WALNUT, Calif. – Stanford crowned three individual champions on Sunday as the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships came to a close with both Cardinal teams placing among the top four.
Featuring victories by Udodi Onwuzurike in the 200 meters and Kevin Yang in the triple jump, the Stanford men placed third as a team, scoring 96 points. The Cardinal women were led by two freshmen winners – Juliette Whittaker in the 800 on Sunday and Alyssa Jones in the long jump on Saturday – on the way to placing fourth, with 84 points.
This was the first time since 2018 at Stanford that both Cardinal teams placed among the top four at the Pac-12 meet. The last time it happened away from home was 2009 at the Pac-10 meet in Eugene, Oregon. The four combined titles this weekend were the most since the Cardinal won six in 2018.
First, let's unpack Onwuzurike's victory. He ran 19.91, shattering his own school record of 20.08 and breaking the meet record of 20.00 by UCLA's Ato Boldon in 1996. Onwuzurike becomes No. 3 in Pac-12 history behind only Boldon (19.80, 1996) and USC's Andre DeGrasse (19.88, 2015), each an Olympic 200 medalist.
Onwuzurike, a sophomore, moves into a tie for No. 9 on the all-time collegiate outdoor performers' list. He is the third-fastest in the world this year.
Onwuzurike placed second in the 100 to Oregon's Micah Williams by 0.01 earlier in the day, running into a headwind while clocking 10.23 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. He got off to a strong start in the 200 and maintained his speed down the homestretch, pulling away from the field.
"It felt good," Onwuzurike said. "I really put it together at the end."
It seems hard to fathom, but Onwuzurike has tied or broken Stanford records 13 times so far. He is the school's first conference outdoor champion at 200 since Jimmie Johnson won the Pac-10 in 1997.
Udodi Onwuzurike wins the 200. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Yang won the triple jump at 51-3 ¾ (15.64m) for a personal best that places him at No. 7 in Stanford history. He became Stanford's first triple jump champion since Darian Brooks won titles from 2014-16. Yang missed much of the outdoor season, making his triple jump season debut on April 29, when he popped a wind-aided 50-9 ¼ (15.47m).
On Sunday, Yang hit 49-10 ½ (15.20m) on the second jump to move into a tie with USC's Dallas Wise for the lead. Though Wise never improved, Yang hit 50-2 ½ (15.30m) on his fourth attempt and a PB 51-3 ¾ (15.64m) on his fifth to win going away.
Whittaker led from start to finish to win in 2:01.19 and become Stanford's first conference women's 800 champion since 1984, in the days before the Pac-12 even sponsored women's track and field, when Marcia Martin won the Western Collegiate Athletic Association title. Close behind were teammates Anna Tovkach (2:05.53) in third and Ellie Deligianni (2:06.20) in fourth.
Whittaker, the NCAA indoor 800 runner-up, had close to even splits, running 59.30 for the first lap and 1:01.90 for the second.
In her fourth-place finish in the 400, sophomore Maya Valmon shattered her own two-week old school record, running 51.71. Her winning mark from the Big Meet dual against Cal was 52.07. In her past two meets, Valmon now has improved upon Chauntae Bayne's pre-2023 school record of 53.35 by 0.64.
Valmon also was part of relays that each placed third. She ran the third leg on a 4x100 team that also included Cydney Wright, Jones, and Alexa Rossum and finished in 44.34 for No. 6 in school history.
In the 4x400, the team of Valmon, Whittaker, Wright, and Samantha Thomas ran 3:34.35 to make the podium.
Earlier, Thomas placed fourth in the 400 hurdles, running a big lifetime best of 58.22. She now is No. 2 in Stanford history behind only 2017 world champion Kori Carter, the 2013 NCAA champ.
Besides its four combined individual titles, Stanford also had five runner-up finishes. In addition to Onwuzurike in the 100, other men's second places were Ky Robinson in the 1,500 and Cole Sprout in the 5,000 on Sunday. Charles Hicks was second in the 10,000 on Friday.
Also, Melissa Tanaka was second in the women's 1,500, running a four-second lifetime best of 4:09.85 to move up to No. 6 all-time at Stanford. All of the top six have come since 2018.
