LINCOLN, Neb. – Stanford fifth-year senior Harrison Williams used a strong pole vault performance to propel himself to the heptathlon victory at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Williams took the national lead by scoring 5,961 points, finishing just nine points shy of his two-year-old school record. It should earn passage to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 8-9 in Birmingham, Alabama. Those with the nation's top 16 marks through the conference championship weekend will advance to nationals.
Williams was second midway through the two-day, seven-event competition and remained there through five events. But he turned the competition by clearing 17-1 ½ (5.22 meters) in the pole vault, making it on his first attempt, for 979 points.
Williams, the 2018 Pac-12 decathlon champ, needed 848 points to break his Stanford record of 5,970, but his 2:43.19 in the 1,000, the final event, was not quite enough. Still, Williams won by 274 points over runner-up and first-day leader Jared Seay of Nebraska. Williams' total was the second-highest in school history.
This was the first heptathlon for Williams since his 2017 record-setting effort at the NCAA Championships, which was the highest sixth-place total in the history of the meet.
Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational
At Bob Devaney Sports Center
(200-meter banked track)
Men
Heptathlon – 1, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 5,961.
Harrison Williams (event, place, mark, points):
First day: 60 – 1, 6.95, 900; LJ – 3, 23-5 ¼ (7.14m), 847; SP – 1, 44-5- ½ (13.55m), 701; HJ – 3, 6-4 ¼ (1.94m), 749. First-day total – 3,197.
Second day: 60H – 2, 8.14, 947; PV – 1, 17-1 ½ (5.22m), 979; 1,000 – 2, 2:43.19, 838. Second day total – 2,764.
Two-day total -- 5,961.
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Three throw lifetime bests
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Jordan Fong placed third in the women's 20-pound weight throw at the Mountain T's Invitational at the Walkup Skydome.
Fong's 56-7 ¼ (17.25m) strengthened her hold as the No. 2 freshman thrower in school history. It also vaulted her to No. 6 on Stanford's all-time performers' list.
In the men's 35-pound weight throw, Stanford's Jake Koffman (56-6 ¾, 17.24m) and Landon Ellingson (55-0, 16.76m) had personal bests, placing fourth and eighth, respectively.
Mountain T's Invitational
At Walkup Skydome
Men
Weight throw – 1, William Beaudry (Northern Arizona) 60-5 ¾ (18.43m); 4, Jake Koffman (Stanford) 56-6 ¾ (17.24m) (PB); 8, Landon Ellingson (Stanford) 55-0 (16.76m) (PB).
Women
Weight throw – 1, Beatrice Llano (Arizona State) 66-5 (20.24m); 3, Jordan Fong (Stanford) 56-7 ¼ (17.25m) (PB, No. 6 Stanford AT, No. 2 Stanford frosh AT).
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
