WALNUT, Calif. – Juliette Whittaker set a Stanford freshman track and field record while winning the women's elite invitational 1,500 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday night at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. Stanford placed five among the top seven with four setting personal records. All five finished under 4:20.
Whittaker led the Stanford wave in 4:12.49 – a five-second improvement upon her personal best – to clip runner-up Olivia Howell of Illinois in 4:13.37. In third was NCAA indoor 800 champion Roisin Willis, making her collegiate outdoor debut. Willis ran 4:13.31, making her the third-fastest freshman in Stanford history and improving upon her PB by 16 seconds.
Melissa Tanaka, a returning All-American in this event, was fourth in a PB of 4:13.91 and Lucy Jenks, fifth in the Pac-12 1,500 in 2021, was fifth in 4:14.81 – a two-second lifetime best. Ellie Deligianni was seventh in 4:19.47.
Melissa Tanaka, Juliette Whittaker, Lucy Jenks. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
The Stanford freshmen record of 4:13.14 by Arianna Lambie in 2004 fell to Whittaker, who was third at the bell, but closed in 1:02.09 over the final 400. Willis, in a rare jump to this distance, closed with the second-fastest split, of 1:02.76. This was Willis' first race since her NCAA 800 victory, with Whittaker second, on March 11.
Whittaker, Willis, and Tanaka made up three-fourths of Stanford's NCAA indoor-winning distance medley relay. The other was quartermiler Maya Valmon, who also had a big day Friday.
Valmon, a sophomore, scorched through a 400 in 52.72 to place second in her section and fifth overall. Valmon's time was a PB by 0.29 and jumped her from No. 9 to No. 4 on Stanford's all-time outdoor performers' list. The 2006 school record of 52.35 by Chauntae Bayne could be in jeopardy.
Maya Valmon. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
Stanford athletes were mainly at Mt. SAC, but some also competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific. Between the two meets, Stanford had two other winners besides Whittaker. They were freshman Alyssa Jones in the women's collegiate/open long jump at Mt. SAC and Max McKhann in the men's hammer at Bryan Clay.
Jones, the U.S. under-20 indoor record-holder in the long jump, reached 21-0 (6.40m). McKhann, a two-time indoor All-American in the 35-pound weight throw, won the hammer in 213-9 (65.16m) at Citrus College, with teammate Anthony Argyropoulos fifth at 191-10 (58.49m), earning a PB for the second consecutive week with a total improvement of 12 feet.
The Bryan Clay distance carnival is among the best in the country and Stanford's Zofia Dudek was among the standouts in the late-night races. Dudek was the third collegian and fifth overall in the women's invitational 5,000. Her time of 15:32.89 was a seven-second PB and places her No. 4 in NCAA Division I outdoors this year. Teammate Grace Connolly ran 16:01.72 for a four-second PB, and placed 21st.
Ky Robinson was fifth in the men's invitational 5,000, running a strong 13:29.44 and is now No. 6 in NCAA Division I outdoors this year.
Ky Robinson. Photo by Chuck Aragon.
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Mt. SAC Relays
At Hilmer Lodge Stadium
Friday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Men
100 collegiate prelims – 41, Dorien Simon (Stanford) 10.94.
200 collegiate – 1, James Benson II (Arkansas) 20.94; 33, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 21.91.
400 collegiate – 1, Antonie Nortje (UCLA) 46.11; 23, Olufemi Cole (Stanford) 47.58 (PB); 29, Miles Zoltak (Stanford) 47.99; 30, Karson Lippert (Stanford) 48.10.
4x400 relay – 1, Arkansas 3:09.24; 7, Stanford (Miles Zoltak, Karson Lippert, Olufemi Cole, Gabriel Navarro) 3:11.25.
Pole vault collegiate A – 1, Skyler Magula (Cal) 18-2 ½ (5.55m); 4, Max Manson (Stanford) 17-4 ½ (5.30m).
Pole vault collegiate B – 1, Austin Cox (Arizona State) 17-4 ½ (5.30m); 7, J.T. Herrscher (Stanford) 15-9 (4.80m).
Long jump collegiate – 1, Russell Robinson (Miami, Fla.) 24-10 (7.57m); 7, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 24-1 ½ (7.35m); 30, John Kroeger (Stanford) 21-10 ¼ (6.66m).
Shot put collegiate – 1, Gavin Beverage (Georgia) 58-6 ½ (17.84m); 16, Garin Gross (Stanford) 48-8 ¾ (14.85m).
Discus collegiate A – 1, Tyler Sudduth (Illinois) 184-2 (56.13m); 19, Chudi Ikpeazu (Stanford) 154-10 (47.21m).
Women
100 collegiate prelims – 40, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 12.42.
