SEATTLE – Stanford has two of the top collegiate racers in the country in the women's 5,000 meters and both Vanessa Fraser and Fiona O'Keeffe will be racing in that event on Friday at the UW Invitational.
Last year, Fraser capped a redshirt outdoor season by finishing seventh at the U.S. Championships and, though she was running unattached, Fraser was the second collegian in the race. O'Keeffe finished her freshman season with a fifth place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. This will be the first time they have raced each other on the track.
Based on last year's times, they are among the top 11 returning American collegians. Both will be making their season track and field debuts, at 7:05 p.m., on the 307-meter flat track at Dempsey Indoor. In all, Stanford will be greatly represented at the two-day meet that concludes Saturday.
Fraser, a graduate student in management science and engineering, last representing Stanford on the track at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships, placing fifth in the 3,000 to earn one of her seven All-America honors. Fraser rolled off a personal best of 15:25.48 in Sacramento on June 23 at the U.S. Championships, with a time that makes her the No. 2 American collegiate returnee in the country, behind only Missouri's Karissa Schweizer, who ran 15:17.31 indoors.
O'Keeffe, a sophomore academically, will be making her collegiate indoor debut in the same first-section race. O'Keeffe ran a personal best 15:46.93 at NCAA's while earning first-team All-America honors. O'Keeffe is No. 11 among returning American collegians off 2017 results.
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Meet Information:
UW Invitational
Where: Seattle, Wash.
Site: Dempsey Indoor
Surface: 307-meter flat track.
Events:
Friday: 1-9:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Full schedule: Click here.
Heat sheets: Click here.
USTFCCCA Rankings:
Men: No. 16
Women: No. 21
Follow the Action:
Live results: Click here.
Webcast: FloPro (premium)
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Collegiate debuts: Three Stanford freshmen will make their collegiate debuts: high jumper Valerie Przekop, sprinter Dion Brandt-Sims, and multi-eventer Jack Herkert. Julia Heymach, who raced on the Cardinal cross-country team in the fall, makes her Stanford track debut, in the mile. Przekop, a two-time Pennsylvania AAA outdoor champ, has a best of 5-9 (1.75m). Brandt-Sims joins his older brother Isaiah on the Cardinal team for the meet. Racing in his home state, Dion, a sophomore academically, will run the 400 and perhaps is being molded to join his brother on the Cardinal 4x400 relay. Herkert competes in the 60 hurdles and the high jump. Herkert is a two-time Wisconsin Division I high school champ, with a best of 6-10 ¼ (2.08m). Heymach is the Texas 6A record holder in the 1,600, running 4:40.97 to win one of her seven state titles, in 2015.
Other events to watch: The top section of the men's mile includes Stanford's Tai Dinger and Jack Keelan against the likes of Olympian Lopez Lomong and Northern Arizona's Matthew Baxter. Lena Giger, No. 4 on Stanford's absolute shot put list, competes in that event. Freshman Brandon McGorty races the 800 for the first time in his collegiate career. He was the third-fastest high-schooler in the nation last year. The shot put features Tristen Newman, the No. 2 indoor performer in Stanford history. And Valarie Allman, a U.S. national-team discus thrower, competes in the 20-pound weight throw.
