IN 2023, Cardinal alumni won two World Championships medals, four U.S. titles, and broke one American record.
Here is a summary of achievements by Stanford track and field alumni over the past year:
Valarie Allman '17
Allman, the silver medalist at the World Championships in Budapest, was otherwise the world's dominant discus thrower in 2023. She has been ranked No. 1 by World Athletics for 106 weeks, had the world's longest throw 231-2 (70.47 meters) of the year, won three Diamond League meets, and took home the Diamond League season trophy for the third consecutive season. Allman won her fifth consecutive U.S. championship and owns the nine farthest throws ever by an American.
Valarie Allman. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Christina Aragon '20
Aragon ran a season best in the 1,500 of 4:09.19 to place fourth at the Harry Jerome Classic in Langley, British Columbia. It was her fastest time in seven years and placed her No. 33 on the U.S. season performer's list. At the U.S. Championships, she ran 4:14.63 in the first round and did not advance, placing 19th overall.
Olivia Baker '18
Baker advanced to the semifinals of the 800 at the U.S. Championships and was 13th overall. She ran her best later in the summer, winning the Morton Games in Dublin, Ireland, in 2:00.53. It ranked her No. 22 among Americans in 2023. Her fastest indoor time, of 2:00.78, placed her No. 8 on the U.S. indoor list.
Olivia Baker. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau '22
Shortly after his collegiate career ended at the NCAA West Prelims, long-distance specialist Beaudoin-Rousseau fulfilled a longtime goal by turning to the trail racing circuit. He won the Quebec City Mega Trail 25-kilometer run in Canada and won the Cirque Series pro event at Grand Targhee outside Jackson, Wyoming. He also was second at the Golden Trail Series 26K race at Mammoth Mountain.
Maddie Berkson '18
Berkson competed in two events at the U.S. Championships, placing 25th in the 800 and 30th in the 1,500. She ran a personal best in the 800 of 2:03.02 at the Adrian Martinez Classic in Concord, Massachusetts, and ranked No. 49 in the U.S. Her season 1,500 best of 4:11.18 ranked her No. 47 in the country and came at the Mt. SAC Track Fest.
Elise Cranny '18
Cranny won her third consecutive U.S. championship in the 5,000 and added a title in the 10,000 to earn her first U.S. title double. They were her third and fourth American championships. At the World Championships, Cranny placed ninth in the 5,000 and 13th in the 10,000 (a season best 31:57.51). During the season, Cranny set personal bests in the 800 (2:00.25), 1,500 (3:58.88), and mile (4:16.47). Her 1,500 time was the fastest by an American this year and placed her No. 9 on the all-time U.S. performers' list. She ran her season 5,000 best of 14:52.66 in the U.S. final.
Elise Cranny. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Tai Dinger '18
Dinger placed 11th in the men's 10,000 final at the U.S. Championships, in a season best 29:03.00. At the U.S. 8K Road Running Championships, Dinger took 15th, in 23:59. His 13:38.03 in the 5,000 at the Stanford Invitational was a personal record.
Ella Donaghu '21
Donaghu competed in the 1,500 at the U.S. Championships, running 4:15.25 in the first round for 23rd overall. Donaghu achieved a personal best in the 800 of 2:04.20 at the Belfast British Milers Club meet in Northern Ireland. Her season 1,500 best of 4:11.93 was achieved at the Portland Track Festival.
Malindi Elmore '02
Elmore, 43, a 2020 Canadian Olympian in the marathon, achieved a lifetime best at that distance by running 2:23:30 to place 13th at the Berlin Marathon. Elmore also earned a personal best in the half marathon, running 1:10:11 for fourth at the Gifu Half in Japan.
Grant Fisher '19
Fisher shattered his own American record in the 3,000, running 7:25.46 at the Prefontaine Classic. He holds U.S. outdoor records in the 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000. Fisher was fourth at the U.S. Championships in the 10,000, in 28:25.61. Fisher was third in the 5,000 at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, in a season best of 12:54.49 – the seventh-fastest ever run by an American.
Grant Fisher. Photo by Jiro Mochiuzki/Image of Sport.
Vanessa Fraser '17
Fraser placed 12th in the 10,000 at the U.S. Championships, running 33:53.99. At the Houston Half Marathon, Fraser ran a lifetime best 1:11:00 and placed 14th.
Sara Bei Hall '05
Hall, 40, continues to be one of the top road racers in the U.S. She placed 17th in the Boston Marathon, running 2:25:48, and set a personal record for 10 miles while taking second in the Cherry Blossom 10-mile in Washington, D.C., in 52:37. Hall was selected to represent the U.S. in the half marathon at the World Road Running Championships in Latvia, though she did not run.
Julia Heymach '21
Heymach was 26th overall in the 1,500 at the U.S. Championships. Her season best of 4:14.04 came at the Portland Track Festival.
Charles Hicks '23
After an academic year in which he won the NCAA cross country title and scored in the 5,000 and 10,000 at NCAA's outdoors, Hicks won the European under-23 title in the 5,000 in Espoo, Finland, while representing Great Britain. He was fourth in the British 5,000 championships and closed his season with a 13:27.08 in the 5,000 at the Under Armour Sunset Tour event in Los Angeles.
