VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Long jumper Alyssa Jones earned her fifth first-team All-America honor and sophomore Sophia Kennedy earned her first to highlight Stanford performances Friday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Jones, a junior civil engineering major, placed third at the Virginia Beach Sports Center with a season-best of 22-0 ¼ (6.71 meters). This continues her streak of reaching the podium (top four) in the long jump in every season – indoors or outdoors – during her collegiate career.
Kennedy placed fifth in the 5,000 in a personal record 15:10.71 – making her the seventh-fastest performer in collegiate indoor history, with the 13th-fastest performance.
It also strengthened her hold on the No. 2 spot on Stanford’s all-time indoor list and shattered her previous personal best of 15:26.14.
With six points from Jones and four from Kennedy, Stanford is tied for seventh with 10 points with Saturday’s competition remaining.
In addition, Stanford’s Roisin Willis was second in her semifinal in the 800, running a season-best 2:00.84. Though Willis advanced to Saturday’s final, defending champion Juliette Whittaker did not. Whittaker was sixth in her heat (2:02.35) and missed advancing on time by 0.21 and one place.
Completing Stanford’s bittersweet opening day, sophomore Amy Bunnage was leading the 5,000 through 3,000 meters when she stepped off the track with an apparent injury and did not finish.
So, Saturday’s finals will include three events with Cardinal athletes: the high jump with Jones, the 800 with Willis, and the 3,000 with Kennedy and Bunnage, though Bunnage’s status is unclear.
Jones equaled her best NCAA indoor placing – she was third last year and fourth as a freshman.
Five different jumpers led at some point during the first round, which ended with Jones in third at 21-11 ½ (6.69). At the time of her jump, Jones trailed Illinois’ Tacoria Humphrey by only 2 ¼ inches. However, Baylor’s Alexis Brown followed Jones and put the pressure on with a leading jump of 22-5 1/4 (6.84).
Jones drew a bit closer, with 22-0 ¼ on her second jump, but that would be as close as she would get. Brown increased her lead in the fourth round with a jump of 22-7 ¾ (6.90). Jones earned her seventh All-America honor overall.
In the 5,000, Bunnage looked strong in leading a loaded field throughout the race until she limped off the track with 2,000 to go. The pace slowed significantly without Bunnage, and Kennedy surged into the lead at 3,200 and led for three more laps before eventual winner Doris Lemngole of Alabama surged into the lead at 4,000.
Kennedy ran Stanford’s fastest 5,000 ever at an NCAA Championships, including indoors and outdoors, and was the first Cardinal top-five NCAA indoor placer in that event since Fiona O’Keeffe was third in 2019.
Willis was second early in her 800 heat and was fourth at the gun, but made a big move on the outside of lane two on the backstretch, ultimately placing second.
At NCAA Indoors last year, Whittaker advanced to the final, but Willis did not. This year, the roles were reversed.
Whittaker was in third and in automatic qualifying position at the gun, but faded, and even stumbled, down the stretch and was unable to advance.
In the women’s distance medley relay, Stanford placed 12th in 11:14.43 with a team of Zofia Dudek, Sage Hinton, Amelia Everett, and Audrey Suarez. It was the first NCAA appearance for Hinton, Everett, and Suarez.
NCAA Indoor Championships
At Virginia Beach Sports Center
(200-meter banked track)
Women
Team leaders (Day 1 of 2) – 1, Illinois 21; 2 (tie) Oklahoma, Washington 19; 4, BYU 18; 5, Wisconsin 13; 6, Baylor 11; 7 (tie), Stanford, Notre Dame, Alabama 10; 10 (tie), Oregon, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth 8.
800 – Semifinals: 2, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 2:00.84; 9, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 2:02.35.
5,000 – Final: 1, Doris Lemngole (Alabama) 15:05.93; 5, Sophia Kennedy (Stanford) 15:10.71 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT).
Distance medley relay – 1, BYU 10:45.34; 12, Stanford (Zofia Dudek, Sage Hinton, Amelia Everett, Audrey Suarez) 11:14.43.
Long jump – Final: 1, Alexis Brown (Baylor) 22-7 ¾ (6.90); 3, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 22-0 ¼ (6.71).
Stanford’s Saturday Schedule (all times Pacific)
9 a.m.: Women’s high jump final (Alyssa Jones).
12:30 p.m.: Women’s 800 final (Roisin Willis).
