(Left to right): Hari Sathyamurthy, Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty, Isaiah Brandt-Sims
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Looking to secure qualification to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, the Stanford men's distance medley relay team did much more than that Saturday, breaking the school record and running the fastest time in the nation this year.
The team of Sean McGorty, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Hari Sathyamurthy, and Grant Fisher clocked 9:26.91 to win the Alex Wilson Invitational on the 320-meter flat track at the Meyo Field in the Loftus Center at Notre Dame. The time broke the Stanford mark of 9:27.27 set by Tom Coyle, Jackson Shumway, Justin Brinkley, and McGorty at the 2016 Penn State National.
Fisher closed with a 3:55.8 over 1,600 meters, pulling alongside Oregon's Sam Prakel on the final turn, and accelerating ahead on the homestretch. McGorty gave Stanford the lead on the opening 1,200 leg in 2:52.9, Brandt-Sims split 47.8 over 400 to maintain the lead, and Sathyamurthy ran his 800 in 1:50.0 before handing off to Fisher just behind the lead pack. Fisher raced in control, gauging his pace off the leaders. He steadily built the pace on each 100 over the final 400, which he split in 55.8.
The race marked the return of fifth-year senior McGorty. The two-time NCAA runner-up raced for the first time since May 5 of last year, at the Payton Jordan Invitational, after recovering from injury.
"Over the second half of his leg, Sean looked like himself," said Chris Miltenberg, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. "He was assertive and took charge. He made it look easy."
This was the first time McGorty and Fisher, who have combined for 13 All-America honors, have teamed on a relay. Miltenberg said "having both guys gave massive confidence to everyone on that team."
Brandt-Sims, a senior and two-sport athlete who also plays football, was the choice for his first DMR. Brandt-Sims has been part of three school-record setting relay teams. He now owns school standards in this event and the outdoor 4x400.
Sathyamurthy took advantage as a late-week replacement for a teammate who was sick. The redshirt freshman was racing in his home state for the first time as a collegian. He was the 2015 Indiana state 800 champ at Brownsburg High.
"Everyone trusts each other and is confident they'll do their job on their leg," McGorty said. "That dependability lets good things happen."
The Alex Wilson meet is a destination for schools seeking to jockey for the 12 best-time spots for NCAA's, coming March 9-10 in College Station, Texas. That was the case for Stanford, which edged runner-up Oregon by 0.26. Twelve of the nation's 16 fastest times this year came from the same race. Nine are in position to qualify with one qualifying weekend to go.
Focusing on time can be dangerous, so Miltenberg emphasized competing and racing. If they did that, the times will come. They did indeed.
Because it was run on an oversized track (over 200 meters), Stanford cannot move up on the official collegiate all-time list. However, it is the sixth-fastest collegiate time ever on any-sized indoor track.
Stanford next competes at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on Friday and Saturday in Seattle and then will see who has made the NCAA field.