200 collegiate – 1, Megan McGinnis (Duke) 23.16w; 8, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 23.87; 27, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 24.66 (PB); 46, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 25.48; 49, Trinity Price (Stanford) 25.54; 53, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 25.90.
400 collegiate – 1, Megan McGinnis (Duke) 52.06; 5, Maya Valmon (Stanford) 52.72 (PB; No. 4 Stanford AT); 40, Trinity Price (Stanford) 55.70; 50, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 56.36.
800 collegiate – 1, Star Price (Virginia Tech) 2:05.17; 3, Taylor James (Stanford) 2:06.20; 19, Hannah Wilson (Stanford) 2:12.03.
1,500 elite invitational – 1, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 4:12.49 (PB; Stanford frosh record); 3, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 4:13.31 (PB; No. 3 Stanford frosh); 4, Melissa Tanaka (Stanford) 4:13.91 (PB); 5, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 4:14.81 (PB); 7, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 4:19.47.
1,500 collegiate – 1, Charlotte Tomkinson (Duke) 4:24.99; 2, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 4:25.43 (PB); 4, Lily Flynn (Stanford) 4:26.43; 5, Nicola Hogg (Stanford) 4:26.68; 24, Imogen Gardiner (Stanford) 4:40.29.
100 hurdles collegiate prelims – 28, Elise Miller (Stanford) 14.50.
400 hurdles collegiate – 1, Jacy Pulse (South Dakota) 58.31; 10, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 1:00.08; 36, Madison Romain (Stanford) 1:06.20.
4x100 relay collegiate -- 1, South Dakota 44.89; 3, Stanford (Olivia Okoli, Alyssa Jones, Cydney Wright, Alexa Rossum) 45.20.
Pole vault collegiate B – 1, Marin Chamberlin (Arkansas) 13-5 ¼ (4.10m); 5, Laurel Wong (Stanford) 12-11 ½ (3.95m).
Pole vault collegiate C – 1, Paris Bond (Arizona State) 12-9 ½ (3.90m); 2, Kelly Kern (Stanford) 12-9 ½ (3.90m); 4, Lianne Kistler (Stanford) 11-9 ¾ (3.60m).
Long jump collegiate – 1, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 21-0 (6.40m); 15, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 18-10 ¾ (5.76m); 18, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 18-8 ¾ (5.71m).
Triple jump collegiate – 1, Flore Garcia (Minnesota State) 42-4 ¾ (12.92m); 18, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 39-11 ¼ (12.17m);
Shot put collegiate – 1, Tapenisa Havea (Arizona) 55-0 (16.76m); 26, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 40-9 (12.42m).
Discus collegiate B – 1, Lydia Liu (UCLA) 165-4 (50.41m); 4, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 150-2 (45.77m).
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Bryan Clay Invitational
At Cougar Athletic Stadium
Friday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Men
5,000 invitational – 1, Brian Fay (Washington) 13:21.99; 5, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 13:29.44.
Hammer – 1, Max McKhann (Stanford) 213-9 (65.16m); 5, Anthony Argyropoulos (Stanford) 191-10 (58.49m) (PB).
Women
5,000 invitational, Ht. 1 – 1, Everlyn Kemboi (Utah Valley) 15:20.67; 5, Zofia Dudek (Stanford) 15:32.89 (PB); 21, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 16:01.72 (PB); Audrey DaDamio (Stanford) DNF. Ht. 3 – 1, Riley Stewart (Stanford) 16:03.66 (PB). Ht. 4 -- 16, Ava Parekh (Stanford) 16:38.66.
5,000 Open A, Ht. 2 – 1, Ariel Keklak (Utah) 16:41.30; 26, Caroline Wells (Stanford) 17:33.70.
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Stanford's Saturday Schedule
(Subject to change)
Mt. SAC Relays
Noon: Men's collegiate hammer – Anthony Argyropoulos, Max McKhann.
1 p.m.: Men's elite invitational 4x100 relay – Stanford.
1:30 p.m.: Women's elite invitational high jump – Alyssa Jones.
2:20 p.m.: Men's elite invitational pole vault – Garrett Brown.
4:40 p.m.: Men's elite invitational 200 – Udodi Onwuzurike.
4:55 p.m.: Women's elite invitational 800 – Ellie Deligianni, Anna Tovkach, Juliette Whittaker, Roisin Willis.
5:25 p.m.: Women's elite invitational 4x400 relay – Stanford.
Bryan Clay Invitational
2:30 p.m.: Men's shot put -- Fl.3 -- Garin Gross.
8:20 p.m.: Men's 1,500 invitational -- Zane Bergen, Caleb Boutelle, Robert DiDonato, John Lester, Gavin Sherry, Cole Sprout.