SEATTLE – Stanford runners went 1-2-3 in the men's 3,000 meters at the Pac-12 Invitational indoor track and field meet on Saturday, with two of them recording times among the best in collegiate history.
Cole Sprout, Charles Hicks, and Ky Robinson swept the race on the 307-meter track at University of Washington's Dempsey Indoor facility, each with a personal best.
Sprout's time of 7:43.10 was only 0.48 seconds off Grant Fisher's school and American collegiate record, and Hicks was right behind in 7:43.84. On the all-time collegiate indoor list, including all-sized tracks and times converted from near-equal distances, Sprout is now No. 13 and Hicks is No. 17.
On Stanford's all-time indoor list, Sprout now is No. 2, Hicks No. 3 and Robinson No. 9. On the season NCAA Division I list, Sprout is No. 5, and Hicks No. 8. Both are in position to advance among the nation's top 16 to the NCAA Indoor Championships March 11-12 in Birmingham, Alabama. Though Robinson is out of the running for the 3,000, he is No. 4 in the 5,000.
Cole Sprout leads Charles Hicks to the finish in the 3,000. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
This is the first year of the Pac-12 Invitational. Pac-12 schools competed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor championships in the past, but this year there is no official conference championship meet.
With no scoring, coaches had other areas of emphasis in planning. But, if the meet was scored, Stanford's men would have placed third with 77 ½ and the Cardinal women would have been fourth with 62.
Sprout joined Max Manson, the men's pole vault winner on Friday, as Stanford winners. Keyshawn King earned a close second in the triple jump on Saturday with a distance of 51-4 ¼ (15.65m), two inches from first. King held the lead through four rounds before James outdistanced him.
In the women's 60, Kennedy Gamble placed third with her second personal best in as many days, this time a 7.37 to strengthen her hold on the No. 5 position on Stanford's all-time list.
In the women's 3,000, Julia Heymach became the seventh in program history to break 9 minutes. Heymach ran 8:59.69 to place second.
In the men's 800, freshman John Lester ran his fastest time as a collegian, placing third in 1:48.71, and moved up to No. 4 at Stanford all-time and remains No. 3 among Cardinal freshmen.
In the women's mile, Audrey Suarez moved up to No. 2 among Cardinal freshmen, running a personal best 4:44.87 to place 10th. Christina Aragon was sixth in 4:40.22.
Freshman Elise Miller (women's triple jump) and sophomore Ellie Deligianni (women's 800) also collected third-place finishes.
Jordan Fong. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
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Saturday's results
Pac-12 Invitational
Winners and all Stanford competitors
At Dempsey Indoor
(307-meter flat track)
Men
60 – 1, Micah Williams (Oregon) 6.55; 5, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 6.76.
400 – 1, Justin Robinson (Arizona State) 46.28; 24, Andrew Franco (Stanford) 48.94; 25, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 49.00.
800 – 1, Tomas Palfrey (Oregon) 1:48.38; 3, John Lester (Stanford) 1:48.71 (No. 3 Stanford AT; No. 3 Stanford frosh).
Mile – 1, Eduardo Herrera (Colorado) 3:57.16; 14, Nick Feffer (Stanford) 4:11.05; 18, Liam Conway (Stanford) 4:20.04.
3,000 – 1, Cole Sprout (Stanford) 7:43.10 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT); 2, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 7:43.84 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT); 3, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 7:50.35 (PB; No. 9 Stanford AT); 13, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 8:10.32; 16, Galen Topper (Stanford) 8:12.27 (PB); 18, Nolan Topper (Stanford) 8:18.52.
High jump – 1, Earnie Sears III (USC) 7-2 ½ (2.20m); 6, James Stevens (Stanford) 6-8 (2.03m) (PB).
Triple jump – 1, Dylan James (Arizona State) 51-6 ¼ (15.70m); 2, Keyshawn King (Stanford) 51-4 ¼ (15.65m); 4, Kevin Yang (Stanford) 47-10 ½ (14.59m).
Shot put – 1, Turner Washington (Arizona State) 69-4 ¼ (21.14m); 10, Sam Liokumovich (Stanford) 57-10 ¼ (17.63m); 19, Garin Gross (Stanford) 50-4 ¾ (15.36m) (PB).
Women
60 – 1, Jadyn Mays (Oregon) 7.15; 3, Kennedy Gamble (Stanford) 7.37 (PB; No. 5 Stanford AT); 8, Olivia Okoli (Stanford) 7.50.
400 – 1, Jan'Taijah Ford (USC) 52.41; 16, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 56.40; 22, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 58.57.
800 – 1, Alyssa Brewer (USC) 2:05.07; 3, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 2:06.92; 12, Hannah Wilson (Stanford) 2:15.00.
Mile – 1, Madison Boreman (Colorado) 4:33.59; 6, Christina Aragon (Stanford) 4:40.22; 10, Audrey Suarez (Stanford) 4:44.87 (PB; No. 2 Stanford frosh).
3,000 – 1, Kaylee Mitchell (Oregon State) 8:58.39; 2, Julia Heymach (Stanford) 8:59.69 (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT); 15, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 9:29.03 (PB).
4x400 relay – 1, USC 3:31.49; 10, Stanford (Samantha Thomas, Kennedy Gamble, Camille Peisner, Alexa Rossum) 3:50.97.
High jump – 1, Emma Gates (unat.) 5-10 ½ (1.79m); 17, Valerie Przekop (Stanford) 5-3 (1.60m).
Triple jump – 1, Lexi Ellis (Oregon) 42-11 (13.08m); 3, Elise Miller (Stanford) 40-9 ¾ (12.44m); 4, Allyson Weiss (Stanford) 38-10 ½ (11.85m).
Shot put – 1, Jorinde Van Klinken (Arizona State) 58-9 ¼ (17.91m); 12, Jordan Fong (Stanford) 41-6 (12.65m).
PB = personal best
AT = all-time