STANFORD, Calif. -- Twenty-one Stanford track and field athletes – 11 men and 10 women – plus two women’s relay teams -- have qualified for the NCAA West Prelims, the meet that determines the NCAA Championships field.
The West regional, at Texas A&M’s E.B. Cushing Stadium on May 28-31, is one of two in the country, along with another in Jacksonville, Florida. Athletes qualified by achieving the top 48 marks from each half of the country. The exceptions are the relays, in which 24 teams advanced.
The fields were completed Thursday, though medical scratches are being accepted through Monday.
The top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA Championships, creating a 24-participant field. The NCAA Championships are June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.
Defending NCAA women’s 800 champion Juliette Whittaker is out for the season and will not compete. However, 2024 NCAA outdoor 800 runner-up Roisin Willis and five-team first-team long-jump All-American Alyssa Jones headline the Cardinal contingent.
Jones will compete in four events: the long jump, high jump, 100, and 4x100 relay.
Top-12 women’s seeds are: Wills (No. 2) in the 800, Sophia Kennedy (No. 2) in the 1,500, Jones (No. 2) in the long jump, and Zofia Dudek (No. 5) in the 5,000.
For the men, Lex Young (No. 6) in the 10,000 is the only Cardinal among the top 12.
Three men’s true freshmen have qualified: James Dargan (No. 29) in the 5,000, Xavier Drumgoole (No. 24) in the triple jump, and Ryce Reynolds (No. 40) in the 400 hurdles.
Other Stanford first-time qualifiers are junior Zane Bergen (men’s 1,500) and sophomore Hillary Studdert (women’s 800 and 1,500).
The members of the women's 4x100 relay team that recorded its fastest time this season were Zwaanstra, Jones, Alaysia Oakes, and Sage Hinton at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.
Members of Stanford’s fastest women’s 4x400 relay team this year were Hinton, Willis, Whittaker, and Cate Peters. Camille Peisner replaced Whittaker at the ACC Championships.
Previous All-Americans (including cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field) to advance are Garrett Brown and Cole Sprout for the men. For the women, they are Dudek, Hinton, Jones, Kennedy, and Willis.
Here are Stanford’s NCAA West Prelims qualifiers:
Men
1,500 – 11, Leo Young 3:38.00; 24, Zane Bergen 3:39.20.
5,000 – 16, Thomas Boyden 13:30.75; 18, Leo Young 3:31.92; 22, Robert DiDonato 13:34.32; 28, Lex Young 13:35.52; 29, James Dargan 13:35.57.
10,000 – 6, Lex Young 27:48.93; 17, Thomas Boyden 28:06.84; 32, Cole Sprout 28:22.32.
400 hurdles – 40, Ryce Reynolds 51.13.
Pole vault – 28, Garrett Brown 5.30.
Triple jump – 24, Xavier Drumgoole 15.65.
Shot put – 30, Sam Liokumovich 18.57.
Women
100 – 20, Alyssa Jones 11.25; 33, Teagan Zwaanstra 11.37.
800 – 2, Roisin Willis 2:00.43; 46, Hillary Studdert 2:07.30.
1,500 – 31, Julia Flynn 4:17.92; 48, Hillary Studdert 4:20.38.
5,000 – 2, Sophia Kennedy 15:11.12; 5, Zofia Dudek 15:23.46; 38, Audrey DaDamio 16:00.65.
10,000 – 34, Audrey DaDamio 33:44.25.
4x100 relay – 19, Stanford.
4x400 relay – 20, Stanford.
High jump – 26, Alyssa Jones 1.80.
Long jump – 2, Alyssa Jones 6.81; 33, Teagan Zwaanstra 6.26.
Triple jump – 39, Alaysia Oakes 12.74.
Shot put – 44, Kaiah Fisher 15.49.
Discus – 31, Kaiah Fisher 53.51.