Stanford Sends 29 to PrelimsStanford Sends 29 to Prelims

Aisling Cuffe

Stanford Sends 29 to Prelims

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford learned Thursday that 29 track and field athletes have advanced to the NCAA West Prelims in Fayetteville, Ark., on May 29-31.

The Cardinal will send 15 men and 14 women to the competition, one of two regionals in the country (the other is in Jacksonville, Fla.). The top 48 marks from each half of the country are accepted into each regional. The top 12 in each region advance to the NCAA Championships June 11-14 in Eugene, Ore., creating a 24-participant field for each event.

Stanford has one No. 1 seed and 10 among the top five. Aisling Cuffe, the school record holder in the 5,000 meters, is the Cardinal headliner. She ran 15:11.13 at the Payton Jordan Invitational. The time made her the third-fastest in collegiate history and the second-fastest among Americans collegians.

Cuffe is one of four Stanford runners in the women’s 5,000 field, including No. 3 seed Jessica Tonn, No. 33 Vanessa Fraser, and No. 44 Cami Chapus. The total ties for the most Stanford athletes in any event. The other is the men’s 1,500, which includes No. 5 Tyler Stutzman, No. 7 Michael Atchoo, No. 17 Marco Bertolotti, and No. 36 Justin Brinkley.

Stanford lineups feature eight men and five women who have won All-America honors. Of those, women’s javelin thrower Brianna Bain (No. 4 seed) and women’s 800 runner Amy Weissenbach (No. 2) are returning first-team outdoor All-Americans.

Ten Stanford women will attempt to advance to nationals for the first time, including three freshmen – Fraser, discus thrower Valarie Allman (No. 5), and javelin thrower Megan Glasmann (No. 13). The men have 12 searching for their first NCAA Championships berths, including one freshman – pole vaulter Dylan Duvio (No. 16).

If the seeds hold, Stanford would advance seven women and eight men. Stanford’s top men’s seed is Pac-12 triple jump champion and school record-holder Darian Brooks (No. 3, 52-6 ¾).

Two Stanford athletes are scheduled to compete in two events: Chapus in the women’s 1,500 and 5,000, and Lucas Rowley in the men’s discus and hammer throws.

Stanford’s Regional Qualifiers:

MEN   
EventNameRankMark
400Steven Solomon545.76
800Luke Lefebure111:48.79
1,500Tyler Stutzman53:40.21
1,500Michael Atchoo73:41.92
1,500Marco Bertolotti173:42.80
1,500Justin Brinkley363:45.30
5,000Joe Rosa613:33.56
5,000Erik Olson813:36.91
5,000Garrett Sweatt4814:08.43
10,000Jim Rosa1929:00.13
Pole vaultDylan Duvio1617-6 1/2
Triple jumpDarian Brooks352-6 3/4
Discus Nick Budincich36178-1
DiscusLucas Rowley45174-9
HammerLucas Rowley32199-10
JavelinAndrew Rondema43205-6
    
WOMEN   
EventNameRankMark
800Amy Weissenbach22:02.60
800Claudia Saunders52:03.44
1,500Rebecca Mehra44:17.82
1,500Cami Chapus254:23.41
1,500Tate Murray424:25.25
5,000Aisling Cuffe115:11.13
5,000Jessica Tonn315:32.26
5,000Vanessa Fraser3316:22.34
5,000Cami Chapus4416:34.93
10,000Megan Lacy4034:53.07
Pole vaultEllie McCardwell3913-0 3/4
DiscusValarie Allman5187-7
DiscusRebecca Hammar18177-6
JavelinBrianna Bain4180-5
JavelinMegan Glasmann13164-8