Isaiah Brandt-Sims gets out of the blocks in his meet-record 100.
BERKELEY, Calif. – Stanford set three Big Meet records – by Vanessa Fraser in the women's 3,000, Mackenzie Little in the women's javelin, and Isaiah Brandt-Sims in the men's 100 meters -- on the way to a double rout of the 124th annual dual against California on a sunny Saturday at Edwards Stadium.
In its second-highest combined scoring margin of victory – 115 points -- the Stanford men won, 100-63 and the Cardinal women won, 115-47. It was Stanford's second sweep in three years of a track and field rivalry that began in 1893, while coming close to its record combined victory margin of 120, set in 2012.
"What was really exciting today was there was no one person, or no one thing that systemically, event by event, put it away," said Chris Miltenberg, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. "Everyone was really here with a goal of just competing. It was great to see the whole team come together and be fired up for each other like that. And when you compete in a team setting like that, all of a sudden, the individual results will come."
Indeed they did. Stanford athletes set 21 lifetime bests, with seven additions or improvements to the program's all-time Top-10 performers' lists.
Little, a junior from Australia, set personal, school, and meet records of 192-4 (58.63m) to give Stanford's its 16th consecutive Big Meet victory in the women's javelin. The distance was huge. She likely has become the top collegian in the country this year (pending results of this weekend's meets) and shattered the meet and school record of 183-10 set by four-time Pac-12 javelin champ Brianna Bain in 2013. Little's previous best of 188-3 (57.60m) was set in 2014.
Right behind Little was sophomore two-sport All-America Jenna Gray, the volleyball setter who also crushed her lifetime best. Gray threw 178-11 (54.53m), a personal record by nearly 14 feet, and now is the third-farthest thrower in school history.
Coach Zeb Sion and Jaimi Salone celebrate Jenna Gray's huge performance in the javelin. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
Brandt-Sims won the 100 and 200, and ran the second leg of Stanford's winning 4x100 relay. His 100 time of 10.41 was the second-fastest in school history, only 0.02 behind Wopamo Osaisai's 10.39 from 2005. He took down the meet record of 10.46 by Stanford's Jimmie Johnson from 1997.
Freshman Gabriel Navarro was a close third in a personal best 10.43, the No. 3 in Stanford history and the second-fastest, behind Osaisai's school record, freshman time ever at Stanford.
Brandt-Sims, a senior, has made a meal of the Golden Bears. Not only has he been a member of the Stanford football team that beat Cal all of his four years, but he has swept the 100 and 200 three times. And, including relays, Brandt-Sims has nine Big Meet victories.
"Today was really 'Beat Cal,' no matter what, whatever it takes," Brandt-Sims said. "For the 100, one key thing I was thinking of was to focus on the start. After that, do whatever it takes to beat Cal."
Fraser crushed one of the two oldest women's records, among events currently contested. Stanford's Alison Wiley ran 9:13.78 in 1984 and nobody had beaten that since -- until Fraser's 9:07.19 on Saturday. Now, the discus mark of Stanford's Carol Cady from the same year is alone as the oldest in the books.
Among Stanford's most impressive performances were Kaitlyn Merrit's winning pole vault of 13-9 (4.19m). Only reigning Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi ever has gone higher in a Stanford uniform.
Carolyn Wilson rolled off a 53.60 to win the 400 in the second-fastest time in history by a Stanford freshman. Wilson went on to anchor the team that also included Missy Mongiovi, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, and Olivia Baker, to a 12-second victory in the 4x400, running 3:36.95.
It was the eighth consecutive women's 4x400 victory for the Stanford women and fourth in a row for Baker. However, of all those Big Meet relay teams, this was her fastest. It was the second victory of the day for Baker, who took a big lead in the 800, only to falter on the last lap. But as she was being passed by Cal's Jordyn Colter down the stretch, Baker mustered extra effort to pull ahead and win the race, in 2:06.31.
Olivia Baker takes the handoff from Michaela Crunkleton Wilson for the third leg of the 4x400 relay. Photo by John Lozano/Stanford Athletics.
Stanford so dominated that it clinched its fourth consecutive women's team victory by the 14th of 19 events. Cal had outscored Stanford over the first two events, 12-6, but a javelin sweep put Stanford ahead for good. The Cardinal outscored Cal in 14 of the final 17 events and had a 62-15 run during that span.