1 p.m.: Women’s 3,000 final (Amy Bunnage, Sophia Kennedy).
Jones, a junior civil engineering major, placed third at the Virginia Beach Sports Center with a season-best of 22-0 ¼ (6.71 meters). This continues her streak of reaching the podium (top four) in the long jump in every season – indoors or outdoors – during her collegiate career.
Kennedy placed fifth in the 5,000 in a personal record 15:10.71 – making her the seventh-fastest performer in collegiate indoor history, with the 13th-fastest performance.
It also strengthened her hold on the No. 2 spot on Stanford’s all-time indoor list and shattered her previous personal best of 15:26.14.
With six points from Jones and four from Kennedy, Stanford is tied for seventh with 10 points with Saturday’s competition remaining.
In addition, Stanford’s Roisin Willis was second in her semifinal in the 800, running a season-best 2:00.84. Though Willis advanced to Saturday’s final, defending champion Juliette Whittaker did not. Whittaker was sixth in her heat (2:02.35) and missed advancing on time by 0.21 and one place.
Completing Stanford’s bittersweet opening day, sophomore Amy Bunnage was leading the 5,000 through 3,000 meters when she stepped off the track with an apparent injury and did not finish.
So, Saturday’s finals will include three events with Cardinal athletes: the high jump with Jones, the 800 with Willis, and the 3,000 with Kennedy and Bunnage, though Bunnage’s status is unclear.
Jones equaled her best NCAA indoor placing – she was third last year and fourth as a freshman.
Five different jumpers led at some point during the first round, which ended with Jones in third at 21-11 ½ (6.69). At the time of her jump, Jones trailed Illinois’ Tacoria Humphrey by only 2 ¼ inches. However, Baylor’s Alexis Brown followed Jones and put the pressure on with a leading jump of 22-5 1/4 (6.84).
Jones drew a bit closer, with 22-0 ¼ on her second jump, but that would be as close as she would get. Brown increased her lead in the fourth round with a jump of 22-7 ¾ (6.90). Jones earned her seventh All-America honor overall.
In the 5,000, Bunnage looked strong in leading a loaded field throughout the race until she limped off the track with 2,000 to go. The pace slowed significantly without Bunnage, and Kennedy surged into the lead at 3,200 and led for three more laps before eventual winner Doris Lemngole of Alabama surged into the lead at 4,000.
Kennedy ran Stanford’s fastest 5,000 ever at an NCAA Championships, including indoors and outdoors, and was the first Cardinal top-five NCAA indoor placer in that event since Fiona O’Keeffe was third in 2019.
Willis was second early in her 800 heat and was fourth at the gun, but made a big move on the outside of lane two on the backstretch, ultimately placing second.
At NCAA Indoors last year, Whittaker advanced to the final, but Willis did not. This year, the roles were reversed.
Whittaker was in third and in automatic qualifying position at the gun, but faded, and even stumbled, down the stretch and was unable to advance.
In the women’s distance medley relay, Stanford placed 12th in 11:14.43 with a team of Zofia Dudek, Sage Hinton, Amelia Everett, and Audrey Suarez. It was the first NCAA appearance for Hinton, Everett, and Suarez.
NCAA Indoor Championships
At Virginia Beach Sports Center
(200-meter banked track)
Women
Team leaders (Day 1 of 2) – 1, Illinois 21; 2 (tie) Oklahoma, Washington 19; 4, BYU 18; 5, Wisconsin 13; 6, Baylor 11; 7 (tie), Stanford, Notre Dame, Alabama 10; 10 (tie), Oregon, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth 8.
800 – Semifinals: 2, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 2:00.84; 9, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 2:02.35.
5,000 – Final: 1, Doris Lemngole (Alabama) 15:05.93; 5, Sophia Kennedy (Stanford) 15:10.71 (PB; No. 2 Stanford AT).
Distance medley relay – 1, BYU 10:45.34; 12, Stanford (Zofia Dudek, Sage Hinton, Amelia Everett, Audrey Suarez) 11:14.43.
Long jump – Final: 1, Alexis Brown (Baylor) 22-7 ¾ (6.90); 3, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 22-0 ¼ (6.71).
Stanford’s Saturday Schedule (all times Pacific)
9 a.m.: Women’s high jump final (Alyssa Jones).
12:30 p.m.: Women’s 800 final (Roisin Willis).
1 p.m.: Women’s 3,000 final (Amy Bunnage, Sophia Kennedy).