SEATTLE – In one of the most fascinating days in Stanford indoor track and field history, the Cardinal smashed four school records and appears to have secured additional spots at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
On its final meet day of the NCAA qualifying window, all four records enabled Stanford to move into the nation's top 16 for individuals or top 12 for relays. That enables them to advance to 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.
The three individual records set were by Udodi Onwuzurike in the 60 meters (6.59), John Lester in the 800 (1:46.93), and Ky Robinson in the 3,000 (7:42.30). Stanford's fourth new standard of the day came in the women's 4x400 relay when the team of Alexa Rossum, Juliette Whittaker, Maya Valmon, and Roisin Willis ran 3:31.71 to break their own two-week-old record while finishing third.
With the exception of Onwuzurike's, these were run on an oversized track of 307 meters – compared to the standard indoor track length of 200. Therefore, the new marks will carry asterisks and be shared with the records they exceeded.
Though it won't be official until Tuesday, here are the Stanford athletes who appear to be in qualifying position through Saturday:
For the men, Onwuzurike (16th, 60; 16th, 200), Lester (10th, 800), Robinson (seventh, 3,000; second, 5,000), Cole Sprout (15th, 3,000), Charles Hicks (11th, 5,000), Max McKhann (ninth, weight throw).
For the women, Willis (first, 800), Whittaker (third, 800), Zofia Dudek (16th, 5,000), and Alyssa Jones (14th, long jump) are in qualifying position, plus both relays -- the distance medley relay team of Melissa Tanaka, Valmon, Willis, and Whittaker (sixth), and the 4x400 (11th school).
These individuals could slide in if others vacate their spots because of injury or to focus on different events: Robinson in the men's mile (17th), Whittaker in the women's mile (18th), Devin Hart in the men's 5,000 (18th), Lucy Jenks in the women's 5,000 (19th), and Garrett Brown in the men's pole vault (18th).
No Cardinal fell out of qualifying position this weekend.
Lester made the biggest jump. The sophomore entered the weekend ranked 44th. But he ran a stunning personal best that broke the oldest Stanford men's indoor running record on the books – Olympian Michael Stember's 1:47.78 from 2000. The time places Lester at No. 5 on Stanford's absolute 800 list, which includes indoors and outdoors.
"Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy," wrote Lester on his Instagram account after the race. The words seem to carry through the entire team, which tied or broke seven school records during the two-day meet.
Onwuzurike, also a sophomore, has tied or broken school records 10 times already, including outdoors. His 6.59 was enough to win a tight race among Washington State's Louie Hinchliffe (6.60) and Cal's David Foster (6.62). Onwuzurike broke his own mark of 6.63, set at the Razorback Invitational on January 28.
Robinson was competing for the first time since finishing 23rd at the World Cross Country Championships in his home country of Australia on February 18. He led Stanford to the first three places in its section and the top three among collegians, with Charles Hicks taking second in 7:47.45 and Evan Burke fourth overall in a personal best 7:53.60.
Robinson broke the 7:42.62 by Grant Fisher in winning the 2019 Millrose Games. He also ran the 14th-fastest all-conditions time in collegiate indoor history.
The women's 4x400 eclipsed the 3:32.59 it ran two weeks ago at the Windy City Invitational. Sprints coach Jarius Cooper changed the order slightly, switching Rossum from third leg to leadoff and moving Valmon the opposite. And Willis and Whittaker switched as well, with Willis moving from second to anchor. The time placed them No. 5 on Stanford's absolute list.
Rossum did not race in the 60 finals, but ran a personal best 7.32 in the prelims, to move into third all-time at Stanford.
A day after anchoring the Cardinal to the school DMR record, Whittaker unleashed a 4:33.53 mile to place third while breaking her own school freshmen record. The time also placed her No. 3 on the school indoor list.
In the women's 800, Ellie Deligianni and Anna Tovkach placed fourth and fifth with indoor personal bests. Deligianni's 2:03.79 was just off her outdoor best of 2:03.47, but good enough for No. 5 on the Card indoor list. And Tovkach's 2:04.67 was an overall PB for the graduate transfer from Army where she was a Patriot League champion.
