THE 131ST SEASON of Stanford men’s track and field had a different look as it said goodbye to the Pac-12 Conference and its forerunners that it had been part of since 1919.
In the Atlantic Coast Conference, five Cardinal earned all-conference honors during each of the outdoor and indoor seasons.
Cole Sprout had the distinction of earning All-ACC first-team honors in both seasons, and was Stanford’s highest placer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, taking 12th in the 5,000 in Eugene, Oregon.
Sprout, a graduate student, earned his sixth All-America honor. In his five-season career for the Cardinal, Sprout was a three-time first-team All-American, led Stanford to three Pac-12 and three NCAA West Region cross-country titles, was named Academic All-American, and broke the Stanford indoor 3,000 record.
That record came at the ACC Championships when Sprout placed third in 7:42.41, breaking the school record for a regulation (200-meter) track. The previous mark was 7:42.62 set by Grant Fisher in winning the 2019 Millrose Games. Fisher, by the way, set the world indoor record in the 3,000 in 2025, running 7:22.91.
At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Sprout stayed connected with the large lead pack at the bell. He finished strongly, passing a runner just before the finish line.
“I’ve had the privilege to be out here on an elite stage and compete against some really incredible runners and rub shoulders with guys like (past NCAA champions) Charles Hicks and Ky Robinson and the whole Stanford crew,” Sprout said after the race. “I’m beyond grateful for my experience.”
Sprout was among three NCAA qualifiers among the Stanford men, with freshman Xavier Drumgoole, and sophomore Leo Young and joining him.
Drumgoole placed 21st in the triple jump at NCAA’s, but on the way there he broke a Stanford freshman record that had stood for 55 years – the 52-3 (15.93 meters) by Allen Meredith in 1970. It was Stanford’s oldest freshman record until Drumgoole jumped 53-10 ½ (16.42) at the NCAA West Prelims to earn passage to the NCAA Championships.
The jump placed Drumgoole No. 2 on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list.
Leo Young, a sophomore alongside his twin Lex, qualified for his first NCAA Championships and nearly advanced to the outdoor 1,500 final, missing by only 0.26 seconds. However, Leo and Lex look to be the centerpieces of the Cardinal distance program for the next couple of years.
Four days after running the NCAA semifinals, Leo Young ran the 1,500 at the Portland Track Festival and clocked 3:35.96 to jump to No. 4 on Stanford’s all-time list.
Though Lex Young didn’t qualify for the NCAA Championships, he was the highest-placing American underclassman in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the NCAA West Prelims.
In the shorter events, freshman Ryce Reynolds ran the fastest 400 hurdles by a Stanford runner in 13 years, with his 51.13 making him No. 5 in Cardinal history.
And in the throws, Sam Liokumovich was All-ACC in the shot put both indoors, placing third, and outdoors, placing fourth.
Individual honors and achievements
Anthony Argyropoulos
- Moved to No. 6 in the weight throw on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
Joseph Bailey - Big Meet 4x400 winner
Zane Bergen - NCAA West Prelims qualifier (1,500)
- Broke school indoor 1,000 record
- Big Meet 800 winner
- Moved to No. 9 in the 1,500 on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list
- Moved to No. 9 in the mile on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
Thomas Boyden - All-ACC second-team outdoors (5,000)
- All-ACC second-team indoors (3,000)
- NCAA West Prelims qualifier (5,000, 10,000)
- Big Meet 3,000 winner
- Moved to No. 7 in the 10,000 on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list
- Moved to No. 2 in the 3,000 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
- Moved to No. 3 in the 5.000 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
Garrett Brown - All-ACC second-team indoors (pole vault)
- NCAA West Prelims qualifier (pole vault)
- Big Meet pole vault winner
Olufemi Cole - Big Meet 100 winner
James Dargan - NCAA West Prelims qualifier (5,000)
- Moved to No. 4 in the 1,500 on Stanford’s all-time frosh list
- Moved to No. 3 in the mile on Stanford’s all-time frosh list
- Moved to No. 3 in the 5,000 on Stanford’s all-time frosh list
- Moved to No. 5 in the 3,000 on Stanford’s all-time frosh list
Robert DiDonato - NCAA West Prelims qualifier (5,000)
Xavier Drumgoole - NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier (triple jump)
NCAA West Prelims qualifier (triple jump) - Broke the school freshman record in the triple jump
- Moved to No. 2 in the triple jump on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list
- Moved to No. 9 in the long jump on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
- Moved to No. 6 in the triple jump on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
Patrick Koon - Moved to No. 5 in the 5,000 on Stanford’s all-time frosh list
John Kroeger - Big Meet 4x400 winner
Sam Liokumovich - All-ACC first-team indoors (shot put)
- All-ACC second-team outdoors (shot put)
- NCAA West Prelims qualifier (shot put)
- Big Meet shot put winner
Ryce Reynolds - NCAA West Prelims qualifiers (400 hurdles)
- Big Meet 400 hurdles and 4x400 winner
- Moved to No. 5 in the 400 hurdles on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list
- Moved to No. 2 in the 400 hurdles on Stanford’s all-time frosh list
Zachary Ryan - Big Meet 4x400 winner
- Moved to No. 8 in the 200 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
- Moved to No. 5 in the 400 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
Cole Sprout - All-American second-team outdoors (5,000)
- All-ACC first-team outdoors (5,000)
- All-ACC first-team indoors (3,000)
- NCAA West Prelims qualifier (10,000)
- Broke school indoor 3,000 record for a 200-meter track
Leo Young - All-American second-team outdoors (1,500)
- All-ACC first-team outdoors (1,500)
- NCAA West Prelims qualifier (1,500, 5,000)
- Moved to No. 4 in the 1,500 on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list
- Moved to No. 7 in the mile on Stanford’s all-time indoor list
Lex Young - All-ACC second-team outdoors (10,000)
- All-ACC second-team indoors (5,000)
- NCAA West Prelims qualifier (5,000, 10,000)
- Big Meet steeplechase winner
- Moved to No. 5 in the 10,000 on Stanford’s all-time outdoor list
- Moved to No. 10 in the 3,000 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list