STANFORD, Calif. – A lot has happened since Valarie Allman last threw the discus for Stanford.
She became the 12th-best thrower in American history. She made U.S. national team for the World Championships in London. And she won silver at the World University Games in Taiwan.
After a redshirt year in which she lifted her level to national and even world class, Allman returned to the Cardinal as a much different thrower – confident and ever-improving, technically and physically. All those qualities showed Saturday at the Stanford Invitational when she opened her outdoor season with a throw of 199-0 (60.65 meters) at Cobb Track and Angell Field.
The distance didn't leave Allman wholly satisfied. It was 9 feet farther than the throw that placed her third at the 2017 U.S. Championships and got her passage to London. It was the second-farthest she ever had thrown for Stanford and the longest she has thrown in her past four meets. But the lasting thought for Allman was the distance she left on the table by not being looser in her upper body in her throwing motion.
"It's such a wonderful feeling to be back in a Stanford uniform and just be out here with my teammates," said Allman, a fifth-year senior majoring in product design. "With the opener, there's always so much nervous excitement. It's great to see where things are at and be able to build from there.
"You tell yourself all these things, but I should have done better. It's exciting to see that a lot of the stuff that we've been working on has been carrying over, and it's also good to see what's not quite there yet. I feel like Coach (Zeb) Sion has done such a great job of instilling power, strength, discipline and technique. Now, it's just being able to get all those things to carry over in a meet."
Allman, who earned her first indoor All-America honor three weeks ago in the 20-pound weight throw, scattered two good throws among three fouls during a five-throw stretch. But all of her three legal throws were at least 184-5 (56.31m) and easily would have won the competition. It was her first time throwing the discus for Stanford since placing third at the 2016 NCAA Championships at 201-6 (61.42m), her Stanford best. Since then, her 212-3 (64.69m) while competing unattached at the Cardinal Classic last year has become her benchmark.
"It was definitely a solid start," Sion said. "Coming off a season that was so long and so different for her, definitely created some unknowns."
This, however, was encouraging. And, though the national weekend results had yet to be fully compiled it's safe to assume that Allman will be among three Stanford throwers ranked among the top-five, and possibly higher, among all collegians. Lena Giger (women's shot put) and Mackenzie Little (women's javelin) will be there based on their winning performances on Friday.
Giger's 57-9 ½ (17.61m) was an outdoor personal record and jumps her to No. 2 on Stanford's all-time performers' list. She accomplished the throw in front of her father, Dave, who was her coach at Highland (Ill.) High School. Giger continued the momentum from a strong indoor season, which ended with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships – a result that was a career-high in NCAA competition, but one she found to be a bit disappointing.
"It's definitely building on the momentum from indoors," Giger said. "The series was great (four throws over 17 meters). It picks up really where we left off."
Little's Friday javelin victory came over North Dakota State's Alyssa Olin, who entered the meet with the longest throw in the country. Little threw 182-8 (55.67m).
"It's great to know that I can start well," said Little, the two-time defending Pac-12 champion.
Her technical emphasis so far is, "it's all about being long with the left arm and coming down hard with your left foot. Get the chest up and have energy moving forward. It's going to be really good once I get a couple of things down."
On Saturday, two other Stanford throwers hit personal bests. Sophomore Jaimi Salone won the collegiate section of the women's discus with a 163-5 (49.82m), a 21-inch improvement. And Tristen Newman was fifth in the invitational shot put with an outdoor best of 60-9 ¼ (18.52m), a mark that allows him to surpass Pete Swanson in Stanford annals to No. 3 in school history.
On the track, Stanford swept the four relay races. For the women, the 4x100 team ran 45.89 and was Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Ashlan Best, Hannah Labrie-Smith, and Gaby Gayles. The 4x400 was won by Gayles, Olivia Baker, Ashlan Best, and Missy Mongiovi in 3:35.96. This doesn't include the Stanford 'B' team's dramatic victory in the second section of the women's 4x400, when freshman anchor Carolyn Wilson made up a huge deficit to win in the final meters.
