Trials next month.
“I feel like this season, I’ve gotten to a point in my training at which I’m fast enough to compete with anyone in the U.S. going into the Olympic Trials,” Baker said. “I just need to become a better tactical racer.”
The race also marked the third consecutive year that Stanford has placed second in the race. The 800 has been a Stanford strength. Stanford has had seven finalists in the past four years. Since 2013, Stanford runners have placed second three times, third, fourth, and sixth twice. The constant has been Saunders, who finishes her collegiate career with three top-four NCAA outdoor finishes.
Stanford, however, still is seeking its first NCAA women’s 800 title.
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Three lifetime bests for Allman
Valarie Allman broke set lifetime bests three times before finishing the discus with a top throw of 201-6. Allman opened with a personal record 195-6 to take the lead, and 200 for the first time, with a mammoth 201-1 to extend her advantage after two rounds.
A third-round toss of 203-10 gave Wisconsin’s Kelsey Card the lead for good, but Allman improved to 201-6 on her first attempt of the finals, only to be overtaken for second in the next round on a 201-7 throw by Florida State’s Kellion Knibb. Allman , who was fifth last year, strengthened her hold at the No. 2 spot on Stanford’s all-time performers’ list with her performance.
“Today was the combination of everything everyone has invested in me to help me succeed,” Allman said. “We knew if everything came together, that we could see some big throws, but the recurring theme was to stay patient.
“Being able to break 200 is something that has been a big mental barrier, and I’m still in a state of awe that it actually happened.”
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Cuffe and Fraser compete well
Fifth-year senior Aisling Cuffe tried to intensify a dangerously slow pace by taking the lead a mile in. Midway through, Vanessa Fraser moved up to Cuffe’s shoulder to give Stanford a 1-2 front. However, Arkansas’ Dominique Scott pulled in front with 500 left and the pack swallowed Cuffe and Fraser, who finished ninth and 13th, respectively, in 16:08.56 and 16:21.35.
The race was the last in the collegiate career of Cuffe, an eight-time All-America, two-time Pac-12 cross country champion, and two-time NCAA 5,000 runner-up. Fraser earned her fourth All-America honor and matched her 13th place of last year.
The Stanford women competing Saturday took much inspiration from their teammates, not only in performance, but in how they competed and put themselves on the line to the very end.
“Seeing Elise, Olivia, and Claudia do so well was incredible,” said Allman, who was throwing during the 800 and 1,500 races. “Their success was so motivating and energizing. There is no better feeling than wearing the Stanford uniform, and today is one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
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NCAA Championships
At Hayward Field, Eugene
Saturday results of events with Stanford competitors
Women
Final team scores – 1, Arkansas 72; 2, Oregon 62; 3, Georgia 41; 4, Texas 36; 5, Texas A&M 35, 6, LSU 31; 7 (tie), Stanford, Kansas State, 29; 9 (tie), USC, Florida, 28.
800 – 1, Raevyn Rogers (Oregon) 2:00.75; 2, Olivia Baker (Stanford) 2:02.65; 3, Shea Collinsworth (BYU) 2:02.83; 4, Claudia Saunders (Stanford) 2:02.99.
1,500 – 1, Marta Freitas (Mississippi State) 4:09.53; 2, Elise Cranny (Stanford) 4:09.54 (school record); 3, Dana Giordano (Dartmouth) 4:11.86.
5,000 – 1, Dominique Scott (Arkansas) 15:57.07; 2, Aurora Dybedokken (Oklahoma State) 16:00.81; 3, Karissa Schweizer (Missouri) 16:02.82; 9, Aisling Cuffe (Stanford) 16:08.56; 13, Vanessa Fraser (Stanford) 16:21.35.
Discus – 1, Kelsey Card (Wisconsin) 208-5 (63.52m); 2, Kellion Knibb (Florida State) 201-7 (61.44m); 3, Valarie Allman (Stanford) 201-6 (61.42m) (No. 2 Stanford all-time).