From left: Lena Giger, Mackenzie Little, Jenna Gray. Photos by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
EUGENE, Ore. – Mackenzie Little and Jenna Gray gave Stanford a 1-2 finish in the javelin and highlighted an incredible Thursday that ended with the Cardinal women leading the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with Saturday's competition, and more potential points, still to come.
Little, a junior from Australia, threw a lifetime best and school record 198-0 (60.36 meters) to unseat teammate Gray, a sophomore first-team All-America setter on the Cardinal volleyball team, who threw a shocking 187-11 (57.29m). They are now 1-2 on Stanford's all-time list.
Along with Lena Giger's third in the shot put and Valarie Allman's eighth in the hammer, Stanford has 25 points –all from throwers – with Florida second with 17. And Stanford still has Allman in the discus and an array of contending runners in distances from 800 to 5,000.
Mackenzie Little
Little became Stanford's first NCAA women's champion since Kori Carter won the 400 hurdles in 2013. After five runner-up finishes, most recently by Brianna Bain in 2012, Stanford finally has an NCAA javelin winner. Little, who was seventh as a freshman and fourth last year, accomplished the feat on her first throw, breaking her own school record of 192-4 (58.63m) from this year's Big Meet dual against Cal.
The 198-0 distance is the 10th farthest all-time during a collegiate season and places Little No. 5 on the all-time collegiate performers' list. It's also the eighth-longest throw in meet history and places Little No. 4 on the meet's all-time performers' list.
This was the third Stanford record broken in two days. On Wednesday, another Stanford thrower, Trevor Danielson, broke a 2001 mark while placing fourth in the men's javelin at 235-7 (71.80m), and the team of Frank Kurtz, Julian Body, Gabriel Navarro, and Isaiah Brandt-Sims broke their own two-week-old mark in the men's 4x400, running 3:04.82 to advance to the final.
Jenna Gray
Gray dominated the first flight, which was for the second-tier throwers, breaking her personal record by nine feet. Gray only been training for track once a week while spending the rest of the team in spring practice with volleyball. In this season alone, with her technique improving, she has bettered her 2017 best by nearly 22 feet and is now a first-team All-America in both sports.
She would be the only first flight thrower to finish among the top eight. When the second flight began, Little took the lead on her first throw and maintained a series in which all six throws were over 184 feet and 56 meters.
This was the first time the Stanford women went 1-2 in an NCAA final since 1984 when PattiSue Plumer beat Alison Wiley in the 5,000.
Giger had her best NCAA finish with a toss of 57-8 ½ (17.59m) in the shot. She hit that on her fourth attempt, and improved upon her previous best NCAA finish of sixth, during the indoor season. This was Stanford's highest finish in this event since Jillian Camarena was second in 2004.
Valarie Allman
Allman earned first-team All-America honors with her first podium finish in the hammer. She threw 208-5 (63.52m) and became Stanford's highest-ever placer in this event, improving upon her own 11th-place finish in 2016.
In the middle-distance semifinals, Olivia Baker advanced to her third consecutive NCAA outdoor 800 final on time, after finishing third in Heat 2 in a season-best 2:02.76. In the 1,500, Christina Aragon and Elise Cranny cruised to second and third in Heat 2 to advance automatically to the final. Aragon was seventh last year as a freshman and Cranny was second in 2016 as a sophomore.
In the decathlon, Stanford's Harrison Williams came into the second day 214 points ahead of his lifetime-best pace and in third place. However, on the day's first event, the 110 high hurdles, Williams struck the ninth hurdle, lost his balance and crashed hard into the 10th and final hurdle.
Williams never cross the finish line, but was disqualified anyway for pushing the 10th hurdle down with his hands. With his right shin taped, Williams tried to throw the discus in the seventh event before dropping out.
Friday is a day of men's finals and Grant Fisher will be out to defend his title in the 5,000, with teammate Sean McGorty also among the contenders. Steven Fahy runs in the 3,000 steeplechase final and Stanford runs the 4x400 relay.
Lena Giger
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Thursday's Results
Second day of four
NCAA Championships
At Hayward Field
Finals winners and all Stanford competitors
Men
Team scores (after 7 of 21 events) – 1, Georgia 34; 19, Stanford 5.
Decathlon – 1, Tim Duckworth (Kentucky) 8,336; Harrison Williams (Stanford) DNF.
Women
Team scores (6 of 21 events) – 1, Stanford 25; 2, Florida 17.
800 semifinals – 3, Olivia Baker (Stanford) 2:02.76. Baker advances to final.
1,500 semifinals – 11, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 4:15.00; 12, Elise Cranny (Stanford) 4:15.05. Aragon and Cranny advance to final.
4x400 relay semifinals – 13, Stanford (Missy Mongiovi, Ashlan Best, Gaby Gayles, Olivia Baker) 3:34.26.
Pole vault final – Olivia Gruver (Kentucky) 14-11 (4.55m); 12, Erika Malaspina (Stanford) 13-7 ¼ (4.15m); Kaitlyn Merritt (Stanford) NH.
Shot put final – 1, Maggie Ewen (Arizona State) 62-10 ¾ (19.17m); 3, Lena Giger (Stanford) 57-8 ½ (17.59m).
Javelin final – 1, Mackenzie Little (Stanford) 198-0 (60.36m); 2, Jenna Gray (Stanford) 187-11 (57.29m).
Hammer final – 1, Janeah Stewart (Ole Miss) 239-3 (72.92m); 8, Valarie Allman (Stanford) 208-5 (63.52m).
Erika Malaspina
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Stanford's remaining schedule:
Friday:
5:54 p.m.: Men's 3,000 steeplechase final (Steven Fahy).
7:25 p.m.: Men's 5,000 final (Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty).
7:51 p.m.: Men's 4x400 relay final (Frank Kurtz, Julian Body, Gabriel Navarro, Isaiah Brandt-Sims).
Saturday:
3:05 p.m.: Women's discus final (Flight 2: Valarie Allman).
3:41 p.m.: Women's 1,500 final (Christina Aragon, Elise Cranny).
4:44 p.m.: Women's 800 final (Olivia Baker).
5:25 p.m.: Women's 5,000 final (Vanessa Fraser).
Olivia Baker