BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Six Stanford athletes and a relay team will compete at the two-day NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, which begin Friday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The Stanford women are coming off five consecutive top-20 team finishes. The men were 21st last year.
Stanford figures to have national championship contenders in at least two events. Grant Fisher is the top qualifier in the men's 3,000 meters and Harrison Williams is the No. 2 seed in the men's seven-event heptathlon. In addition, Lena Giger, who was third at NCAA Outdoors last year, is competing in the women's shot put.
Overall, Stanford has three individuals each in men's and women's competitions, plus a men's team in the distance medley relay, marking the 10th consecutive year the Cardinal has qualified in that event.
Stanford's most recent NCAA indoor title came in 2014 with the men's DMR. The Cardinal women are searching for their first victory since Erica McLain won the second of her back-to-back triple jump championships in 2008.
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Meet Information:
NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
Where: Birmingham, Ala.
Site: Birmingham CrossPlex
Track: 200-meter banked
Full schedule: Click here (PDF).
Follow the Action:
Live results and start lists: Click here.
Meet Central: Click here.
TV/Webstream:
Friday - ESPN3.com (live, 3:30 p.m. PT).
Saturday - ESPN3.com (live, 2 p.m. PT)
Sunday – ESPN2 (tape-delayed, 4 p.m. PT).
Twitter: @stanfordXCTF
Stanford in USTFCCCA rankings:
Men - No. 14
Women - No. 35
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Stanford's NCAA qualifiers:
Men
Grant Fisher: 3,000 (No. 1, 7:42.62).
Alex Ostberg: 3,000 (No. 12, 7:51.20).
Harrison Williams: Heptathlon (No. 2, 6,961).
Distance medley relay (No. 12, 9:29.35).
Women
Lena Giger: Shot put (No. 9, 56-9 ¼ (17.30m).
Abbie McNulty: 5,000 (No. 16, 15:42.13).
Fiona O'Keeffe: 3,000 (No. 8, 8:58.58); 5,000 (No. 13, 15:35.77).
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Stanford's schedule:
Friday
10 a.m. PT (noon CT): Men's heptathlon 60 (Harrison Williams).
10:40 a.m. PT (12:40 p.m. CT): Men's heptathlon long jump (Harrison Williams).
11:50 a.m. PT (1:50 p.m. CT): Men's heptathlon shot put (Harrison Williams).
1 p.m. PT (3 p.m. CT): Men's heptathlon high jump (Harrison Williams).
3:15 p.m. PT (5:15 p.m. CT): Women's shot put (Lena Giger).
6:07 p.m. PT (8:07 p.m. CT): Women's 5,000 (Abbie McNulty, Fiona O'Keeffe).
7:02 p.m. PT (9:02 p.m. CT): Men's distance medley relay (Stanford).
Saturday
9:45 a.m. PT (11:45 a.m. CT): Men's heptathlon 60 hurdles (Harrison Williams).
10:35 a.m. PT (12:35 a.m. CT): Men's heptathlon pole vault (Harrison Williams).
2 p.m. PT (4 p.m. CT): Men's heptathlon 1,000 (Harrison Williams).
4:10 p.m. PT (6:10 p.m. CT): Women's 3,000 (Fiona O'Keeffe).
4:25 p.m. PT (6:25 p.m. CT): Men's 3,000 (Grant Fisher, Alex Ostberg).
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Here's a closer look at each event for Stanford, in chronological order:
Men's heptathlon (Friday and Saturday)
Stanford record: 5,970 points
Best Stanford mark at NCAA Indoors: 5,970, Harrison Williams (2019)
Highest Stanford place: 2nd, Josh Hustedt (2008).
Harrison Williams, 5th Sr., Memphis, Tenn. (Memphis University School).
Seed: No. 2 (5,961).
Williams has four top-6 NCAA finishes in the multis, including indoor placings of fourth (2016) and sixth (2017). His school-record and PB of 5,970 was the highest sixth-place point total in NCAA indoor meet history, and was higher than the top fifth-place total as well. He is the top American collegian this season with 5,961 points from his victory at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational on Feb. 1-2. Outdoors, Williams is the reigning Pac-12 decathlon champ and was third at the USATF Championships last year. His best event is the pole vault, with a PB of 17-8 1/2 (5.40m). He was second in that event at the MPSF indoor championships.
Major: Product design.
Personal record: 5,970.
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Women's shot put (Friday)
Stanford record: 58-4 (17.78m), Lena Giger (2018).
Best Stanford mark at NCAA Indoors: 57-2 ¾ (17.44m), Jillian Camarena (2003)
Highest Stanford place: 1st, Pam Dukes (1987).
Lena Giger, 5th Sr., Highland, Ill. (Highland HS)
Seed: No. 9, 56-9 ¼ (17.30m).
Giger is a three-time All-America who is completing her eligibility at this meet. Giger was third at NCAA Outdoors last year – Stanford's highest finish in that event since 2004 – and sixth at NCAA Indoors. A year ago, she broke the indoor school record held by Olympian Jillian Camarena, with a distance of 58-4 (17.78m). Giger's outdoor PB of 59-4 1/4 (18.09m) is only 2 ½ inches from Camarena's absolute standard. Giger was the top collegian in three of her five meets this year.
Major: History.