Stanford clinched the victory when Rachel Reichebach and freshman Valerie Przekop were assured of the top two places in the high jump, giving Stanford an insurmountable 87-35 advantage. Besides the javelin, Stanford swept the 100 and the 3,000, being led by Gaby Gayles and Vanessa Fraser, respectively.
Though last year's men's meet was decided on the final event, the 4x400 relay, this year the Cardinal clinched with three events remaining. All-America decathlete Harrison Williams, competing in his first pole vault in nearly a year, captured the event in a countback over Cal's Andrew Lind, who also cleared the winning height of 16-0 ¾ (4.90m). Williams' five points gave Stanford an 85-55 lead to overcome a Cal lead through the first five events.
Stanford men's sweeps came in the 400 hurdles, led by Julian Body (52.18), and 3,000, led by Sean McGorty (8:03.92).
Valarie Allman, an All-America in both the discus and hammer, won both events. Her winning hammer toss of 201-8 (61.47m) was a personal best and improved upon her No. 2 standing at Stanford all-time in that event.
Marisa Kwiatkowski, a senior, was second in the triple jump at 41-9 ¾ (12.74m), a lifetime best which places her No. 8 all-time at Stanford.
"It was a really exciting day, just seeing all the performances come together," Kwiatkowski said. "The atmosphere was really great, everyone cheering for each other and focusing on trying to get points."
That point was illustrated especially in the close races, like Brian Smith outleaning a Cal runner for second in the 800, behind teammate Hari Sathyamurthy's lifetime best 1:50.21. Or Dion Brandt-Sims' 1 1/2-second personal best and great effort in rallying to place third in the 400 hurdles in 52.92.
"He did amazing today," said Dion's brother, Isaiah. "That was awesome. I'm so proud of him."
And Grant Fisher, the reigning NCAA outdoor 5,000 champ, made his season outdoor debut, winning the 1,500 in 3:44.79. But he didn't do it without a fight. Cal's Garrett Corcoran came up on Fisher on the final turn, only for Fisher to fight him off in a great effort by both runners in a race that epitomized the Big Meet in every way.
"There's a lot of tradition in this meet, and it's something we take a ton of pride in," Miltenberg said.
The Stanford women lead the all-time series 27-12, with victories seven of the past eight years and 16 of the past 18. Cal leads the all-time men's series 70-52-2, but Stanford has won eight of the past 12.
Tom Coyle leads Sean McGorty in what would turn out to be a Stanford sweep of the men's 3,000. Photo by John Lozano/Stanford Athletics.
* * *
Big Meet
At Edwards Stadium
Scorers (top three) and all Stanford competitors
Men
Team score – Stanford 100, California 63.
100 – 1, Isaiah Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 10.41, PB, No. 2 Stanford AT, meet record; 2, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 10.43, PB, No. 3 Stanford AT, No. 2 Stanford frosh AT; 3, Branndon Marion (Cal) 10.70.
200 – 1, Isaiah Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 21.50; 2, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 21.53; 3, Paramveer Chohan (Cal) 21.66; 4, Frank Kurtz (Stanford) 21.93; 5, Isaac Westlund (Stanford) 22.49.
400 – 1, Paramveer Chohan (Cal) 47.45; 2, Frank Kurtz (Stanford) 47.65; 3, Isaac Westlund (Stanford) 48.89.
800 – 1, Hari Sathyamurthy (Stanford) 1:50.21, PB; 2, Brian Smith (Stanford) 1:51.17; 3, Ben Micallef (Cal) 1:51.20; 4, Christian White (Stanford) 1:51.54, PB; 5, Brandon McGorty (Stanford) 1:51.69; 7, Scott Buttinger (Stanford) 1:53.00; 8, Isaac Cortes (Stanford) 1:53.41; 9, Nathaniel Kucera (Stanford) 1:55.31; 10, Daniel Book (Stanford) 1:55.48.
1,500 – 1, Grant Fisher (Stanford) 3:44.79; 2, Garrett Corcoran (Cal) 3:45.00; 3, Tom Coyle (Stanford) 3:49.45; 4, Tai Dinger (Stanford) 3:49.78; 6, DJ Principe (Stanford) 3:51.97; 8, Patrick Perrier (Stanford) 3:59.46.
