BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – Stanford incoming freshman Christina Aragon will compete at the IAAF World Junior Championships, which begin Tuesday for those under 20.
Aragon, a recent graduate of Billings (Mont.) Senior High School, is coming off a strong performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials, reaching the semifinals and coming within 0.79 seconds of the final. Aragon ran 4:09.27 at the Portland Track Festival in June and 4:11.24 at Stanford's Payton Jordan meet on May 1. She is the third-fastest high school runner of all-time at 1,500, trailing only Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson, and the fourth-fastest American junior (19 and under) ever.
Aragon again faces Efraimson, who has a best of 4:03.39 and outdueled Aragon for the U.S. junior title. The World field also includes German senior champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Ethiopia's Adanech Anbesa and Fantu Worku, who set lifetime bests of 4:05.22 and 4:05.84 last month.
Live Results link: Iaaf.org
Schedule (all times Pacific):
Friday
2:20 a.m. – Women's 1,500 prelims (Christina Aragon).
Sunday
7:45 a.m. – Women's 1,500 final.
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NACAC Under-23 Championships
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Two Cardinal -- Olivia Baker and Daniel Brady – competed at the NACAC Under-23 Championships, a meet determining the best from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Baker, the NCAA outdoor 800 runner-up as a sophomore last season, was sixth in the 800 in 2:08.77. The race was won by Cuba's Lisneydis Veitia in a meet record 2:02.02. Baker, representing the U.S., most recently competed at the Olympic Trials, advancing to the semifinals.
Brady, representing Canada, was fifth in his heat of the 400 hurdles in 51.93, missing the final by one place. However, it was a personal record for Brady, bettering the 51.96 he ran to place third at the Canadian Championships last week. The time strengthens Brady's hold at No. 10 on Stanford's all-time performers' list. He will be a junior next season.
Stanford's Results:
Saturday
Men
400 hurdles prelims – Ht. 1: 5 (10th overall), Daniel Brady (Canada), 51.93, did not advance to final.
Sunday
Women
800 final – 1, Lisneydis Veitia (Cuba), 2:02.02 (meet record); 6, Olivia Baker (U.S.), 2:08.77.
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Nacht van de Atletiek
HEUSDEN-ZOLDER, Belgium – Aisling Cuffe got her first taste of the European circuit by competing at the Nacht van de Atletiek meet. Cuffe, who earned the eighth All-America honor of her collegiate career last month as a fifth-year senior, placed eighth in the 5,000 at 15:36.12, her second-fastest time of the season. Cuffe ran in her Stanford uniform.
Saturday
Women
5,000 – 8, Aisling Cuffe (U.S.), 15:36.12.
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Monaco Herculis
MONTE CARLO, Monaco – Katerina Stefanidi '12 continued her outstanding season by winning the pole vault at the Herculis meet at 15-9 ¼, the same height that earned her the European title last week in Amsterdam.
Stefanidi, the 2012 NCAA indoor and outdoor champ who will represent Greece at the Olympic Games next month, won for the third time in Diamond League competition this year. She also has victories at the Golden Gala in Rome and Mohammed VI d'Athletisme in Rabat, Morocco.
In Monaco, she opened with a clearance at 15-3, passed to 15-7 ¼, which she made on her first attempt, and then got 15-9 ¼ on her first try. She was unsuccessful at a lifetime best of 16-2.
Friday
Women
Pole vault – 1, Katerina Stefanidi (Greece), 15-9 ¼ (4.81m).