Personal record: 59-4 1/4 (18.09m) (outdoors).
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Women's 5,000
Stanford record: 15:35.77 (oversized track), Fiona O'Keeffe (2019); 15:37.97 (200-meter track), Arianna Lambie (2007).
Best Stanford mark at NCAA Indoors: 15:37.97, Arianna Lambie (2007).
Highest Stanford place: 2nd, Aisling Cuffe (2014), Arianna Lambie (2007), Alicia Craig (2004), Louise Watson (1994).
Abbie McNulty, 5th Sr., Cumberland, R.I. (Bishop Feehan HS).
Seed: No. 16, 15:42.13.
McNulty has qualified for her first NCAA track and field championship meet, indoors or outdoors. She set her PB of 15:42.13 – a 16-second improvement from her outdoor best – at the Husky Classic on Feb. 8. That placed her No. 3 on Stanford's all-time indoor performers' list. She also is No. 3 on Stanford's outdoor list in the 10,000 (33:07.41).
Major: Bioengineering.
Personal record: 15:42.13 (2019) (indoors).
Fiona O'Keeffe, RS So., Davis, Calif. (Davis Senior HS).
Seed: No. 13, 15:35.77.
O'Keeffe set a Stanford indoor record of 15:35.77, for any-sized track, at the Husky Classic on Feb. 8. This is the first of her two races at this meet, along with the 3,000. This is her first time running the 5,000 at NCAA Indoors, though she placed fifth at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships at the same distance. She was the 2016 U.S. junior national champion in the 5,000 in a meet record 15:56.84.
Major: Earth systems.
Personal record: 15:34.44 (outdoors).
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Men's distance medley relay
Stanford record: 9:26.91 (2018; Sean McGorty, Isaiah Brandt-Sims, Hari Sathyamurthy, Grant Fisher).
Best Stanford mark at NCAA Indoors: 9:28.83 (2000; Gabe Jennings, Evan Kelty, Michael Stember, Jonathon Riley).
Highest Stanford place: 1st (2000, 2001, 2007, 2014).
Seed: No. 12, 9:29.35.
This marks the 10th consecutive year that Stanford has qualified in this race. In that time, the Cardinal has placed first (2014), fourth (2012, 2016, 2018), eighth (2011, 2013), 10th (2010, 2015), and 12th (2017). Stanford was won this event four times and has 12 top-five finishes. Stanford's team had yet to be finalized at this writing, though Grant Fisher will most likely anchor, as he did on Stanford's fourth-place team last year. Stanford has run this event twice this year and won both races. The team that ran a season best of 9:29.35 at the UW Invitational was Isaac Cortes, Julian Body, Hari Sathyamurthy, and Fisher 9:29.35. The team that won the MPSF title on Feb. 22 in 9:31.39 was Alex Ostberg, Louis Stenmark, Cortes, and Fisher. A possibility for the 400 leg is Isaiah Brandt-Sims, who joined Fisher on the team that set a school record of 9:26.91 last year. This would be the final meet for Brandt-Sims, a receiver who played in the 2016 Rose Bowl victory over Iowa and completes his eligibility. Brandt-Sims owns Stanford records in the DMR, 60, and indoor and outdoor 4x400. He has broken Stanford records eight times.
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Women's 3,000 (Saturday).
Stanford record: 8:53.1, PattiSue Plumer (1983).
Best Stanford mark at NCAA indoors: 8:58.88, Elise Cranny (2015).
Highest Stanford place: 1st, Lauren Fleshman (2002); PattiSue Plumer (2-mile, 1983).
Fiona O'Keeffe, RS So., Davis, Calif. (Davis Senior HS).
Seed: No. 8, 8:58.58.
O'Keeffe ran the fastest time by a Cardinal in 36 years, of 8:58.58, when she won her second consecutive MPSF title on Feb. 23. O'Keeffe raced in the NCAA indoor meet last year, but an early fall ruined her chances. Still, she placed 10th, in 9:10.54. O'Keeffe will race in the 5,000 on Friday, before doubling in this race on Saturday.
Major: Earth systems.
Personal record: 8:58.58 (2019) (outdoors).
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Men's 3,000 (Saturday)
Stanford record: 7:42.62, Grant Fisher (2019).
Best Stanford mark at NCAA indoors: 7:46.81, Chris Derrick (2012).
Highest Stanford place: 1st, Elliott Heath (2011).
Grant Fisher, RS. Jr., Grand Blanc, Mich. (Grand Blanc HS).
Seed: No. 1 (7:42.62).
Fisher set the American collegiate 3,000 record of 7:42.62 while winning at the Millrose Games on Feb. 9. The top three finishers – and the only collegians in the elite field – finished 1-2-3 and all three are in this race, including Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald and Campbell's Amon Kemboi. Fisher and McDonald ran the fourth- and fifth-fastest collegiate indoor times in history at Millrose, with Fisher winning by 0.14 seconds, reversing the results of the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November. Fisher is the 2017 NCAA outdoor 5,000 champ and a two-time Pac-12 cross country winner. He is a nine-time All-America and was fourth in this race last year. Fisher was recently awarded the USTFCCCA West Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season and is among 10 men on the watch list for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field's highest honor.
Major: Electrical engineering.
Personal record: 7:42.62 (2019).