3,000 – 1, Sean McGorty (Stanford) 8:03.92; 2, Jack Keelan (Stanford) 8:08.44; 3, Sam Wharton (Stanford) 8:14.41; 6, Will Lauer (Stanford) 8:25.99.
3,000 steeplechase – 1, Steven Fahy (Stanford) 9:06.02; 2, Takeshi Okada (Cal) 9:12.43; 3, Max Leach (Cal) 9:12.70; 5, Steven Grolle (Stanford) 9:31.52, PB.
110 hurdles – 1, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 14.46; 2, Branndon Marion (Cal) 14.73; 3, Jack Herkert (Stanford) 14.94, PB.
400 hurdles – 1, Julian Body (Stanford) 52.18; 2, Daniel Brady (Stanford) 52.81; 3, Dion Brandt-Sims (Stanford) 52.92, PB; 5, Colin Dolese (Stanford) 54.00; 6, Lucas Ege (Stanford) 54.28.
4x100 relay – 1, Stanford (Frank Kurtz, Gabriel Navarro, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Julian Body) 40.88; 2, California 41.07.
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford (Frank Kurtz, Christian White, Daniel Brady, Julian Body) 3:10.74; 2, California 3:13.57.
High jump – 1, Jaak Uudmae (Stanford) 6-8 ¾ (2.05m); 2 (tie), Trevor Rex (Stanford) and Jack Phillips (Cal), each 6-8 ¾ (2.05m); 4, Jack Herkert (Stanford) 6-6 ¾ (2.00m).
Pole vault – 1, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 16-0 ¾ (4.90m); 2, Andrew Lind (Cal) 16-0 ¾ (4.90m); 3, Luciano Lopez (Cal) 15-9 (4.80m).
Long jump – 1, Tuomas Kaukolahti (Cal) 24-1 ½ (7.35m); 2, Jaak Uudmae (Stanford) 23-8 ¼ (7.22m); 3, Tristan Meye (Cal) 22-11 ¼ (6.99m); 4, Jack Herkert (Stanford) 21-4 ¼ (6.51m).
Triple jump – 1, Tuomas Kaukolahti (Cal) 52-3 ¾ (15.94m); 2, Tristan Meye (Cal) 50-11 (15.52m); 3, Fisayo Omilana (Stanford) 41-9 ¼ (12.73m).
Shot put – 1, McKay Johnson (Cal) 62-7 ¾ (19.09m); 2, Peter Simon (Cal) 62-3 ¾ (18.99m); 3, Malik McMorris (Cal) 58-4 ½ (17.79m); 5, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 57-3 (17.45m).
Discus – 1, McKay Johnson (Cal) 183-0 (55.79m); 2, Malik McMorris (Cal) 174-6 (53.20m); 3, Jake Koffman (Stanford) 172-4 (52.52m), PB; 5, Landon Ellingson (Stanford) 158-1 (48.19m).
Hammer – 1, Silviu Bocancea (Cal) 209-11 (63.98m); 2, Michael Painter (Stanford) 201-5 (61.40m); 3, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 193-7 (59.00m).
Javelin – 1, Trevor Danielson (Stanford) 204-6 (62.34m); 2, Terence Wilson (Cal) 202-5 (61.70m); 3, Will Kingsfield (Stanford) 198-9 (60.57m).
Harrison Williams wins the pole vault, one of his two victories. The other came in the 110-meter high hurdles. Photo by John Lozano/Stanford Athletics.
Women
Team score – Stanford 115, California 47.
100 – 1, Gaby Gayles (Stanford) 11.74, PB; 2, Ashlan Best (Stanford) 11.80, PB; 3, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 11.97; 6, Daryth Gayles (Stanford) 12.37.
200 – 1, Ashlan Best (Stanford) 23.81, No. 4 Stanford frosh AT; 2, Gaby Gayles (Stanford) 23.91, PB; 3, Deshae Wise (Cal) 24.11; 4, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 24.78.
400 – 1, Carolyn Wilson (Stanford) 53.60, PB, No. 9 Stanford AT, No. 2 Stanford frosh AT; 2, Missy Mongiovi (Stanford) 54.97; 3, Jenna Mencarelli (Cal) 56.56.
800 – 1, Olivia Baker (Stanford) 2:06.31; 2, Jordyn Colter (Cal) 2:06.40; 3, Elise Cranny (Stanford) 2:06.62; 4, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 2:08.57; 6, Julia Heymach (Stanford) 2:09.57.
