STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford will be represented by five individuals and a relay team at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 14-15 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Card women qualifiers are Amy Bunnage (3,000 meters, 5,000), Alyssa Jones (high jump, long jump), Sophia Kennedy (3,000, 5,000), Juliette Whittaker (800), and Roisin Willis (800) and the distance medley relay team. The DMR foursome that earned the qualifying mark was Whittaker, Cate Peters, Willis, and Bunnage, though quartermiler Sage Hinton or distance runner Zofia Dudek could be placed into the lineup.
Stanford has no men’s qualifiers.
The championships fields – 16 in each individual event and 12 in the relays -- were based on best marks. They are final except for medical scratches.
The women’s team has a chance for a high finish at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. The Cardinal placed fourth in 2023 with 33 points, and all those point scorers -- Jones, Whittaker, and Willis – are juniors. Sophomores Bunnage and Kennedy offer additional scoring opportunities. Last year, the Cardinal women were 15th, with 16 points.
For Willis and Whittaker, it’s likely to mean two races on Friday. The 800 semifinal begins at 1:20 p.m. PT and the DMR is at 2:20 p.m. PT.
A 5,000-DMR double seems out of the question for Bunnage and Kennedy, with the 5,000 at 1:42 p.m. PT on Friday, followed by the DMR barely 20 minutes after the 5,000’s conclusion.
J.J. Clark is Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and Cross Country.
NCAA Qualifiers
Women (5)
800 – 1, Juliette Whittaker 1:59.44; 10, Roisin Willis 2:01.31.
3,000 – 5, Sophia Kennedy 8:42.53; 6, Amy Bunnage 8:43.82.
5,000 – 5, Amy Bunnage 15:00.75; 14, Sophia Kennedy 15:26.14.
Distance medley relay – 2, Stanford 10:38.93.
High jump – 7, Alyssa Jones 6-2 ¼ (1.89).
Long jump – 9, Alyssa Jones 21-8 (6.60).
Stanford’s Schedule (all times Pacific)
Friday (March 14)
12:30 p.m.: Women’s long jump prelim/final (Alyssa Jones).
1:20 p.m.: Women’s 800 semifinal (Juliette Whittaker, Roisin Willis).
1:42 p.m.: Women’s 5,000 final (Amy Bunnage, Sophia Kennedy).
2:20 p.m.: Women’s distance medley relay (Stanford).
Saturday (March 15)
9 a.m.: Women’s high jump prelim/final (Alyssa Jones).
12:30 p.m.: Women’s 800 final.
1 p.m.: Women’s 3,000 final (Amy Bunnage, Sophia Kennedy).