Photos by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The quartet of Julian Body, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Frank Kurtz, and Gabriel Navarro made Stanford track and field history Saturday at the NCAA West Prelims.
They set a school record in the 4x400-meter relay of 3:04.84 to qualify for the NCAA Championships only 3 ½ hours after the same foursome became the first Stanford team to advance in the men's 4x100 since 2004.
In addition, the Cardinal women's 4x400 team advanced as well, running the third-fastest time in school history. It's likely that qualifying three relay teams to the NCAA Championships is unprecedented for Stanford.
Stanford will advance 15 individuals and three relay teams. It's Stanford largest number of individual qualifiers since 2012. The NCAA Championships are June 6-9 in Eugene, Oregon.
Women's 4x400: Missy Mongiovi, Gaby Gayles, Ashlan Best, Olivia Baker.
In the final race of the day, the Stanford women's 4x400 team of Missy Mongiovi, Ashlan Best, Gaby Gayles, and Olivia Baker was a close second in the third heat to qualify as well. Baker running a blazing anchor leg to pull the Cardinal to a time of 3:31.39, the third-fastest time in school history.
Their splits: Mongiovi 53.7, Best 52.7, Gayles 53.4, Baker 51.4.
The men's 4x400 broke a two-year-old record of 3:05.59 set by Harrison Williams, Kurtz, Brandt-Sims, and Jackson Shumway at the Michael Johnson Invitational at Baylor.
Kurtz, the leadoff on both relays, passed the baton to Body, who took the lead when the teams broke to the inside on the second lap. Though he was passed, Body fought back to re-take the lead. Navarro also fought hard, moving from third to second on the final turn. Brandt-Sims says that he hates to get passed, and didn't let that happen, even with teams at his heels fighting for NCAA berths.
The splits went like this: Kurtz 46.8, Body 45.9, Navarro 46.6, Brandt-Sims 45.3. This will be the first NCAA Championships for each.
Isaiah Brandt-Sims to Julian Body in the 4x100.
On the 4x100, the order was Kurtz, Navarro, Brandt-Sims, and Body. Brandt-Sims had an outstanding turn to put the Cardinal in qualifying position, but the exchange to Body was dangerously close to the end of the passing zone. No matter, the Cardinal got it in and Body held off Sam Houston State by 0.04 to capture third in 39.79, the third-fastest time in school history.
It was a massive season best for the Cardinal and marked its first men's 400 relay qualifier since the team of T.J. Rushing, Stanley Wilson, Curtis Goehring, and Nick Sebes advanced 14 years ago.
In the men's 5,000, Grant Fisher and Sean McGorty finished first and third in Heat 1 of the 5,000, and overall. McGorty pushed the pace in the later stages and Fisher pushed to the front on the final lap to win in 13:47.22, with McGorty in 13:48.09. Both figure to be contenders in Eugene. Fisher is the defending NCAA outdoor champ and McGorty was the 2016 runner-up.
Trevor Danielson.
Trevor Danielson set a lifetime best in the javelin to secure his first NCAA berth. Danielson had one legal throw of his three attempts and it went 224-6 (68.42m), a nine-inch improvement that strengthens his hold as the No. 3 thrower in school history.
In the women's 1,500, sophomore Christina Aragon ran a season-best 4:12.73 to win the second of two heats and teammate Elise Cranny was second in Heat 1 to advance easily with an even faster time, of 4:12.49.
Both will be considered contenders in Eugene as well. Cranny was the 2016 NCAA outdoor runner-up and Aragon was seventh as a freshman last year and poised to improve upon that this year.
Cranny let Oregon's Jessica Hull go with two laps left, but reeled her in with 200 to go and cruised to the finish.
Aragon and another made contact in a tight nine-runner pack with a lap to go, but found room by moving to the outside and pulled into the front off the final turn to win going away with a perfect stride.
Christina Aragon.
A day after qualifying second in the discus, Valarie Allman earned a berth in the hammer, placing 11th overall with a throw of 201-6 (61.42m). Places 11-15 were separated by only eight inches, so nothing was for certain.
With only three throws each, there was little room for error and Allman got through on the basis of her second throw. However, Arizona State's Maggie Ewen, the defending NCAA champion, failed to qualify by fouling all of her throws.
