BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Five-time All-America Charles Hicks earned his highest national collegiate finish, placing third in the men's 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
Hicks and Cole Sprout, who placed eighth, helped the Cardinal men finish with 19 points, placing 12th as a team in its first NCAA indoor meet since 2019.
Julia Heymach, competing at her third mile/1,600 distance in just over 24 hours, placed seventh in the mile to give the Cardinal women 10 points overall and close out Stanford's indoor season.
The men's 3,000 played out much like the 5,000 did the night before, when Ky Robinson and Sprout placed second and fifth, respectively. Hicks and Sprout began cautiously. The difference was this race was far more tactical and the tight pack of runners resulted in several being tripped.
At the bell, Hicks was fifth and Sprout ninth. But Hicks made a strong move on the backstretch and his closing lap was 27.54, the second-fastest 200 of the entire race. Sprout was close, finishing in 27.63, the third-fastest 200, to pass two runners. Hicks ran 8:00.23, just 0.35 behind winner Abdihamid Nur of Northern Arizona. Sprout was close behind in 8:00.85.
Hicks was fifth in the NCAA 10,000 outdoors and that distance seems more in his wheelhouse, but he proved his range this indoor season, running 7:43.84 at the Pac-12 Invitational two weeks ago.
Sprout was running his second long-distance race of the weekend. With two top-eight finishes, Sprout earned his first two track first-team All-America honors.
Heymach ran the mile semifinal (4:33.24) at 7 p.m. CT on Friday and followed by anchoring Stanford's distance medley relay team to second at 8:45 p.m. with a 1,600 (split of 4:33.07). Her mile final was at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, and she ran 4:37.28.
On Saturday, Heymach was caught in the pack during a tactical race and was unable to react to the decisive move by Colorado's Micaela Degenero on the penultimate lap. Heymach pulled into fifth on the final curve, but was unable to maintain her place.
Heymach earned her seventh All-America honor and her third track first-team honor.
Julia Heymach. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
* * *
NCAA Indoor Championships
At Birmingham CrossPlex
(200-meter banked track)
Saturday's Stanford results
Men
Team leaders – 1, Texas 47; 2, North Carolina A&T 36; 3, Tennessee 31; 4, Northern Arizona 29; 5 (tie), Princeton and Texas A&M, each 26; 12, Stanford 19.
3,000 – 1, Abdihamid Nur (NAU) 7:59.88; 3, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 8:00.23; 8, Cole Sprout (Stanford) 8:00.85.
Women
Team leaders – 1, Florida 68; 2, Texas 56; 3, Kentucky 44; 4, Arkansas 40; 5, LSU 29.5; 18, Stanford 10.
Mile – 1, Micaela Degenero (Colorado) 4:33.92; 7, Julia Heymach (Stanford) 4:37.28.
* * *
All-Americans
Men
First team: Charles Hicks (3,000), Ky Robinson (5,000), Cole Sprout (3,000, 5,000).
Second team: Max McKhann (weight throw).
Women
First team: Christina Aragon (DMR), Ellie Deligianni (DMR), Julia Heymach (mile, DMR), Samantha Thomas (DMR).