The winning Stanford men's 4x100 relay team was Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Gabriel Navarro, Terrence Alexander, and Julian Body in 41.02. Winning the 4x400 was the squad of Body, Lucas Ege, Isaac Westlund, and Navarro in 3:12.45. The Stanford 'B' team included All-America decathlete Harrison Williams, who competed in three events this weekend (4x400, 110 hurdles, and high jump) in his first meet for the Cardinal after a redshirt year.
In the women's triple jump, Aria Small, a freshman from Barbados, won the collegiate section with a personal best of 40-10 ½ (12.46m), an encouraging sign for the future – a theme for a Stanford team that has high hopes this season.
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Saturday's results
Stanford Invitational
At Cobb Track and Angell Field
Winners and Stanford competitors
Men
200 – 1, Robert Ellis III (AUC) 21.11; 3, Isaiah Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 21.40; 4, Frank Kurtz (Stanford) 21.58; 16, Terrence Alexander (Stanford) 22.04; 22, Isaac Westlund (Stanford) 22.35.
800 – 1, Nijel Amos (Nike OTC Elite) 1:44.65, facility record, meet record; 17, Tom Coyle (Stanford) 1:52.25; 22, Christian White (Stanford) 1:52.80; 27, Scott Buttinger (Stanford) 1:53.32; 33, Nathaniel Kucera (Stanford) 1:53.72; 39, Isaac Cortes (Stanford) 1:55.40; 41, Patrick Perrier (Stanford) 1:56.23.
4x100 relay – 1, Stanford (Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Gabriel Navarro, Terrence Alexander, Julian Body) 41.02.
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford 'A' (Julian Body, Lucas Ege, Isaac Westlund, Gabriel Navarro) 3:12.45; 4, Stanford 'B' (Harrison Williams, Christian White, Colin Dolese, Daniel Brady) 3:15.38.
Pole vault – Invitational: 1, Nate Richartz (Notre Dame) 18-2 ½ (5.55m).
Triple jump – 1, Rubin Owens (Arkansas) 50-3 ¼ (15.32m); 7, Fisayo Omilana (Stanford) 46-1 ¼ (14.05m), PB.
Shot put – Invitational: 1, Payton Otterdahl (North Dakota State) 65-6 ¼ (19.97m); 5, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 60-9 ¼ (18.52m), No. 3 Stanford AT.
Hammer – Invitational: 1, Alexander Young (Velaasa TC) 234-1 (71.36m); 10, Michael Painter (Stanford) 201-2 (61.33m).
Women
200 – 1, Brianna Rollins-McNeal (Nike) 23.12; 6, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 24.29; 15, Missy Mongiovi (Stanford) 24.79; 41, Brittany McGee (Stanford) 25.76; 42, Daryth Gayles (Stanford) 25.86.
800 – 1, Lindsey Butterworth (unattached) 2:04.25; 15, Carolyn Wilson (Stanford) 2:08.31, PB.
4x100 relay – 1, Stanford (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Ashlan Best, Hannah Labrie-Smith, Gaby Gayles) 45.89.
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford 'A' (Gaby Gayles, Olivia Baker, Ashlan Best, Missy Mongiovi) 3:35.96; 5, Stanford 'B' (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Hannah Labrie-Smith, Amber Lewis, Carolyn Wilson) 3:45.48.
Triple jump – Invitational: Isabella Marten (Cal) 42-9 ¾ (13.05m); 5, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 40-2 ¼ (12.25m). Collegiate: 1, Aria Small (Stanford) 40-10 ½ (12.46m), PB.
Discus – Invitational: 1, Valarie Allman (Stanford) 199-0 (60.65m). Collegiate: 1, Jaimi Salone (Stanford) 163-5 (49.82m), PB.