* * *
Ken Shannon Invitational
At Dempsey Indoor
(307-meter flat track)
Saturday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Men
60 – 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 6.59 (PB; school record; meet record). Prelims: 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 6.68; 23, Dorien Simon (Stanford) 6.99; 29, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 7.07.
800 – 1, John Lester (Stanford) 1:46.93 (PB; school record; meet record); 11, Zane Bergen (Stanford) 1:53.15.
Mile – 1, Isaiah Givens (Colorado) 3:55.99; 5, Zane Bergen (Stanford) 4:01.67 (No. 2 Stanford frosh); 7, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 4:03.27 (PB); 13, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 4:07.26; 24, Callum Sherry (Stanford) 4:15.52.
3,000 – 1, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 7:42.30 (PB; school record; meet record); 2, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 7:47.45; 4, Evan Burke (Stanford) 7:53.60 (PB); 14, Caleb Boutelle (Stanford) 8:06.97; Devin Hart (Stanford) DNF; Nolan Topper (Stanford) DNF.
4x400 relay – 1, USC 3:05.01; 7, Stanford (Miles Zoltak, John Kroeger, Karson Lippert, Udodi Onwuzurike) 3:12.32.
High jump – 1, Kristjan Sigfinnsson (Arizona) 7-2 ½ (2.20m); 9, James Stevens (Stanford) 6-5 (1.96m).
Long jump – 1, Prestin Artis (Washington) 25-5 ¼ (7.75m); 2, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 24-3 (7.39m); 13, John Kroeger (Stanford) 18-3 ¼ (5.57m).
Shot put – 1, Zach Landa (Arizona) 63-3 ¼ (19.28m); 10, Garin Gross (Stanford) 45-1 ¾ (13.76m).
Women
60 – 1, Samirah Moody (USC) 7.07. Prelims: 3, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 7.32 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT); 22, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 7.70; 27, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 7.89.
400 – 1, Jan'Taijah Jones (USC) 51.66; 13, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 54.85; 16, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 56.20.
800 – 1, Claire Seymour (BYU) 2:02.75; 4, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 2:03.79 (No. 5 Stanford AT); 5, Anna Tovkach (Stanford) 2:04.67 (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT); 13, Taylor James (Stanford) 2:07.22; 25, Morgan Foster (Stanford) 2:12.80.
Mile – 1, Laura Pellicoro (Portland) 4:32.91; 3, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 4:33.53 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT; school frosh record); 14, Riley Stewart (Stanford) 4:40.31 (No. 2 Stanford frosh); 15, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 4:40.41 (PB); 22, Melissa Tanaka (Stanford) 4:47.31; 24, Audrey Suarez (Stanford) 4:48.98; 25, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 4:49.77; 29, Lily Flynn (Stanford) 4:52.23; 31, Ava Parekh (Stanford) 4:53.29.
3,000 – 1, Simone Plourde (Utah) 8:53.95; 27, Imogen Gardiner (Stanford) 9:53.02.
4x400 relay – 1, USC 3:29.78; 3, Stanford (Alexa Rossum, Juliette Whittaker, Maya Valmon, Roisin Willis) 3:31.71 (school record); 6, Stanford 'B' (Samantha Thomas, Cydney Wright, Anna Tovkach, Taylor James) 3:41.92.
High jump – 1, Yan Hei Lai (Cal) 5-10 ¾ (1.80m); Alyssa Jones (Stanford) NH.
Long jump – 1, Alysah Hickey (Oregon) 20-11 ¾ (6.39m); 2, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 20-3 ½ (6.18m); 19, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 17-8 ¾ (5.40m); 24, Elise Miller (Stanford) 16-7 ¼ (5.06m).
Shot put – 1, Jaida Ross (Oregon) 59-9 ¾ (18.23m); 16, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 44-6 ¼ (13.57m); 21, Kaiah Fisher (Stanford) 39-4 ½ (12.00m).
