AUSTIN, Texas – Stanford athletes captured two titles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and a team of four scored 32 points to place fifth for the program's highest men's finish since 2001.
Mackenzie Little repeated as the women's javelin champion, using her first throw to carry her to an easy victory at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Later, Steven Fahy clipped the final barrier and fell while leading the 3,000-meter steeplechase, but got off the ground to hold off his competitors to win his first championship, with his arms outstretched in joy and relief as he won in 8:38.46.
And in the men's 5,000, 2017 champ Grant Fisher was second and Cardinal teammate Thomas Ratcliffe was third, giving Stanford 14 more points. Fisher, a senior, earned his 12th All-America honor, running 14:06.63. And Ratcliffe, a redshirt sophomore, earned his first, running 14:07.92.
So, Stanford's four men – Fahy, Fisher, Ratcliffe, and Thurday's decathlon runner-up Harrison Williams – beat traditional powers Texas A&M (6th), LSU (7th), and Oregon (12th). All four earned top-three finishes and gave Stanford its highest finish since the 2001 team was fourth. Stanford also was the top placer among Pac-12 schools.
The Fantastic Four. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
In the steeplechase, two falls by leaders on the final lap created chaos. Fahy pulled onto the shoulder of Indiana's Daniel Michalski on the backstretch, perhaps rushing Michalski who toppled over the water jump on the top of the final turn.
Fahy emerged with a commanding lead. But as he hurdled the final barrier, perhaps 50 meters from the finish, he caught the toe of his trailing foot on the barrier and fell onto the rail. Expecting others to sail past him, Fahy got up off the ground and found himself still in first, though with Oklahoma State's Ryan Smeeton closing.
However, Fahy had enough left to reach the line first, running 8:38.46 to win by 0.6 of a second.
"Falling over that last barrier is a perfect way to sum up my collegiate career," Fahy said. "Nothing's going to come easy, and it's not always going to happen the way you think it's going to or the way that you envision it. But if you keep your nose in it and you really believe that you're going to get there, and if you put in that work over those years, that's why all this happens."
Fahy, a two-time Pac-12 champion and fifth-year senior, became the first Stanford runner to win an NCAA men's steeplechase title and first from the Pac-12 since 2008. Thirds by Fahy last year and Ian Dobson in 2004 were Stanford's previous high NCAA finishes in that event.
Mackenzie Little. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
In the women's javelin, Little took the drama out of the competition with a massive opening throw of 195-0 (59.44 meters) that no one came within 10 feet of for the entirety of the competition. Teammate Jenna Gray, a Stanford volleyball All-American, placed fourth at 179-9 (54.79m) in the 92-degree afternoon heat.
Little became the first Stanford woman to win two NCAA titles in a field event and became the sixth in NCAA history to repeat in that event and the first since Oklahoma's Brittany Borman in 2011 and 2012.
"I'm really thrilled," Little said. "I'm so excited, I couldn't be happier for my last meet competing in a Stanford uniform."
With Gray, who was second last year, Stanford became the first school in event history to score 15 or more points in back-to-back years.
Jenna Gray. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
The 5,000 was expected to be another duel between Fisher and Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald. McDonald had edged Fisher in the NCAA cross country championships last fall and in the NCAA indoor 3,000 in March.
Fisher came onto leader McDonald's shoulder with 1,300 to go, and moved into the lead with 500 left.
"I thought that was my best opportunity," Fisher said. "I thought if I squeezed it from a ways out, it would give me my best shot at victory."
Fisher held the inside position on both turns of the final lap before McDonald was able to pull away with 80 meters to go.
Ratcliffe ran conservatively most of the race, staying in the back of the lead pack, but began picking off runners over the final two laps until he found himself looking ahead to only Fisher and McDonald as he reached the finish.
The meet concludes Saturday with most of the women's finals. Stanford is tied with Arkansas for first after six of 21 events, with 15 points.
Thomas Ratcliffe. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
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Thursday's results
NCAA Championships
At Mike A. Myers Stadium, Univ. of Texas
Winners and all Stanford
Men
Final team scores – 1, Texas Tech 60; 2, Florida 50; 3, Houston 40; 4, Georgia 32.5; 5, Stanford 32; 6, Texas A&M 29; 7, LSU 28; 8, BYU 27.
5,000 final – 1, Morgan McDonald (Wisconsin) 14:06.01; 2, Grant Fisher (Stanford) 14:06.63; 3, Thomas Ratcliffe (Stanford) 14:07.92.
3,000 steeplechase final – 1, Steven Fahy (Stanford) 8:38.46.
Women
Team scores (after 6 of 21 events) – 1 (tie), Arkansas and Stanford, 15.
Javelin final – 1, Mackenzie Little (Stanford) 195-0 (59.44m); 4, Jenna Gray (Stanford) 179-9 (54.79m); 22, Virginia Miller (Stanford) 128-9 (39.24m).
Wisconsin's Morgan McDonald and Stanford's Grant Fisher -- the 1-2 finishers in the 5,000. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
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Stanford's Schedule
Saturday
3 p.m. PT (5 p.m. CT): Women's high jump final (Rachel Reichenbach).
3:05 p.m. PT (5:05 p.m. CT): Women's discus (Flight 1: Jaimi Salone).
3:41 p.m. PT (5:41 p.m. CT): Women's 1,500 final (Ella Donaghu, Jessica Lawson).
5:25 p.m. PT (7:25 p.m. CT): Women's 5,000 final (Fiona O'Keeffe).
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Broadcast Schedule
Saturday
11:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m.: ESPN3
3:30-6 p.m.: ESPN2
Steven Fahy. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.