Charles Hicks. Photo by David Hicks.
Mackenzie Little '19
An emerging international star in the javelin, Little won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Budapest. The Australian remained outside the top three until her sixth and final throw, of 207-11 (63.38), which allowed the two-time NCAA champion to earn her first senior global medal. Little, who earned a No. 2 world ranking, won the Australian title and earned her first Diamond League victory, winning at Lausanne, where she achieved her lifetime best of 215-6 (65.70).
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Mackenzie Little. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Sean McGorty '17
McGorty placed third in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the U.S. Championships, and competed at both distances at the World Championships. McGorty placed 16th in the 10,000 final in Budapest, but did not advance to the 5,000 final, placing 28th overall. McGorty achieved a lifetime best in the 5,000 of 13:02.13 at the Heusden-Zolder meet in Belgium and hit his season 10,000 best of 28:24.96 in Eugene at the U.S. Championships.
Sean McGorty. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Jessica Tonn McLain '14
McLain achieved a rare feat on the Fourth of July, becoming the overall winner – not just the women's winner -- of a large road race. McLain won the Crown City Classic 12K in Coronado, California, by beating the nearest male finisher by 1 minute, 54 seconds. A couple of weeks earlier, McLain qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials marathon by placing fourth in the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, in a lifetime best 2:29:25.
Abbie McNulty '18
McNulty placed 10th at the First Half half-marathon in Vancouver, running a lifetime best 1:18:00.
Rebecca Mehra '16
Races in Australia and New Zealand highlighted the season for Mehra, who clocked a 2:03.53 in the 800 at the Sydney Track Classic. Her season best in the 1,500 of 4:13.09 came at the Mt. SAC Track Fest.
Fiona O'Keeffe '20
O'Keeffe reeled off a 30:52.77 to win the Mt. SAC Track Fest 10,000 in a time that would place her No. 17 in the world for 2023 and No. 3 among Americans. O'Keeffe was selected to represent the U.S. at the World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, and placed 11th in the 5K. O'Keeffe ran a 15:01.34 in the 5,000 at the David Hemery indoor meet in Boston for the third-fastest indoor time in the world for the year and second-fastest among Americans.
Alex Ostberg '19
Ostberg, a sub-4 miler at Stanford, ran 3:58.33 at the David Hemery indoor meet in Boston and hit a personal 1,500 best of 3:42.62 in the same race.
Thomas Ratcliffe '20
Ratcliffe found his niche as a miler, running a lifetime best 3:54.29 to place fourth in the David Hemery indoor mile in Boston, making him the 16th-fastest American indoors for 2023, while earning a 1,500 best of 3:38.88 in the same race. Ratcliffe closed out his year at the Fifth Avenue Mile, placing 12th in 3:54.0.
Jacob Riley '11
Riley, a 2020 Olympian, placed 54th in the Berlin Marathon, running 2:18:18.
Kaitlin Ryan '21
Ryan achieved her lifetime best in the 800 of 2:02.72 at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville. That placed her No. 42 on the U.S. outdoor season list. She went on to compete at the U.S. Championships, placing 30th overall in the same event.
Claudia Saunders '16
Saunders placed fifth in the 800 at the French Championships. Her season highlights included a victory at the Music City Track Festival in Nashville and her season-best 2:01.62 in Landover, Maryland. Indoors, Saunders clocked a 2:02.41 in Boston, placing her No. 49 in the world indoors in 2023.
Garrett Starkey '16
Starkey won the Canyon Invitational pole vault in Phoenix with a jump of 18-0 ½ (5.50), his best mark in three years.
Katerina Stefanidi '12
An injury suffered during warmups at the World Championships prevented Stefanidi from trying to duplicate her 2017 world title in the pole vault. However, Stefanidi earned her fifth Greek national championship and placed fourth at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Stefanidi twice achieved her season best of 15-1 ½ (4.62), in placing fifth at the Diamond League meet in London outdoors and placing third at the Millrose Games indoors in New York City.
Melissa Tanaka, M.S. '23
Tanaka ran a 1,500 lifetime best 4:09.66 at the Under Armour Sunset Tour meet in Los Angeles. The time, because it came at the extension of her collegiate season, tied her for the No. 4 on Stanford's all-time performers' list. At the U.S. Championships, Tanaka placed 15th overall, through her 4:13.49 in the first round.
Sophie Chase Watts '17
Watts retired from competition as a professional triathlete.
Harrison Williams '18
Williams scored a personal best 8,630 points to win his first U.S. decathlon championship. The total placed Williams at No. 6 on the annual world list. Williams went on to compete at the World Championships, scoring 8,500 – his second-highest score -- to place seventh, with help from a 17-4 ½ (5.30) in the pole vault and a big personal best of 4:22.69 in the 1,500. Along with his 8,492 to win the Mt. SAC Relays, Williams' three-highest lifetime scores came in 2023, after missing 2022 due to injury.
Harrison Williams. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.