WALNUT, Calif. – Needing to run a lifetime best in the 800 meters to have a shot at the Stanford record, Allie Jones did so to close the Mt. SAC Relays heptathlon on Thursday at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.
Going into the last of the seven events over two days, Jones was 188 points off the pace set by Tracye Lawyer from the 1998 Pac-10 Championships. To beat Lawyer's school-record total of 5,809, Jones needed to run 2:16.22. Her personal best was 2:16.25.
Jones did so – and more. She ran 2:14.62, a huge personal best, and scored 5,832 points to break Lawyer's mark by 23 points – a difference of about 1.6 seconds in the 800.
Jones finished second in the competition to Washington's Ida Eikeng's 5,916. Jones led through five events, seizing a five-point edge after opening the day with a 19-1 ¼ (5.82m) long jump. But Eikeng, of Norway, retook the lead for good in the javelin, out-throwing Jones 164-7 (50.17) to 117-6 (35.82m) for an insurmountable 271-point advantage going into the 800. Eikeng ran 2:28.53 to maintain her place.
In her school-record effort 24 years ago, Lawyer scored 3,602 on the first day to Jones' 3,552 on Wednesday. Lawyer increased that difference with 19-2 ¾ (5.86m) in the long jump and 139-0 (42.36m) in the javelin. However, Jones far eclipsed Lawyer's 800 time of 2:30.48 to break her mark.
Lawyer, a three-time Pac-10 heptathlon champion and the 1998 Pac-10 Player of the Year in soccer, also scored 5,855 while winning the 1999 NCAA championship. However, wind-aided marks prevented her score from standing as a school record.
Jones also benefited from the wind. Her best long jump was aided by a 2.6 meters per second wind, over the allowable 2.0 for record purposes. But in the heptathlon, the average wind speed for the wind-gauge events – the 100 hurdles, 200, and long jump – would need to be under 2.0 for the total score to be accepted for record purposes, and that was the case for Jones, whose wind marks averaged 1.6.
Jones now ranks No. 4 in NCAA Division I, No. 4 in the world, and No. 2 among Americans this year. The top 24 at the end of the season advance to the NCAA Championships June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon.
Later at Mt. San Antonio College, Nolan Topper toppled the Stanford freshmen record in the 10,000. Topper, in his debut at that distance, placed 16th in the men's invitational race, clocking 28:44.15 to break Brent Hauser's 1997 time of 28:46.35.
Another outstanding time was run by Thomas Boyden at the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University's Cougar Athletic Stadium. Boyden was 14th in the 5,000 invitational top section in a season-best 13:43.58, just off his year-old lifetime best of 13:42.63. In the final race of the night, Stanford freshman Robert DiDonato won the fourth section of the 5,000 in a personal best 13:50.00. DiDonato became the seventh different Cardinal runner to break 14 minutes this year.
Cardinal freshman Audrey Suarez ran a personal best of 16:13.85 in the third section of the invitational 5,000 at Bryan Clay. Her previous best was 16:50.38.
Cardinal athletes are competing in three Southern California meets on Friday – Mt. SAC, Bryan Clay, and the Long Beach State's Beach Invitational.
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Mt. SAC Relays
At Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, Calif.
Thursday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Men
10,000 invitational – 1, Dylan Jacobs (Notre Dame) 28:01.94; 16, Nolan Topper (Stanford) 28:44.15 (PB, Stanford frosh record); DNF, Evan Burke (Stanford).
3,000 steeplechase collegiate – 1, Kenneth Rooks (BYU) 8:32.75; 21, Michael Vernau (Stanford) 8:57.59 (PB).
Shot put collegiate – F, Sam Liokumovich (Stanford).
Women
10,000 invitational – 1, Andrea Ramirez (JMRC) 32:37.62; 18, Jessica Lawson (Stanford) 35:02.74 (PB).
Heptathlon – 1, Ida Eikeng (Washington) 5,916; 2, Allie Jones (Stanford) 5,832 (PB, school record).
Allie Jones (event, place in event, mark, points, place in competition):
First day: 100 hurdles – 1, 13.45, 1,058 (1); High jump – 7, 5-6 ½ (1.69m), 842 (1); Shot put – 5, 41-3 ½ (12.58m) (PB), 700 (2); 200 – 3, 24.30 (PB), 952 (2). First-day total: 3,552 (PB).
Second day: Long jump – 6, 19-1 ¼w (5.82m), 795 (1); Javelin – 11, 117-6 (35.82m), 587 (2); 800 – 3, 2:14.62 (PB), 898 (2). Second-day total: 2,280 (PB). Total: 5,832.