1,500 – 1, Elise Cranny (Stanford) 4:20.69; 2, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 4:21.91; 3, Jordyn Colter (Cal) 4:22.80; 4, Jessica Lawson (Stanford) 4:22.88; 5, Maddy Berkson (Stanford) 4:24.89; 8, Catherine Pagano (Stanford) 4:31.31.
3,000 – 1, Vanessa Fraser (Stanford) 9:07.19, meet record; 2, Fiona O'Keeffe (Stanford) 9:16.34; 3, Abbie McNulty (Stanford) 9:26.07, PB; 5, Hannah DeBalsi (Stanford) 9:32.91, PB.
3,000 steeplechase – 1, Ella Donaghu (Stanford) 10:29.73; 2, Jordan Oakes (Stanford) 10:31.46, PB; 3, Annie Boos (Cal) 10:43.62.
100 hurdles – 1, Deshae Wise (Cal) 13.94; 2, Hannah Labrie-Smith (Stanford) 14.31; 3, Amber Lewis (Stanford) 14.49; 4, Brittany McGee (Stanford) 14.70, PB.
400 hurdles – 1, Schantell Williams (Cal) 1:01.69; 2, Amber Lewis (Stanford) 1:02.66.
4x100 relay – 1, Stanford (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Ashlan Best, Hannah Labrie-Smith, Gaby Gayles) 45.66; 2, California 46.35.
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford (Missy Mongiovi, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Olivia Baker, Carolyn Wilson) 3:36.95; 2, California 3:49.58.
High jump – 1, Rachel Reichenbach (Stanford) 5-5 (1.65m); 2, Valerie Przekop (Stanford) 5-3 (1.60m); 3 (tie), Winter Carreno (Cal) and Asia Chesley (Cal), each 5-1 (1.55m); Brittany McGee (Stanford) NH.
Pole vault – 1, Kaitlyn Merritt (Stanford) 13-9 (4.19m), No. 2 Stanford AT; 2, Lauren Martinez (Cal) 13-7 (4.14m); 3, Erika Malaspina (Stanford) 12-11 (3.94m); 4, Jackie McNulty (Stanford) 12-5 ¼ (3.79m); 5, Nicole Summersett (Stanford) 11-11 ¼ (3.64m).
Long jump – 1, Isabella Martin (Cal) 19-10 ¾ (6.06m); 2, Brittany McGee (Stanford) 19-5 ½ (5.93m), PB; 3, Noelle Schiller (Cal) 19-2 ¾ (5.86m); 4, Daryth Gayles (Stanford) 18-6 (5.64m); 5, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 18-5 ¼ (5.62m).
Triple jump – 1, Ashley Anderson (Cal) 42-7 ½ (12.99m); 2, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 41-9 ¾ (12.74m), PB, No. 8 Stanford AT; 3, Isabella Marten (Cal) 41-9 ¼ (12.73m); 4, Aria Small (Stanford) 40-6 ¼ (12.35m).
Shot put – 1, Lena Giger (Stanford) 55-9 (16.99m); 2, Destiny Parker (Cal) 48-2 (14.68m); 3, Amarie Bremel (Cal) 47-5 (14.45m); 5, Jaimi Salone (Stanford) 41-7 ¾ (12.69m).
Discus – 1, Valarie Allman (Stanford) 197-4 (60.15m); 2, Kendall Mader (Cal) 173-8 (52.93m); 3, Amarie Bremel (Cal) 171-7 (52.31m); 5, Jaimi Salone (Stanford) 154-9 (47.17m).
Hammer – 1, Camryn Rogers (Cal) 214-2 (65.28m), meet record; 2, Valarie Allman (Stanford) 201-8 (61.47m), PB, No. 2 Stanford AT; 3, Destiny Parker (Cal) 185-11 (56.66m); 5, Lena Giger (Stanford) 175-1 (53.38m).
Javelin – 1, Mackenzie Little (Stanford) 192-4 (58.63m), PB, school record, meet record; 2, Jenna Gray (Stanford) 178-11 (54.53m), PB, No. 3 Stanford AT; 3, Virginia Miller (Stanford) 155-2 (47.31m).
Julian Body takes it home, closing out the 4x400 relay and Stanford's sweep of Cal in the 124th Big Meet. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.