WALNUT, Calif. – Stanford freshman Alyssa Jones broke a 32-year-old school record while winning the women's long jump at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Saturday.
Jones led from her opening jump and never was threatened. Her winning distance was 22-3 ½ (6.79 meters), more than a foot ahead of runner-up Alysah Hickey of Oregon, the defending champion.
Jones' longest jump was aided by a 2.4 meters per second wind, over the allowable 2.0 for records purposes. However, on her sixth and final attempt, Jones reached a wind-legal 22-1 ½ (6.74m), with a tailwind of 1.8. That broke the meet record of 21-11 (6.68m) by Arizona State's Christabel Nettey in 2013.
The Stanford outdoor record was 21-10 ¼ (6.66) set by rising senior Jackie Edwards in the qualifying round of the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo while representing the Bahamas. She would finish 10th. Jones tied or exceeded that distance on three of her jumps, though only the final attempt was wind-legal.
Cal's Asha Fletcher held the lead of 20-1w (6.12m) when Jones stepped on the runway for her opening jump. Jones' opener went 21-10 ¼ (6.66m), with a 2.4 mps wind-reading. Hickey's 21-2 (6.45m) on her fourth attempt closed the gap to 8 ¼ inches, but Jones saved her two best jumps for last to extend her lead.
Jones, 19, now is No. 4 all-time on the U.S. outdoor under-20 list. Her jump of the same distance at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March was a U.S. U20 indoor record.
Jones became Stanford's second different conference women's long jump champion and the first since Erica McLain won her third Pac-12 long jump title in 2008. McLain, a Stanford Hall of Famer, also won four Pac-10 triple jump championships.
The Cardinal women won two Pac-12 titles last year – Virginia Miller in the javelin and Allie Jones in the heptathlon. Jones will attempt a personal double, or even a triple, when she competes in the high jump and the 4x100 relay on Sunday, the last of the three-day meet.
Udodi Onwuzurike seeks multiple titles as well. The Stanford sophomore was the top qualifier Saturday in the 100, running 10.09. On Friday, he also won his preliminary heat of the 200 and enters that final as the No. 2 qualifier. Last year, he was second in both events to Oregon's Micah Williams, who also won his 100 heat Saturday and was the second qualifier overall. Williams is not entered in the 200.
The men's long jump competition brought out lifetime bests for two Stanford jumpers, Allan Hunter and John Kroeger, who placed fifth and seventh, respectively.
Kroeger jumped 24-10 (7.57m) on his second attempt – a lifetime best by eight inches – to briefly move into third. Hunter followed with an even better jump, 25-0 ¾ (7.58m) – a lifetime best by seven inches – on his third attempt to move temporarily into fourth.
Hunter's jump was the longest by a Cardinal indoors or outdoors in 20 years. He now climbs into the No. 10 spot on the school's all-time outdoor list, displacing Craig Vaughan, who jumped 24-11 ½ (7.61m) in 1967.
The eight-person women's 800 field will include four from Stanford. Freshman Juliette Whittaker (2:05.66) and junior Ellie Deligianni (2:06.89) each won their qualifying heats on Saturday. Taylor James (2:06.90) finished an automatic second behind Deligianni and graduate student Anna Tovkach (2:06.37) advanced on time, placing third in Whittaker's heat.
Maya Valmon ran 52.97 to place second in her 400 heat and advance automatically. And teammate Alexa Rossum was second in her 100 heat (11.47) to reach a final as well.
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Pac-12 Championships
At Hilmer Lodge Stadium
Winners and all Stanford
Men
Team scores (8 of 21 events scored) – 1, Washington 68; 6, Stanford 24.
100 prelims – Ht. 3: 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 10.09Q (1).
400 prelims – Ht. 1: 5, Olufemi Cole (Stanford) 47.10 (PB) (14). Ht. 2: 7, Karson Lippert (Stanford) 48.64 (26). Ht. 4: 7, Miles Zoltak (Stanford) 50.31 (28).
3,000 steeplechase final – 1, Ed Trippas (Washington) 8:37.26; 12, Callum Sherry (Stanford) 9:37.72.