Stanford next competes in the NCAA West Prelims on May 24-27 at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium. The list of qualifying athletes will be posted Thursday on NCAA.org by 10 a.m. PT. The online path is Membership, Division I, Division I Championships, Spring Sports, Outdoor Track & Field.
The NCAA Championships are June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.
Juliette Whittaker wins the 800. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
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Pac-12 Championships
At Hilmer Lodge Stadium
Winners and all Stanford
Men
Team scores – 1, Washington 151; 2, USC 137; 3, Stanford 96; 4, California 82; 5, Arizona 76; 6, Oregon 75; 7, Arizona State 66; 8, UCLA 54; 9, Colorado 42; 10, Washington State 40.
100 – Micah Williams (Oregon) 10.22; 2, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 10.23.
200 – 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 19.91 (PB; Stanford record; meet record).
1,500 – 1, Nathan Green (Washington) 3:42.22; 2, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 3:42.99 (PB).
5,000 – 1, Brian Fay (Washington) 14:08.03; 2, Cole Sprout (Stanford) 14:12.28; 3, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 14:14.44; 4, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 14:14.58; 13, Gavin Sherry (Stanford) 14:40.15; 21, Caleb Boutelle (Stanford) 14:59.32.
4x100 relay – 1, USC 39.05; 7, Stanford (John Kroeger, Olufemi Cole, Gabriel Navarro, Udodi Onwuzurike) 39.76.
Pole vault – 1, Skyler Magula (Washington) 17-11 ¼ (5.47m); 4, Garrett Brown (Stanford) 17-7 ¼ (5.37m); 5, Max Manson (Stanford) 17-3 ½ (5.27m); 7, J.T. Herrscher (Stanford) 16-7 ½ (5.07m).
Triple jump – 1, Kevin Yang (Stanford) 51-3 ¾ (15.64) (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT); Marcus Floyd (Stanford) F.
Discus – 1, Mykolas Alekna (Cal) 230-11 (70.40m); 5, Chudi Ikpeazu (Stanford) 192-10 (58.78m) (PB; No. 6 Stanford AT); 17, Max McKhann (Stanford) 142-9 (43.52m); 18, Garin Gross (Stanford) 140-1 (42.70m).
Women
Team scores – 1, Oregon 158.5; 2, USC 127; 3, Washington 85.5; 4, Stanford 84; 5, UCLA 61.5; 6, California 60; 7, Colorado 57; 8, Oregon State 55; 9, Utah 45; 10, Arizona 39; 11, Arizona State 31; 12, Washington State 15.5.
100 – 1, Jadyn Mays (Oregon) 11.20; 5, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 11.44.
400 – 1, Jan'Taijah Jones (USC) 50.44; 4, Maya Valmon (Stanford) 51.71 (PB; Stanford record).
800 – 1, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 2:01.19 (No. 5 Stanford AT); 3, Anna Tovkach (Stanford) 2:05.53; 4, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 2:06.20; 7, Taylor James (Stanford) 2:07.10.
1,500 – 1, Simone Plourde (Utah) 4:09.48; 2, Melissa Tanaka (Stanford) 4:09.85 (PB; No. 6 Stanford AT); 11, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 4:27.65.
5,000 – 1, Grace Fetherstonhaugh (Oregon State) 16:01.78; 3, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 16:14.68; 16, Zofia Dudek (Stanford) 16:44.98; 17, Riley Stewart (Stanford) 16:45.53; 28, Ava Parekh (Stanford) 17:36.11.
400 hurdles – 1, Shana Grebo (Oregon) 56.41; 4, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 58.22 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT).
4x100 relay – 1, Oregon 43.31; 3, Stanford (Cydney Wright, Alyssa Jones, Maya Valmon, Alexa Rossum) 44.34 (No. 6 Stanford AT).
4x400 relay – 1, USC 3:30.83; 3, Stanford (Maya Valmon, Juliette Whittaker, Cydney Wright, Samantha Thomas) 3:34.35.
High jump – 1, Grace Campbell (Arizona State) 6-0 ½ (1.84m); 7, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 5-8 ¾ (1.75m).
Discus – 1, Jorinde Van Klinken (Oregon) 206-10 (63.05m); 14, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 153-9 (46.87m).
Triple jump – 1, Lexi Ellis (Oregon) 44-10 ¾ (13.68m); Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) F; Ellie Talius (Stanford) F.