SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Stanford went 649 days between outdoor track and field meets, but this is a new season and there is much to be hopeful about after the Cardinal's performance at the Hornet Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
Keyshawn King made the biggest splash at a meet that began with rain on Friday for the hammer throws at UC Davis.
King, a junior psychology major, set a personal best to win the triple jump with one of the best jumps in school history. On the second of his three jumps, King leaped 51-4 ½ (15.66 meters) to break his best by 1/4-inch (0.01m) when he had the top wind-legal high school jump in the nation in 2018 while at Liberty (S.C.) High.
The distance tied the inspirational Feranmi Okanlami, a former Stanford captain now an assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Urology at University of Michigan, at No. 5 on Stanford's all-time outdoor performers' list.
Stanford was among five teams at the scoring meet at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium. The others schools were Montana State, Sacramento State, San Jose State, and UC Davis. Stanford won the women's competition with 132 points and the Cardinal men were second with 105.
King wasn't the only one to have a big day. Stanford won 14 events – nine women's and five men's – including a hammer throw sweep on Friday from Jordan Fong for the women and Max McKhann for the men.
In her first collegiate competition (her freshman season was wiped out by the coronavirus), sophomore Brielle Smith won the women's javelin with All-America teammate Virginia Miller was second. Smith threw 157-5 (47.98m) on her first throw. It was enough to edge Miller, who went 155-8 (47.45m) on her first throw.
Smith moved into Stanford's all-time top 10 at the No. 10 spot, displacing Victoria Smith, a 2015 All-American.
Ashlan Best provided a typical performance, winning the 200 (23.82), 400 (54.54), and running a leg on the winning 4x400.
Three Cardinal true freshmen won in their collegiate outdoor debuts: Allan Hunter in the men's long jump (23-8 ¾ (7.23m), Ellie Deligianni in the women's 1,500 (4:22.63) with redshirt freshman Morgan Foster second (4:28.46), and Samantha Thomas in the women's 400 hurdles (1:02.17). Deligianni was the 2019 Greek national under-23 outdoor champion in the 800.
Stanford rested all its runners from the recently-completed cross country season and looks forward to competing at home at the Stanford Invitational on April 2-3.
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Hornet Invitational
At Hornet Stadium, Sacramento
Winners and all Stanford
Men
200 – 1, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 21.75; 3, Andrew Franco (Stanford) 21.98; 7, Miles Zoltak (Stanford) 22.44.
400 – 1, Mekhi Evans-Bey (San Jose State) 47.84; 3, Miles Zoltak (Stanford) 48.15; 5, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 48.76; 6, Andrew Franco (Stanford) 48.81; 13, Brandon McGorty (Stanford) 50.81; 15, Miles Smith (Stanford) 51.49.
800 – 1, Xolan Brown (San Jose State) 1:52.45; 7, Evan Burke (Stanford) 1:58.38; 10, Liam Conway (Stanford) 2:00.75.
1,500 – 1, Michael Vernau (Stanford) 3:51.03; 3, Miles Smith (Stanford) 3:51.73; 4, Brandon McGorty (Stanford) 3:52.55; 6, Evan Burke (Stanford) 3:55.24; 11, Liam Conway (Stanford) 4:02.76.
4x400 relay – 1, Montana State 3:16.40; 2, Stanford (Miles Zoltak, Gabriel Navarro, Andrew Franco, Brandon McGorty) 3:18.71.
High jump – 1, Kyle Jankans (San Jose State) 6-8 ¾ (2.05m); 3, James Stevens (Stanford) 6-4 ¾ (1.95m); 4, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 6-2 ¾ (1.90m).
Long jump – 1, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 23-8 ¾ (7.23m); 6, Keyshawn King (Stanford) 20-9 (6.32m).
Triple jump – 1, Keyshawn King (Stanford) 51-4 ½ (15.66m); 3, Kevin Yang (Stanford) 46-4 ¼ (14.13m); 4, Jerry Zheng (Stanford) 46-0 ¾w (14.04m, 2.1).
Hammer (Friday in Davis) – 1, Max McKhann (Stanford) 188-9 (57.55m); 8, Mason McKhann (Stanford) 153-10 (46.89m).
Women
100 – 1, LaTrouchka Duke (Sacramento State) 11.96 (1.6); 4, Kennedy Gamble (Stanford) 12.07w (3.4).
200 – 1, Ashlan Best (Stanford) 23.82; 6, Kennedy Gamble (Stanford) 25.05; 11, Carolyn Wilson (Stanford) 25.63.
400 – 1, Ashlan Best (Stanford) 54.54; 4, Carolyn Wilson (Stanford) 57.06; 5, Sarah Walker (Stanford) 58.64.
800 – 1, Juliette Noyer (San Jose State) 2:14.66; 4, Rebecca Story (Stanford) 2:23.78.
1,500 – 1, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 4:22.63; 2, Morgan Foster (Stanford) 4:28.46; 5, Rebecca Story (Stanford) 4:35.77; 7, Lily Flynn (Stanford) 4:37.42.
100 hurdles – 1, Allie Jones (Stanford) 13.99w (2.3).
400 hurdles – 1, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 1:02.17.
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford (Samantha Thomas, Ashlan Best, Carolyn Wilson, Ellie Deligianni) 3:50.84.
Triple jump – 1, Aria Small (Stanford) 41-1 (12.52m); 2, Ellie Talius (Stanford) 40-4 ¾ (12.31m).
Hammer (Friday in Davis) – 1, Jordan Fong (Stanford) 180-4 (54.98m).
Javelin – 1, Brielle Smith (Stanford) 157-5 (47.98m); 2, Virginia Miller (Stanford) 155-8 (47.45m); 6, Allie Jones (Stanford) 98-4 (29.97m).