High jump final – 1, Elias Gerald (USC) 6-11 ½ (2.12m); 10, James Stevens (Stanford) 6-2 ¾ (1.90m).
Long jump final – 1, Johnny Brackins (USC) 27-2 ¾w (8.30m); 5, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 25-0 ¾ (7.64m) (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT); 7, John Kroeger (Stanford) 24-10 (7.57m) (PB).
Shot put final – 1, Jordan Geist (Arizona) 68-1 (20.75m); Garin Gross (Stanford) F.
Women
Team scores (8 of 21 events scored) – 1, Washington 60.5; 8, Stanford 17.
100 prelims – Ht. 2: 2, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 11.47Q (5).
400 prelims – Ht. 1: 2, Maya Valmon (Stanford) 52.97Q (6). Ht. 3: Cydney Wright (Stanford) 54.04 (10).
800 prelims – Ht. 2: 1, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 2:06.89Q (3); 2, Taylor James (Stanford) 2:06.90Q (6); 6, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 2:11.03 (16). Ht. 3: 1, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 2:05.66Q (2); 3, Anna Tovkach (Stanford) 2:06.37q (8); 7, Lily Flynn (Stanford) 2:11.48 (18).
Pole vault final – 1, Sara Borton (Washington) 14-3 ¼ (4.35m); 6, Laurel Wong (Stanford) 13-7 ¼ (4.15m); 18, Kelly Kern (Stanford) 12-3 ½ (3.75m); 19, Lianne Kistler (Stanford) 12-3 ½ (3.75m).
Long jump final – 1, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 22-3 1/2w (6.79m), 22-1 ½ (6.74m) (ties PB; Stanford outdoor record; ties Stanford frosh record; meet record); 12, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 19-4 1/4w (5.90m); 14, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 19-2 3/4w (5.86m); 18, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 18-11 ¾w (5.78m).
Shot put final – 1, Jorinde Van Klinken (Oregon) 61-0 (18.59m); 16, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 42-2 (12.85m).
Q = qualified to finals by place
q = qualified to finals by time
PB = personal best
AT = all-time
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Stanford schedule
Sunday
11 a.m.: Men's discus prelims and final – Fl. 1: Garin Gross, Max McKhann. Fl. 2: Chudi Ikpeazu.
11:45 a.m.: Men's triple jump prelims and final – Marcus Floyd, Kevin Yang.
1 p.m.: Men's 4x100 relay final – Sec. 1: Stanford.
1:10 p.m.: Women's 4x100 relay final – Sec. 2: Stanford.
1:20 p.m.: Men's 1,500 final – Ky Robinson.
1:30 p.m.: Men's pole vault prelims and final – Garrett Brown, J.T. Herrscher, Max Manson.
1:30 p.m.: Women's 1,500 final – Melissa Tanaka, Roisin Willis.
1:45 p.m.: Women's high jump final – Alyssa Jones.
1:45 p.m.: Women's discus prelims and final – Fl. 1: Brandy Atuatasi.
2 p.m.: Women's triple jump prelims and final – Fl. 1: Alaysia Oakes, Ellie Talius. Fl. 2: Elise Miller.
2:10 p.m.: Women's 400 final – Maya Valmon.
2:20 p.m.: Men's 100 final – Udodi Onwuzurike.
2:25 p.m.: Women's 100 final – Alexa Rossum.
2:40 p.m.: Women's 800 final – Ellie Deligianni, Taylor James, Anna Tovkach, Juliette Whittaker.
3 p.m.: Women's 400 hurdles final – Samantha Thomas.
3:10 p.m.: Men's 200 final – Udodi Onwuzurike.
3:30 p.m.: Men's 5,000 final – Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, Caleb Boutelle, Robert DiDonato, Devin Hart, Charles Hicks, Ky Robinson, Gavin Sherry, Cole Sprout.
3:50 p.m.: Women's 5,000 final – Grace Connolly, Audrey DaDamio, Zofia Dudek, Lucy Jenks, Ava Parekh, Riley Stewart.
4:10 p.m.: Men's 4x400 relay final – Stanford.
4:25 p.m.: Women's 4x400 relay final – Sec. 2: Stanford.
