SEATTLE – Ella Donaghu led a trio of Stanford runners to the top spots in the women's mile at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday.
Donaghu ran 4:34.85 to capture her first collegiate conference championship. She was followed by Jessica Lawson in 4:36.06 and Jordan Oakes in 4:37.69. Oakes jumps to No. 10 on Stanford's all-time indoor list, with Donaghu and Lawson already at Nos. 3 and 5.
It was Stanford's second women's mile title in three years, and 11th MPSF title in that event overall. Elise Cranny was the most recent, in 2018.
Ashlan Best broke her own school record in the women's 400 meters. Best ran 52.64 on the 307-meter Dempsey Indoor track to shatter her two-week old mark of 53.02, run on a 200-meter banked track in Albuquerque.
Best placed third in the race and helped the Stanford women to a fifth-place tie with 54 points. It marked the 17th consecutive year that Stanford's women's team has finished among the top five.
The Stanford men placed ninth with 45 points.
Best's time puts her in contention for a spot in the NCAA Championships on March 13-14 in Albuquerque. Donaghu, Lawson, and Oakes each is in contention in the mile. The top 16 in the nation advance. The field will be announced Tuesday.
Julia Heymach ran 2:05.01 to place third in the 800, and Aria Small was fourth in the triple jump at 41-0 ½ (12.51m).
For the men, Julian Body placed third in the 400 in 47.18, a personal record that strengthens his spot at No. 8 all-time at Stanford indoors. Body also was fifth in the 60 hurdles in 8.04.
Brandon McGorty was fifth in the 800 in a personal collegiate best best 1:50.14, which puts him at No. 8 all-time at Stanford indoors.
Matt Rizzo was a strong fifth in the mile, in a personal best 4:02.09. It was a the fastest mile by a Stanford true freshman in 22 years, since Gabe Jennings set the school freshman record of 3:59.32. Rizzo passed two other Olympians, Michael Stember and Jonathon Riley, to move to the No. 2 spot among Stanford freshmen all-time.
In the shot put, freshman Sam Liokumovich set a personal record of 55-1 ½ (16.80m) to move to No. 10 at Stanford all-time. Liokumovich joins Dorien Simon (No. 2 in the 60) and Max Manson (No. 7 in the pole vault) as Stanford freshmen, men or women, who entered Stanford's all-time indoor top-10 lists this year.
Sam Liokumovich. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
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Saturday's Results
MPSF Championships
At Dempsey Indoor
(307-meter track)
Winners and Stanford
Men
Final team scores – 1, BYU 80; 2, Arizona 76; 3, Washington 62; 4, UCLA 58; 5, USC 56; 6, Washington State 51.5; 7, Oregon 50; 8, California 47; 9, Stanford 45; 10, Arizona State 43; 11, Portland 33; 12, Long Beach State 21; 13, Colorado 20.5; 14, UC Riverside 13; 15, CSUN 6.
400 – 1, Michael Bluth (BYU) 46.67; 3, Julian Body (Stanford) 47.18 (PB, No. 8 Stanford AT); 10, Karson Lippert (Stanford) 48.07; 20, Miles Zoltak (Stanford) 48.57; 30, Nick Comly (Stanford) 50.25.
800 – 1, Talern Franco (BYU) 1:49.89; 5, Brandon McGorty (Stanford) 1:50.14 (No. 8 Stanford AT).
Mile – 1, George Duggan (Portland) 3:59.61; 5, Matt Rizzo (Stanford) 4:02.09 (PB, No. 2 Stanford frosh); 11, DJ Principe (Stanford) 4:07.60; 16, Liam Conway (Stanford) 4:09.32 (PB); 20, Andy Monroe (Stanford) 4:20.82.
3,000 – 1, Tanner Anderson (Washington) 7:58.34; 11, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 8:08.94; 13, Devin Hart (Stanford) 8:10.16; 16, Alek Parsons (Stanford) 8:13.22; 20, Evan Burke (Stanford) 8:15.72; 23, Michael Vernau (Stanford) 8:18.28; 24, DJ Principe (Stanford) 8:18.46; 27, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 8:22.73 (PB); 29, Clayton Mendez (Stanford) 8:23.60; 44, Liam Anderson (Stanford) 8:31.96.
60 hurdles – 1, Sam Brixey (Washington State) 7.75; 5, Julian Body (Stanford) 8.04.
4x400 relay – 1, USC 3:07.96; 5, Stanford 3:13.26.
Triple jump – 1, Rickey Fantroy (BYU) 50-10 ¼ (15.50m); 5, Keyshawn King (Stanford) (14.98m) 49-1 ¾ (14.98m) (No. 9 Stanford AT); Fisayo Omilana (Stanford) F.
Shot put – 1, McKay Johnson (California) 67-0 ¾ (20.44m); 7, Sam Liokumovich (Stanford) 55-1 ½ (16.80m) (PB, No. 10 Stanford AT).
Women
Final team scores – 1, Oregon 104.5; 2, USC 73; 3, Washington 70; 4, Arizona 56; 5 (tie), Stanford, UCLA, Washington State, each 54; 8, BYU 51; 9, Arizona State 44; 10, Colorado 27.5; 11 (tie), Utah, California, each 17; 13, Portland 12; 14, Cal State Fullerton 8; 15, San Francisco 6; 16 (tie), Oregon State, UC Riverside, each 5; 18, UC Davis 3; 19 (tie), UC Irvine, Hawaii, each 1.
400 – 1, Bailey Lear (USC) 51.60; 3, Ashlan Best (Stanford) 52.64 (PB, school record); 38, Mary Gillett (Stanford) 58.26.
800 – 1, Anna Camp (BYU) 2:04.19; 3, Julia Heymach (Stanford) 2:05.01; 16, Carolyn Wilson (Stanford) 2:09.79; 17, Kaitlin Ryan (Stanford) 2:09.81.
Mile – 1, Ella Donaghu (Stanford) 4:34.85; 2, Jessica Lawson (Stanford) 4:36.06; 3, Jordan Oakes (Stanford) 4:37.69 (PB, No. 9 Stanford AT); 6, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 4:41.43.
3,000 – 1, Haley Herberg (Washington) 9:19.28; 7, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 9:29.73 (PB); 27, Lindsey Payne (Stanford) 9:45.49 (PB).
4x400 relay – 1, USC 3:29.92; 8, Stanford 3:45.87.
Triple jump – 1, Charisma Taylor (Washington State) 43-7 ¼ (13.29m); 4, Aria Small (Stanford) 41-0 ½ (12.51m); 11, Allyson Weiss (Stanford) 37-10 ¾ (11.55m).
Shot put – 1, Alyssa Wilson (UCLA) 55-7 ½ (16.95m); 20, Jaimi Salone (Stanford) 42-11 ¾ (13.10m).
Aria Small. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.