AUSTIN, Texas – On a magical night at Mike A. Myers Stadium, Udodi Onwuzurike and Ky Robinson delivered individual victories at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to propel the Stanford men to third as a team – its highest placing since winning the title in 2000.
Within minutes of each other Friday night, Onwuzurike won the 200 meters and Robinson kicked to victory in the 5,000, completing a long-distance double that began with his 10,000 triumph on Wednesday.
With five athletes – including distance runner Charles Hicks, pole vaulter Garrett Brown, and long-jumper John Kroeger -- Stanford scored 44 points to finish behind only Florida (57) and Arkansas (53), and far outscored the nearest Pac-12 competitor, Washington, which was ninth with 26.5.
Robinson accounted for 20 points, Onwuzurike 13, and Hicks 11 as each earned at least top-six finishes in two events. Robinson became the first from Stanford to pull off the 5,000-10,000 double since Brad Hauser in 2000. Hicks was second in the 10,000 on Wednesday and sixth in the 5,000.
Stanford became the first men's team to take the podium (top four) with three or fewer scorers since UCLA and Meb Keflezighi tied for fourth in 1997 with three scorers.
The 200 finish. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Onwuzurike has led a sprints resurgence at Stanford, earning the school's first NCAA 200 victory since 1939 when Clyde Jeffrey ran 21.1 in a straight 220-yard race at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Onwuzurike ran 19.84 in the 200 after placing sixth in the 100 only 45 minutes earlier, in 9.98. Even in defeat, Onwuzurike made history, becoming the first from Stanford to reach an NCAA men's 100 final since 1963.
A common question to Onwuzurike after his recent victories at the Pac-12 Championships and at NCAA's is, Why Stanford?
"Because it's the best school in world," Onwuzurike replied after his victory Friday.
He described the importance of creating tradition at Stanford, a point of emphasis for J.J. Clark, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field, in creating a well-rounded program. To underscore that scope, consider the variety of victories Stanford earned this week, from the 200 to the 10,000. In fact, no other men's team in history ever has won the 200 and 5,000 in the same year at this meet.
"It means a lot," Onwuzurike said. "People do not take Stanford seriously as a sprint school and it really irritates me because we have so much talent on the team. To come out here, on the national stage … I'm really happy to do my thing and hope that other kids will follow my footsteps and come to Stanford and realize that it's not just a distance school. Stanford is a really good track school."
Onwuzurike has especially dominated in the last half of his 200 races, not over-emphasizing the first 100, and timing his lean more effectively. That was huge on Friday as the top four finished within 0.05 of each other and all under 19.90. Texas Tech's Courtney Lindsey, in Lane Seven and next to Onwuzurike in Lane Six, was closest. Onwuzurike edged Lindsey by 0.02, leading from the end of the turn and all the way down the homestretch.
After the race, Onwuzurike collapsed onto the track. Facing the sky, he praised God, then lifted himself and joined sprints coach Jarius Cooper in an embrace.
Onwuzurike has much more to do this year. He is a veteran of the Nigerian national team and expects to compete at the World Championships on August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.
Udodi Onwuzurike. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Robinson, a veteran of the Australian national team, should be there too. Just as he did in the 10,000, Robinson made his move just before the bell, bolting into the lead and extending it to the finish line. Robinson ran 14:04.77 in joining Grant Fisher (2017) and Sean McGorty (2018) as Stanford 5,000 champs at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the past decade.
Robinson faded toward the back of an eight-member pack in the second half of the race, and wasn't sure if he had what it took to win. But he gained confidence as the race continued and closed in 55.54 for the last 400.
Hicks had to bridge the gap between the chase pack and the fading runners in the lead pack. He went from ninth at the bell to sixth at the finish. Robinson and Hicks, as they had so often this season, found each other and posed for photos together in an example of their close friendship.
"I feel like I'm in a dream," Robinson said.
In a postrace interview with ESPN, Robinson said the first 100 meters were crucial. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, slow starts in the 3,000 and 5,000 forced him to be swallowed by the pack and spit out the back and he never really recovered.
"Here, I wanted to get to the front," he said. "I didn't want to lead, but I just wanted to be up there so I could see the race and have a little bit of control over it. I just wanted to stay relaxed, stay out of trouble."
With four laps to go, Northern Arizona's Nico Young made a move, but Robinson knew Young's pace was too fast and chose to hold back.
"I trusted myself that I'd have that strength at the end if I laid off a little bit, let him go and expend all his energy," Robinson said. "Thankfully, the last 500 meters, I felt good, went around to the front and, from there, I was just telling myself, 'You can do it.'"
Ky Robinson. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
Robinson came into the race a little sore from Wednesday, but that may have been a good thing.
"Honestly, when I'm feeling good, something's wrong," Robinson said. "If I'm not feeling good, I know I can go out there and race well."
Among other achievements worth noting for Stanford was that this was the first time since 2000 that the Cardinal won three events in the same meet. That year, it was Hauser with the long-distance double and Gabe Jennings with the 1,500 crown.
Another first was was that Stanford, including men and women, never had won individual titles in all three NCAA championship meets -- cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoors -- in the same academic year. Hicks' cross-country title was unprecedented in Stanford history, and the indoor season included women's triumphs in the distance medley relay and by Roisin Willis in the 800. Three outdoor men's titles have completed the triple, though Stanford has a chance at a fourth on Saturday with Willis running the 800. .
Charles Hicks and Ky Robinson. Photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport.
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NCAA Outdoor Championships
At Mike A. Myers Stadium
Stanford and other winners
Men
Team leaders (final): 1, Florida 57; 2, Arkansas 53; 3, Stanford 44; 4, LSU 43; 5, Arizona State 41; 6, Texas Tech 34.5; 7, Georgia 28; 8, Alabama 27; 9, Washington 26.5; 10, BYU 22.5.
100 – 1, Courtney Lindsey (Texas Tech) 9.89; 6, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 9.98.
200 – 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 19.84.
5,000 – 1, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 14:04.77; 6, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 14:09.03.
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Stanford's Schedule
Saturday
7:14 p.m. PT (9:14 p.m. CT): Women's 800 final – Roisin Willis.
7:55 p.m. PT (9:55 p.m. CT): Women's 5,000 final – Lucy Jenks.