Photo of Christina Aragon by Bob Drebin/ISIphotos.com.
STANFORD, Calif. – The essence of 42 years of the Stanford Invitational boiled down to Olivia Baker.
Running the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay, the Stanford junior took the baton 20 meters behind the leader and ran her down, grinding out the final 100 in a gritty side-by-side battle with North Dakota State on Saturday.
On a weekend that served essentially as the opening of the outdoor track and field season around the country, there was little to be gained specifically from this race, not for NCAA qualifying purposes anyway.
But Baker thought only of winning. She ran a blazing 51.8 split and by doing so proved something to the hundreds high school athletes on hand during a meet that drew 2,500 college and prep competitors over two days of competition at Cobb Track and Angell Field.
John McKeeman, a former Stanford track athlete now coaching Cupertino's Monta Vista High, summed it up by saying, "I hope my team learned something from Olivia Baker today," he said. "Even if you're tired, you have something more to give."
Stanford won its second consecutive Stanford Invitational 4x400, with the team of Missy Mongiovi, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Hannah Labrie-Smith, and Baker ran 3:37.14, edging the Bison by 0.01 – thanks to Baker.
The display was reminiscent of last year's Pac-12 400 final in Seattle, when Baker won in the same manner, through strength and grit, to win the title. A seven-time All-America and recent NCAA indoor 800 finalist, Baker won the Stanford Invite 400 on Friday.
"Olivia loves to compete," Stanford sprints/hurdles coach Gabe Sanders. "It doesn't matter if it's a meet or a workout. A training session on its own is not a means to an end. She's thinking, How is this going to make me a better competitor? And it's infectious.
"What a great way to end the weekend for us."
Baker has much in common with two teammates – freshman Christina Aragon and senior Malika Waschmann – who had notable performances this weekend.
Aragon made her Stanford track debut Saturday in the 800 in her first outdoor race since becoming the first American woman to medal at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships, winning bronze in the 1,500 in Poland in July.
Aragon was third in the second-fastest of five sections, running 2:07.88 to place 13th overall. She later ran a leg on the Stanford 'B' team in the 4x400. There certainly are expectations for Aragon after high school senior season that was prolonged by an Olympic Trials semifinals berth and the World U-20 Championships, and this seemed a good way to begin her collegiate career.
"This 800 was a race to shock the system a little bit and to get the wheels turning," Aragon said. "I haven't done too much track stuff yet. An 800 was a good opportunity, to really rev it up a little bit and get my season started."
Aragon completed the race, working hard down the stretch, and still barely breathing hard moments after the finish.
"But what makes her really good is she doesn't have just one strength," said Chris Miltenberg, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. "Her strengths are her speed and her strength. She can run cross country and a 2:04 800 and split fast on a 4x4. She's got that full range of tools and that's what makes her really good."
What we're doing with everybody, including Christina, is targeting late May and June. We've got to be patient and let each race be a chance to take a step forward. I thought today was an awesome start for her, given how little we've done to really be prepared for the shorter stuff, like the 800 and the 4x400."
Aragon was a Level 10 gymnast in her hometown of Billings, Montana, and though she no longer competes, she continues to use gymnastics as part of her training routine. Through an agreement with the track and gymnastics programs, she uses the Ford Center gymnastics gym three mornings a week for basic gymnastics-style workouts.
"It gives me a little bit of a mental break," Aragon said. "I could be doing all that stuff in the weight room instead, but I think it's kind of good to have a mental break from running. As much as I love running, it's good to have something else to think about for an hour in the morning."
Miltenberg supports her choice of training.
"We do it in combination with the strength training we're doing," he said. "The whole key is making sure it all fits together well. We've really come with a plan that taps into what really works for her, but also is going to give her a lot of room for growth."
On Friday night, 800 specialist Waschmann showed range as well, running a 4:17.46 to finish third in her section. She's only run one 1,500 a year, but the past two have been in the 4:16-4:17 range, strong efforts that may bode well for the rest of the season.
"The best people aren't limited to one thing," Miltenberg said. "Like Olivia, they compete all the time. Malika is better than she's ever been, and she's going to be even better as the season goes on."
In the women's triple jump, Malika Kwiatkowski set a personal best of 41-7 ¼ (12.68 meters) to place third. The distance strengthened her hold on the No. 9 spot on the all-time Stanford performers' list.
Next, Stanford takes on visiting Cal in the 123rd renewal of the Big Meet, on Saturday.
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Stanford Invitational
At Cobb Track and Angell Field
Men
200 – 1, Ryan Hall (Sequoias) 21.04; 9, Frank Kurtz (Stanford) 21.93; 21, Colin Dolese (Stanford) 22.56; 22, Amit Maity (Stanford) 22.62; 24, Dion Brandt-Sims (unattached) 22.86; 25, Isaac Westlund (Stanford) 22.88.
800 – 1, Chris Low (Brooks Elite) 1:47.11; 22, Ryan Silva (Stanford) 1:53.62; 23, Patrick Perrier (Stanford) 1:53.96; 24, Nathaniel Kucera (Stanford) 1:54.20.
110 hurdles – 1, Ashtyn Davis (Cal) 13.83.
4x100 relay – 1, Sequoias 40.32; 3, Stanford 'A' (Julian Body, Jaak Uudmae, Terrence Alexander, Isaiah Brandt-Sims) 41.81; Stanford 'B' (Frank Kurtz, Amit Maity, Colin Dolese, Isaac Westlund), DQ.
4x400 relay – 1, Iowa State 3:10.41; 2, Stanford 'A' (Julian Body, Colin Dolese, Isaac Westlund, Frank Kurtz) 3:12.58; 10, Stanford 'B' (Daniel Brady, Lucas Ege, Brian Smith, Nathaniel Kucera) 3:18.73.
Triple jump – 1, Donte McDaniel (Fresno Pacific) 49-10 (15.19m); 9, Fisayo Omilana (Stanford) 43-11 ¾ (13.40m).
Pole vault – 1, Payton Lewis (Northwest Nazarene) 17-0 ¾ (5.20m); 3, Dylan Duvio (unattached) 16-0 ¾ (4.90m).
Shot put – 1, Peter Simon (Cal) 62-1 ¾ (18.94m); 3, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 59-4 ¼ (18.09m).
Hammer – 1, Nick Miller (unattached) 247-11 (75.58m); 3, Michael Painter (Stanford) 206-10 (63.05m); 6, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 194-2 (59.18m).
Women
200 – 1, Destiny Smith-Bennett (UNLV) 23.50; 5, Olivia Baker (Stanford) 24.29; 6, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 24.38; 13, Missy Mongiovi (Stanford) 25.05; 21, Hannah Labrie-Smith (Stanford) 25.34.
800 – 1, Jessica Smith (Nike) 2:05.14; 13, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 2:07.88; 28, Sarah Walker (Stanford) 2:10.76.
100 hurdles – 1, Taylor Pegram (UNLV) 13.52.
4x100 relay – UNLV 45.03.
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford (Missy Mongiovi, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Hannah Labrie-Smith, Olivia Baker) 3:37.14.
Triple jump – 1, Danylle Kurywchak (unattached) 43-10 (13.36m); 3, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 41-7 ¼ (12.68m).
Discus – Invitational: 1, Summer Pierson (unattached) 187-7 (57.19m); 9, Valarie Allman (unattached) 135-4 (41.25m). Collegiate: 1, Jaimi Salone (Stanford) 146-10 (44.76m).
Hammer – Collegiate: 6, Lena Giger (Stanford) 170-0 (51.82m).
