SEATTLE – Stanford may have locked up two spots at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with two school-record performances at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational on Friday night.
Max McKhann opened the two-day meet for the Cardinal by winning the 35-pound weight throw at 73-9 (22.48 meters) – a massive improvement from his previous week-old Stanford record of 72-1 ¾ (21.99m).
In the final event, the Cardinal team of Melissa Tanaka, Maya Valmon, Roisin Willis, and Juliette Whittaker won the women's distance medley relay in a school, meet, and Dempsey Indoor facility record of 10:49.30. It is the sixth-fastest collegiate time in indoor history on any-sized track (Dempsey Indoor is an oversized indoor track of 307 meters).
Tanaka opened with a 1,200 split of 3:20.3, followed by Valmon's 400 in 51.7, Willis' 800 in 2:01.5, and Whittaker's 1,600 in 4:35.4.
This is the final weekend for becoming among the nation's top 16 individuals and top 12 relays, to advance to the NCAA's March 10-11 at the Albuquerque (N.M.) Convention Center. The NCAA qualifying period ends Monday and the final list of qualifiers will be released on Tuesday by 7 p.m. PT.
Both McKhann and the DMR team greatly improved their rankings. McKhann moved up from 15th going into the weekend to eighth. He no longer would be in the top 16 if he didn't improve on Friday.
The DMR team was 13th going into the weekend – one spot out of the qualifying zone – but now is sixth.
McKhann reached 73-9 on both his second and third attempts, meaning he has tied or broken the Stanford record six times, including five times this season and four times in the past eight days.
Devin Hart won the men's 5,000 in a four-second personal best of 13:29.31, setting a meet record. Hart strengthened his hold on the No. 5 spot on Stanford's all-time indoor list and is No. 18 on the season's NCAA Division I list. Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau was sixth in a PB of 13:39.57, the No. 8 indoor time in school history.
Garrett Brown and Max Manson finished one-two in the men's pole vault, both at 17-9 ¾ (5.43m). Brown reached that height on his first try and Manson on his third. Both attempted personal bests of 18-1 ¾ (5.53m), which may have gotten them into the NCAA's, but to no avail.
In the women's pole vault, Stanford's Kelly Kern and Laurel Wong tied for 10th at 12-11 ½ (3.95m). Kern moves onto the Stanford indoor list at a tie for No. 9. Wong was already at No. 6.
In the women's pentathlon, sophomore Elise Miller placed seventh with 3,692 points, setting PBs of 8.72 in the 60 hurdles and 34-4 ¼ (10.47m) in the shot put.
The meet continues on Saturday.
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Ken Shannon Invitational
At Dempsey Indoor
(307-meter flat track)
Friday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Men
200 – 1, Max Thomas (USC) 20.96; 11, John Kroeger (Stanford) 22.01; 12, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 22.13; 15, Dorien Simon (Stanford) 22.22.
5,000 – 1, Devin Hart (Stanford) 13:29.31 (PB; meet record; No. 5 Stanford AT); 6, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 13:39.57 (PB; No. 8 Stanford AT); 15, Nolan Topper (Stanford) 14:18.72.
Pole vault – 1, Garrett Brown (Stanford) 17-9 ¾ (5.43m); 2, Max Manson (Stanford) 17-9 ¾ (5.43m); 10, J.T. Herrscher (Stanford) 16-6 (5.03m).
Weight throw – 1, Max McKhann (Stanford) 73-9 (22.48m) (PB; school record); 6, Anthony Argyropoulos (Stanford) 61-10 ¼ (18.85m).
Women
200 – 1, Aysha Shaheed (Cal) 23.86; 8, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 24.79; 16, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 25.74.
5,000 – 1, Ruby Smee (San Francisco) 15:38.08; 2, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 15:48.22; 5, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 16:06.27 (PB); 6, Audrey DaDamio (Stanford) 16:13.36; 10, Zofia Dudek (Stanford) 16:32.05.
60 hurdles prelims – 19, Madison Romain (Stanford) 9.27.
Distance medley relay – 1, Stanford (Melissa Tanaka, Maya Valmon, Roisin Willis, Juliette Whittaker) 10:49.30 (school record; facility record).
Pole vault – Nastassja Campbell (Washington) 14-9 (4.50m); 10 (tie), Kelly Kern (Stanford) 12-11 ½ (3.95m) (No. 9 Stanford AT) and Laurel Wong (Stanford) 12-11 ½ (3.95m); 19, Lianne Kistler (Stanford) 11-11 ¾ (3.65m).
Triple jump – 1, Lexi Ellis (Oregon) 43-0 ½ (13.12m); Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) F.
Pentathlon – 1, Anneke Moersdorf (Oregon State) 4,092; 7, Elise Miller (Stanford) 3,692.
Elise Miller (event, place in event, mark, points, place in competition):
60 hurdles – 6, 8.72 (PB), 969 (6); High jump – 5, 5-3 1/4 (1.61m), 747 (6); Shot put – 10, 34-4 1/4 (10.47m) (PB), 560 (8); Long jump – 3, 18-7 (5.66m), 747 (7); 800 – 9, 2:31.95 (669). Total: 3,692.
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Stanford's Saturday Schedule
10 a.m.: Women's high jump – Alyssa Jones.
10 a.m.: Women's shot put – Fl.1: Brandy Atuatasi, Kaiah Fisher.
11 a.m.: Women's long jump – Fl.1: Elise Miller, Alaysia Oakes; Fl.2: Alyssa Jones.
11 a.m.: Women's 60 prelims – Ht.1: Alexa Rossum; Ht.3: Megan Olomu; Ht.7: Cydney Wright.
11:15 a.m.: Men's 60 prelims – Ht.3: Dorien Simon; Ht.4: Gabriel Navarro; Ht.5: Udodi Onwuzurike.
11:30 a.m.: Women's mile – Sec.1: Julia Flynn, Lily Flynn, Ava Parekh; Sec.2: Audrey Suarez; Sec.3: Lucy Jenks, Riley Stewart, Melissa Tanaka; Sec.4: Juliette Whittaker.
11:55 a.m.: Men's mile – Sec.1: Callum Sherry; Sec.2: Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, Robert DiDonato; Sec.3: Zane Bergen, Thomas Boyden.
Noon: Men's long jump – Allan Hunter, John Kroeger.
12:15 p.m.: Women's 400 – Sec.2: Maya Valmon; Sec.4: Samantha Thomas; Sec.5: Cydney Wright.
12:40 p.m.: Men's 400 – Sec.5: Miles Zoltak; Sec.6: Karson Lippert; Sec.8: Olufemi Cole.
1 p.m.: Men's high jump – James Stevens.
1 p.m.: Men's shot put – Garin Gross.
1:10 p.m.: Women's 60 final.
1:20 p.m.: Men's 60 final.
1:30 p.m.: Women's 800 – Sec.2: Morgan Foster; Sec.3: Taylor James; Sec.5: Anna Tovkach; Sec.6: Ellie Deligianni.
1:55 p.m.: Men's 800 – Sec.1: Zane Bergen; Sec.3: John Lester.
2:20 p.m.: Women's 3,000 – Invite: Riley Stewart; Sec.1: Imogen Gardiner; Sec.2: Audrey DaDamio.
2:45 p.m.: Men's 3,000 – Sec.1: Caleb Boutelle, Nolan Topper; Sec.2: Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, Evan Burke, Robert DiDonato, Devin Hart, Charles Hicks, Ky Robinson.
3 p.m.: Women's 4x400 relay -- Sec.1: Stanford; Sec.2: Stanford.
3:15 p.m.: Men's 4x400 relay – Sec.2: Stanford.