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Bryan Clay Invitational
At Cougar Athletic Stadium, Azusa, Calif.
Thursday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Men
800 – 1, Thomas Staines (Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC) 1:45.28; 114, Liam Conway (Stanford) 1:53.63.
5,000 invitational -- Sec. 1: 1, Brian Fay (Washington) 13:16.52; 14, Thomas Boyden (Stanford) 13:43.58. Sec. 4: 1, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 13:50.00 (PB).
Women
800 – 1, Katy-Ann McDonald (LSU) 2:00.98; 76, Hannah Wilson (Stanford) 2:12.14.
5,000 invitational -- Sec. 3: 1, Elisabeth Danis (Gonzaga) 16:09.07; 5, Audrey Suarez (Stanford) 16:13.85 (PB).
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Stanford's weekend schedule:
Mt. SAC Relays
Friday
10 a.m.: Women's hammer throw collegiate – Fl. 1: Jordan Fong.
11 a.m.: Men's triple jump collegiate – Fl. 1: Kevin Yang.
11 a.m.: Women's pole vault collegiate C – Lianne Kistler.
11 a.m.: Women's triple jump collegiate – Fl. 1: Elise Miller.
12:35 p.m.: Women's 100 collegiate prelims – Ht. 9: Kennedy Gamble.
12:30 p.m.: Women's javelin collegiate – Fl. 2: Virginia Miller.
1:05 p.m.: Men's 100 collegiate prelims – Ht. 5: Dorien Simon; Ht. 7: Udodi Onwuzurike.
1:35 p.m.: Women's 400 hurdles collegiate – Sec. 3: Samantha Thomas.
2 p.m.: Men's pole vault collegiate B – Garrett Brown, J.T. Herrscher.
2 p.m.: Men's hammer throw collegiate – Fl. 3: Max McKhann.
2 p.m.: Women's pole vault collegiate B – Laurel Wong.
2:30 p.m.: Women's 400 collegiate – Sec. 3: Maya Valmon.
3 p.m.: Men's 400 collegiate – Sec. 3: Miles Zoltak.
3 p.m.: Men's long jump collegiate – Fl. 1: Allan Hunter.
3:30 p.m.: Women's 800 collegiate – Sec. 1: Morgan Foster; Sec. 4: Christina Aragon, Ellie Deligianni.
3:55 p.m.: Men's 800 collegiate – Sec. 6: John Lester.
5 p.m.: Men's 200 collegiate – Sec. 4: Dorien Simon; Sec. 9: Udodi Onwuzurike.
5 p.m.: Men's pole vault collegiate A – Max Manson.
5:30 p.m.: Women's 4x400 relay collegiate – Sec. 2: Stanford.
6 p.m.: Women's 1,500 collegiate – Sec. 3: Morgan Foster, Lily Flynn; Sec. 4: Ellie Deligianni, Lucy Jenks, Melissa Tanaka.
6:25 p.m.: Men's 1,500 collegiate – Sec. 1: Ryan Oosting; Sec. 2: Nick Feffer, Joshua Schumacher, Michael Vernau; Sec. 3: Liam Conway; Sec. 4: D.J. Principe.
8:55 p.m.: Women's 5,000 invitational – Christina Aragon, Lucy Jenks.
9:35 p.m.: Women's 5,000 collegiate A – Sec. 2: Grace Connolly, Jessica Lawson.
9:55 p.m.: Men's 5,000 collegiate A – Sec. 2: Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, Devin Hart.
Saturday
3:30 p.m.: Men's triple jump invitational – Keyshawn King.
4:12 p.m.: Women's 1,500 invitational – Christina Aragon.
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Stanford entrants
Beach Invitational
At Jack Rose Track, Long Beach, Calif.
Friday and Saturday
Men
200 – Dorien Simon, Miles Zoltak.
Pole vault – Garrett Brown, J.T. Herrscher, Max Manson.
Triple jump – Keyshawn King.
Shot put – Sam Liokumovich.
Discus – Chudi Ikpeazu, Sam Liokumovich, Max McKhann.
Hammer – Anthony Argyropoulos, Max McKhann.
Women
100 – Olivia Okoli, Megan Olomu.
200 – Megan Olomu, Camille Peisner, Trinity Price, Maya Valmon.
400 hurdles – Samantha Thomas.
Pole vault – Lianne Kistler, Laurel Wong.
Long jump – Allie Jones, Teagan Zwaanstra.
Triple jump – Allyson Weiss.
Shot put – Kaiah Fisher, Jordan Fong.
Discus – Brandy Atuatasi, Kaiah Fisher.
Hammer – Jordan Fong.
