STANFORD TRACK AND FIELD alums had a great deal of success in 2022, headlined by Valarie Allman's bronze medal in the women's discus at the World Championships and Grant Fisher's four American records.
In all, Cardinal alumni broke seven American records and won three U.S. titles. Eight competed at the World Championships.
Below is a summary of 2022 achievements and news by Stanford track and field alumni:
Valarie Allman '17
Allman broke her own American record in the discus, throwing 234-5 (71.46 meters) in La Jolla, Calif., on April 8. It was the longest throw in the world since 1992 and placed her No. 15 on the all-time world performers' list. She is the only non-Eastern European in the top 50. Allman won the U.S. title for the fourth consecutive time and then captured bronze at the World Championships in Eugene. She won four of the five Diamond League meets she entered and finished with her second consecutive Diamond League trophy in that event.
Olivia Baker '18
Fifth at the U.S. Championships, Baker had a breakthrough year. She set personal records in the 800 four times and ran sub-2 nine times, despite having never done so before this year. Her best time of 1:58.05 ranks her No. 11 in the world this year.
Olivia Baker. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Maddy Berkson '18
Berkson placed 22nd overall in the 1,500 at the U.S. Championships. She established a personal best at that distance of 4:10.65 at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville, placing her 44th on the year's U.S. list.
Elise Cranny '18
Cranny broke the American record in the indoor 5,000, running 14:33.17 in Boston on Feb. 11. It was a prelude to an outstanding year. Cranny won her second consecutive U.S. outdoor 5,000 title and placed ninth in that event at the World Championships. Cranny nearly broke the American outdoor record in the 10,000, with her 30:14.66 ranking No. 2 in U.S. history. She also ran her first sub-4 1,500 and did it twice.
Elise Cranny. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Chris Derrick '12
Derrick, a three-time U.S. cross country champion, announced his retirement from professional running in August.
Tai Dinger '18
Dinger set a personal record of 28:19.79 in the 10,000. He placed 16th in the event at the U.S. Championships.
Ella Donaghu '20
Donaghu was part of the Nike Union Athletics Club team that set a world indoor record in the distance medley relay. Her leadoff 1,200 leg of 3:16.02 got the team on the way to a 10:39.91. Donaghu placed 11th in the 5,000 final at the U.S. Outdoor Championships and was 11th in the 1,500 at the U.S. Indoor Championships. Donaghu established a number of personal bests, including a 4:30.27 indoor mile, 15:24.66 outdoor 5,000, and 4:09.10 outdoor 1,500.
Malindi Elmore '02
Elmore placed 11th in the Boston Marathon in 2:27:58.
Steven Fahy '18
Fahy, largely sidelined by injury since his 2019 NCAA steeplechase championship, is part of the Puma elite running group.
Grant Fisher. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Grant Fisher '19
America's most accomplished distance runner in decades, Grant Fisher broke four American records in 2022, and is the first to simultaneously hold American records in the 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 since Steve Prefontaine in the 1970s. Fisher shattered the American record in the outdoor 5,000 meters, placing second at the Van Damme Diamond League meet in 12:46.96 on Sept. 2. Bernard Lagat's record of 12:53.60 had stood for 11 years. Fisher's other American records were in the indoor 5,000 (12:53.73) in Boston on Feb. 12, the outdoor 10,000 (26:33.84) in San Juan Capistrano on March 6, and the outdoor 3,000 (7:28.48) in Monaco on Aug. 10. Fisher placed fourth in the 10,000 – equaling the highest U.S. finish in that event -- and sixth in the 5,000 at the World Championships in Eugene. Earlier, he won the U.S. title in the 5,000 and was second in the 10,000.
Vanessa Fraser '17
Winning the Payton Jordan Invitational 5,000 was among the season's accomplishments for Fraser, who placed 21st at the U.S. Championships at the same distance.
Sara Bei Hall '05
Hall placed fifth in the marathon at the World Championships, in a time of 2:22:10. On Jan. 16, Hall broke the American record in the half marathon at the Houston Half Marathon, finishing in 1:07:15 (since broken) to lower the previous record by 10 seconds.
Sara Hall. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Garrett Heath '08
Heath, a pro on the track and in cross country, switched to the trails in 2022 and won his debut race, at the Canyons 25K in Auburn, Calif.
Megan Lacy '16
Lacy was 13th at the U.S. 15-kilometer road racing championships in Jacksonville, running 52:57.
Mackenzie Little '19
Little, an Australian, threw a personal best 210-10 (64.27) to earn silver in the javelin at the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, England. The distance placed her No. 11 on the year's world list. The Commonweath result followed fifth place at the World Championships and first at the Oceania Championships.
Sean McGorty '17
McGorty represented the U.S. at the NACAC Championships (North and Central America, and the Caribbean) in the Bahamas and won the 10,000. McGorty was 12th in the 10,000 at the World Championships and was third at the U.S. Championships in that event and sixth in the 5,000. His personal 10,000 best of 27:18.15 ranked him No. 2 in the U.S. to Fisher this year.
Jessica Tonn McLain '14
McLain made her marathon debut by winning the Mesa (Ariz.) Marathon in 2:33:35.
Rebecca Mehra '16
Mehra placed 21st overall in the 1,500 at the U.S. Championships. Among her results were a season-best 4:08.59 in the 1,500 in Nashville to place her No. 28 on the year's U.S. performers' list.
Steven Solomon.
Fiona O'Keeffe '20
Racing for the U.S., O'Keeffe won silver in the 5,000 at the NACAC Championships. She ran personal bests of 15:05.56 for 5,000 and 1:07:42 in the half marathon, placing fourth in Houston. It was the fastest record-legal debut half marathon ever by a U.S. woman and placed her No. 5 on the all-time U.S. list.
Thomas Ratcliffe '20
Ratcliffe, of the Bowerman Track Club, placed seventh in the 5,000 at the U.S. Championships in a personal best 13:17.48. He also established a PB in the 1,500, running 3:37.93 in Portland for No. 31 on the year's U.S. list.
Jacob Riley '11
Riley, a 2020 Olympic marathoner, placed 34th in the Boston Marathon.
Claudia Saunders '16
Saunders clocked a 2:02.91 in the 800 outdoors in Nashville and a 4:33.35 indoor mile at the Armory in New York City.
Steven Solomon '16
Running for Australia, Solomon placed seventh in the 400 at the Commonwealth Games – his highest international finish. He also was 36th overall at the World Championships. Solomon, a six-time national champion, is a veteran of six Australian national teams at the Olympics or World Championships and has competed in three Commonwealth Games. His season best was 45.28.
Katerina Stefanidi. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Katerina Stefanidi '12
A former world and Olympic pole vault champion for Greece, Stefanidi was fifth in the World Championships, and second at the European Championships with a season best of 15-7 (4.75m). That mark placed her No. 6 on the world season list.
Sophie Chase Watts '17
The former Cardinal runner is a professional triathlete who switched from Olympic distance to endurance in 2022, winning the Clash Endurance Watkins Glen race in July.
Harrison Williams '18
Williams, a decathlete, did not compete in 2022 because of injury, but he is training at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.