BOSTON – Ky Robinson ran the fastest 5,000 meters – indoors or outdoors -- in Stanford track and field history on Saturday night.
Robinson was clocked in 13:11.53 to win the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener on the Boston University Track and Tennis Center's 200-meter banked track. Of the 12 fastest collegiate indoor times in history, six were in this race.
In setting a lifetime best by more than eight seconds, the junior from Australia created a necessity to check the history books, and here's what was found:
- He ran the third-fastest time in collegiate indoor history (only Arizona's Lawi Lalang in 2012 and Florida State's Adriaan Wildschutt in Feb. 2022, were faster).
- Including indoors and outdoors, he is No. 4 on the Pac-12's all-time performers' list.
- His time broke the Stanford absolute record of 13:15.33 by Olympian Ian Dobson outdoors in 2005.
- He broke the Stanford indoor record of 13:19.58, set by Chris Derrick in 2012.
Two weeks after placing 10th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Robinson still was at the peak of his cross country fitness, and capitalized on that by seeking to run a fast race and put himself into position for an NCAA Indoor qualifying mark.
"The plan was simple," Stanford men's distance coach Ricardo Santos said. "It was to get toward the front, let the pacemaker to their job and just wait until the last 1K to start making moves, and then go after the win. Ky did a great job positioning himself well in the race and conserving his energy to have it at the end."
Robinson edged runner-up Eduardo Herrera (13:11.75), a pro and former Colorado star, and Oklahoma State's Alex Maier (13:11.80) in third.
Robinson's previous best was 13:20.17 while placing second at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
Robinson was among six from Stanford – two men and four women – to race in the 5,000 sections at this meet. Three of them set personal bests and four of the performances were additions or improvements to Stanford's indoor top-10 lists.
Zofia Dudek also is in position for an NCAA berth, of which the top 16 nationally in each event advance. Dudek, a junior academically and a recent cross country All-American, made her Stanford track and field debut by running 15:40.41 to place 15th in the women's race and 11th among collegians.
Dudek entered Stanford's all-time indoor list at No. 3 and is followed closely by Lucy Jenks, who ran 15:42.58 to break into the list at No. 4. Jenks, from the Boston suburb of Newton, placed 18th overall and 14th among collegians.
Audrey DaDamio, a sophomore academically, also made her Stanford track and field debut. She set a personal best of 16:09.39 to place 44th. And Grace Connolly, from the Boston suburb of Natick, was 66th in 16:30.61.
Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, a fifth-year senior, crushed his personal best by 12 seconds, running 13:40.50. That jumps him to No. 7 all-time at Stanford indoors.
* * *
Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
At Boston University Track and Tennis Center
(200-meter banked track)
Winners and all Stanford runners
Men
5,000 – 1, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 13:11.53 (PB; Stanford absolute record; No. 4 Pac-12 absolute AT; No. 3 collegiate indoor performer AT; No. 4 collegiate indoor performance AT); 41, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 13:40.50 (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT).
Women
5,000 – 1, Annie Rodenfels (BAA) 15:08.22; 15, Zofia Dudek (Stanford) 15:40.41 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT); 18, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 15:42.58 (No. 4 Stanford AT); 44, Audrey DaDamio (Stanford) 16:09.39 (PB); 66, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 16:30.61.
PB = personal best
AT = all-time