In the women's triple jump, senior Marisa Kwiatkowski had the performance of her life in her final competition, jumping 42-4 ¾ (12.92m). A local product from Sunnyvale, Kwiatkowski equaled her personal best of 41-9 ¾ (12.74m) on her second try, and exceeded it by seven inches on her third, placing 15th overall.
Kwiatkowski moved from No. 8 to No. 5 on Stanford's all-time list, passing Carla Forbes, Lauren Stewart, and Jordan Merback.
Vanessa Fraser.
In the women's 5,000, Stanford's Vanessa Fraser advanced to Eugene, but returning first-team All-America Fiona O'Keeffe did not. Racing in the same Heat 2, the top five were automatic qualifiers, but O'Keeffe placed sixth and did not advance. She was fifth at last year's NCAA Championships.
With New Mexico's Weini Kelati bolting out quickly in their heat, Fraser was left to forge ahead on her own, with Boise State's Allie Ostrander on her back the entire way. O'Keeffe was part of a three-runner chase pack, with only two of those in position to gain automatic berths.
Fraser eventually ran down Kelati and ran hard to the finish to hold off Ostrander, winning the heat in 15:27.36. But O'Keeffe was the odd person out in the chase pack. Her 15:43.00 made her 13th of 12 qualifiers and she was 1.48 seconds off the final timed qualifying spot.
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Grant Fisher leads Sean McGorty to the 5,000 finish.
Saturday's results
NCAA West Prelims
At Hornet Stadium, Sacramento
Stanford results
Men
5,000 – 1, Grant Fisher 13:47.22; 3, Sean McGorty 13:48.09; 22, Jack Keelan 14:01.06. Fisher and McGorty advance to NCAA Championships.
4x100 relay – 7, Stanford (Frank Kurtz, Gabriel Navarro, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Julian Body) 39.79, No. 3 Stanford AT. Stanford advances to NCAA Championships.
4x400 relay – 9, Stanford (Frank Kurtz, Julian Body, Gabriel Navarro, Isaiah Brandt-Sims) 3:04.84, school record. Stanford advances to NCAA Championships.
Shot put – 14, Tristen Newman 60-8 (18.49m).
Javelin – 8, Trevor Danielson 224-6 (68.42m), PB, No. 3 Stanford AT; 45, Will Kingsfield 186-0 (56.71m). Danielson advances to NCAA Championships.
Women
1,500 – 2, Elise Cranny 4:12.49; 3, Christina Aragon 4:12.73; 21, Jessica Lawson 4:26.94. Cranny and Aragon advance to NCAA Championships.
5,000 – 4, Vanessa Fraser 15:27.36; 13, Fiona O'Keeffe 15:43.00; 16, Abbie McNulty 15:58.64. Fraser advances to NCAA Championships.
4x400 relay – 4, Stanford (Missy Mongiovi, Ashlan Best, Gaby Gayles, Olivia Baker) 3:31.39, No. 3 Stanford AT. Stanford advances to NCAA Championships.
Triple jump – 15, Marisa Kwiatkowski 42-4 ¾ (12.92m), PB, No. 5 Stanford AT.
Hammer – 11, Valarie Allman 201-6 (61.42m).
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
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Stanford's NCAA qualifiers:
Men
3,000 steeplechase: Steven Fahy.
5,000: Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty.
4x100 relay: Stanford (Frank Kurtz, Gabriel Navarro, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Julian Body).
4x400 relay: Stanford (Frank Kurtz, Julian Body, Gabriel Navarro, Isaiah Brandt-Sims).
Javelin: Trevor Danielson.
Decathlon: Harrison Williams.
Women
800: Olivia Baker.
1,500: Christina Aragon, Elise Cranny.
5,000: Vanessa Fraser.
4x400: Stanford (Missy Mongiovi, Ashlan Best, Gaby Gayles, Olivia Baker).
Pole vault: Erika Malaspina, Kaitlyn Merritt.
Shot put: Lena Giger.
Discus: Valarie Allman.
Hammer: Valarie Allman.
Javelin: Jenna Gray, Mackenzie Little.
Olivia Baker.