BOSTON – Stanford sophomore Amy Bunnage ran the 10th-fastest time over 5,000 meters in collegiate history, iincluding indoors and outdoors, on Saturday at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener.
In a race that featured four of the six fastest times in collegiate indoor track and field history, including a collegiate record, Bunnage ran 15:00.75 to finish fourth on the 200-meter banked track at the BU Track and Tennis Center. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole won in 14:52.57.
In the official collegiate record books -- indoor and outdoor meets during the collegiate seasons -- Bunnage is the fifth-fastest collegian of all time.
There are a lot of records and top marks to unpack for Bunnage, 19. She broke her personal record, including indoors and outdoors, of 15:11.68. That time, set on an oversized indoor track at University of Washington last year, was the existing Stanford indoor record and Australian under-20 absolute record. Both went down.
Also, going by the wayside were Stanford’s absolute record of 15:09.62 by Vanessa Fraser in 2018 and the Australian indoor record (200-meter track) of 15:15.79 by Lauren Ryan on the same track on Jan. 27, 2024. Bunnage is now No. 8 on Australia’s absolute 5,000 list.
Bunnage broke two Atlantic Coast Conference records – the indoor record of 15:15.21 by Notre Dame’s Molly Seidel in 2016 and the absolute record of 15:03.12 by North Carolina State’s Katelyn Tuohy outdoors in 2023.
On the all-time collegiate indoor lists, Bunnage is the No. 5 performer with the No. 6 performance. In competitions on all dates -- including summer international meets and global championships -- this was the 10th-fastest performance in collegiate history and Bunnage is the seventh-fastest all time.
Among Bunnage’s splits were 3:02.19 at 1,000, 4:51.62 at 1,600, 9:05.90 at 3,000, and 9:41.62 at 3,200. She closed with a final 200 in 33.47.
In 11th was teammate Sophia Kennedy, a sophomore like Bunnage, in 15:26.14 -- a personal best by seven seconds. Kennedy climbed to No. 2 in Stanford indoor history with the third-fastest time, behind two by Bunnage. Kennedy finished just ahead of Georgetown’s Lucy Jenks, a Stanford graduate, in 15:27.82.
And Riley Stewart set a nine-second PB, while dipping under the 16-minute barrier for the first time, in 15:54.01.
Six Stanford men raced on Saturday and five set personal records. Zane Bergen did so in the 3,000 (8:01.89), and four in the 5,000, with three vaulting into Stanford’s all-time indoor top-10 list.
Cole Sprout led the Cardinal with a 13:30.17 for 21st place overall and fifth in Section Two. With an indoor PB of 13:24.38, Sprout already is No. 4. But behind him, Thomas Boyden (13:33.88) climbed to No. 6, Leo Young (13:37.15) climbed to No. 8, and Lex Young (indoor PB of 13:37.17) to No. 9. Nolan Topper (13:50.61) also ran a personal best.
Overall, seven Cardinal men have personal records under 14 minutes in the 5,000.
And thus begins the 131st season of Stanford track and field. Also, Stanford has competed indoors since 1909.
Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
At BU Track & Tennis Center
(200 meter track)
Men
3,000 – 1, Ethan Strand (North Carolina) 7:30.15. Stanford -- 41, Zane Bergen 8:01.89 (PB).
5,000 – 1, Graham Blanks (Harvard) 12:59.89. Stanford – 21, Cole Sprout 13:30.17; 27, Thomas Boyden 13:33.88 (PB; No. 6 Stanford AT indoors); 33, Leo Young 13:37.15 (PB; No. 8 Stanford AT indoors); 34, Lex Young 13:37.17 (No. 9 Stanford AT indoors); 80, Nolan Topper 13:50.61 (PB).
Women
5,000 – 1, Doris Lemngole (Alabama) 14:52.57. Stanford – 4, Amy Bunnage 15:00.75 (PB; Stanford indoor record; Stanford absolute record); 11, Sophia Kennedy 15:26.14 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT indoors); 37, Riley Stewart 15:54.01 (PB); 64, Audrey Suarez 16:17.95; 70, Julia Flynn 16:21.67 (PB).