FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Olivia Baker ran down the entire field on a heroic anchor leg to allow Stanford to win the sprint medley relay at the National Relay Championships on Friday with the third-fastest time in collegiate history.
The Cardinal team of Gaby Gayles, Ashlan Best, Carolyn Wilson, and Baker clocked 3:41.59 for a school record at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas.
The relay begins with two legs of 200 meters each, followed by a 400 and 800. Stanford's splits were 23.83 for Gayles, 22.79 for Best, 53.53 for Wilson, and 2:00.09 by Baker.
All five teams in the field were within a second of each other at the final exchange, with Stanford at the back of the pack when Baker got the baton. With a leg reminiscent of her epic 2:02.55 come-from-behind 4x800 anchor leg at the 2014 Penn Relays as a high school senior, Baker outpaced runners from Florida, Kentucky, and Miami by at least seven seconds.
The race soon turned into a duel between Baker and Baylor's Aaliyah Miller, who ran a strong 2:01.70 to bring Baylor home in 3:42.11, the seventh-fastest time in collegiate history. But it wasn't enough to hold off Baker, a nine-time All-American. The senior was the 2016 NCAA outdoor 800 runner-up and 2016 Pac-12 400 champion.
On the all-time collegiate list, only Texas A&M (3:39.04) and Oregon (3:39.05) have run faster, and those were both from last year's meet, when it was it was the SEC Relays. The previous Stanford record in this event is unknown. Stanford did not appear on the all-time collegiate top-10 list before the meet. The last time Stanford ran the event was at the 2015 Penn Relays, when a team that included freshmen Gayles and Baker placed 10th in 3:58.02.
Among the highlights for Stanford was Valarie Allman's second-place hammer throw of 204-3 (62.26m), which broke her lifetime best of 201-8 (61.67m) and strengthened her hold on No. 2 in school history. Only Sarah Hopping, whose school-record of 219-8 (66.96m) from 2006, is in front of Allman in Stanford annals.
In the 200, Isaiah Brandt-Sims and Gabriel Navarro placed sixth and ninth, but the times were strong for both. Brandt-Sims ran 21.01 for the second-fastest of his career, and the freshman Navarro ran 21.11, placing him No. 8 at Stanford all-time and No. 3 all-time among Card freshmen.
The two-day meet continues Saturday with the SEC Network broadcasting live during a heavy two-hour relay window from 5-7 p.m. PT.
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Friday's results
National Relay Championships
At John McDonnell Field
Winners and all Stanford competitors
Men
100 – 1, Kenzo Cotton (Arkansas) 10.19; 13, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 10.55; 14, Isaiah Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 10.57.
200 – 1, Hakim Sani-Brown (Florida) 20.64; 6, Isaiah Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 21.01; 9, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 21.11, No. 8 Stanford AT, No. 3 Stanford frosh AT; 17, Frank Kurtz (Stanford) 21.55.
400 – 1, Nathan Strother (Tennessee) 45.01; 15, Frank Kurtz (Stanford) 47.38.
400 hurdles – 1, Kemar Mowatt (Arkansas) 49.80; 15, Daniel Brady (Stanford) 52.90; 17, Julian Body (Stanford) 53.04; 18, Dion Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 53.13.
High jump – Invitational: 1, Brandon Piwinski (Michigan) 6-11 (2.11m); 8, Trevor Rex (Stanford) 6-6 (1.98m).
Long jump – Invitational: Marquis Dendy (Nike) 26-1 1/2w (7.96w). Collegiate: 4, Jaak Uudmae (Stanford) 24-7 (7.49m).
Discus – 1, Nicolai Ceban (Kansas) 182-1 (55.50m); 10, Jake Koffman (Stanford) 163-9 (49.91m).
Javelin – 1, Fabian Dohmann (Texas) 242-4 (73.86m); 2, Trevor Danielson (Stanford) 222-9 (67.89m); 5, Will Kingsfield (Stanford) 212-3 (64.69m), PB, No. 8 Stanford AT.
Women
100 – 1, Shania Collins (Tennessee) 11.10; 23, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 11.92.
200 – 1, Shania Collins (Tennessee) 22.57; 25, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 24.52; 26, Ashlan Best (Stanford) 24.53; 30, Missy Mongiovi (Stanford) 24.77.
400 – 1, Sharrika Barnett (Florida) 51.50; 10, Carolyn Wilson (Stanford) 53.78; 17, Gaby Gayles (Stanford) 54.43; 19, Missy Mongiovi (Stanford) 54.65.
Sprint medley relay – 1, Stanford (Gaby Gayles, Ashlan Best, Carolyn Wilson, Olivia Baker) 3:41.59, school record, No. 3 in collegiate history.
High jump – 1, Ellen Ekholm (Kentucky) 6-0 (1.83m); 5, Rachel Reichenbach (Stanford) 5-5 (1.65m).
Long jump – Invitational: 1, Shakeela Saunders (Adidas) 21-7 ½ (6.59m); 12, Daryth Gayles (Stanford) 18-5 (5.61m); Collegiate: 5, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 18-8 ½ (5.70m).
Discus – 1, Alexranda Emilianov (Kansas) 178-9 (54.49m); 7, Jaimi Salone (Stanford) 158-7 (48.35m).
Hammer – 1, Stamatia Scarvellis (Tennessee) 215-11 (65.82m); 2, Valarie Allman (Stanford) 204-3 (62.26m), PB, No. 2 Stanford AT.
PB = personal best.
AT = all-time.
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BERKELEY, Calif. – A handful of Stanford athletes are competing at the Brutus Hamilton Challenge at Cal this weekend and the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday.
Friday's results
Brutus Hamilton Challenge
At Edwards Stadium
Winners and all Stanford competitors
Men
Hammer – 1, Taylor Campbell (Great Britain) 225-11 (68.86m); 5, Landon Ellingson (Stanford) 172-2 (52.49m).