WALNUT, Calif. – Stanford senior Charles Hicks fell a couple of strides short of earning his third consecutive 10,000-meter title at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships on Thursday night at Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mt. San Antonio College.
Hicks led nearly the entire final half of the race, only for Washington's Brian Fay to surge ahead just after the bell. Though he fell several steps behind on the backstretch, Hicks didn't give up and closed the gap all the way down the homestretch before running out of room.
Hicks placed second by 0.22 seconds, finishing in 28:25.12. Placing third was Stanford teammate and fifth-year senior Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, in 28:43.98, improving upon fifth at this distance in 2021 and sixth in 2022.
The first of three days of the conference championships featured only the 10,000 for running-event finals. In the women's 10,000, Grace Connolly placed fifth in 33:33.69, her best conference finish.
Udodi Onwuzurike, Stanford's sophomore sprint sensation, cruised to victory in his prelim heat of the 200, running 20.49 as the second-fastest qualifier overall for Sunday's final. Onwuzurike was second in the 100 and 200 last year, but entered these championships as the top seed in both.
In the men's hammer throw, fifth-year senior Max McKhann unleashed a lifetime best on his first throw and that was enough for fifth place, the highest conference finish of his career. McKhann's distance was 221-10 (67.62m), allowing him to jump from No. 9 to No. 7 on Stanford's all-time performers' list.
Ky Robinson advanced to the final in the men's 1,500 and Melissa Tanaka and Roisin Willis advanced in the women's 1,500. Each was an automatic qualifier.
Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field J.J. Clark has split his two freshmen women's 800 stars. Willis and Juliette Whittaker placed 1-2 in the 800 at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Here, Willis is running the 1,500 and Whittaker the 800 in their only individual events.
Also advancing was Samantha Thomas in the women's 400 hurdles. Thomas was second in her heat and sixth overall, clocking 59.26. It was her fourth time under 1:00 this season, after never having done so previously.
Among finals taking place Saturday, Stanford's top seed is freshman Alyssa Jones, who enters No. 2 in the women's long jump.
Charles Hicks placed second in the men's 10,000 final. Photo courtesy of the Pac-12 Conference.
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Pac-12 Championships
At Hilmer Lodge Stadium
Winners and all Stanford
Men
Team scores (3 of 21 events scored): 1, Washington 32; 3, Stanford 18.
200 prelims – Ht. 3: 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 20.49Q (2); 6, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 22.08 (24).
1,500 prelims – Ht. 1: 2, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 3:43.35Q (3). Ht. 2: 6, Gavin Sherry (Stanford) 3:49.09 (13); 10, Zane Bergen (Stanford) 4:01.44 (22).
10,000 final – 1, Brian Fay (Washington) 28:24.90; 2, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 28:25.12; 3, Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau (Stanford) 28:43.98; 11, Callum Sherry (Stanford) 31:04.11; 12, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 31:19.92.
Hammer – 1, Jordan Geist (Arizona) 242-2 (73.82m); 5, Max McKhann (Stanford) 221-10 (67.62m) (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT); 15, Anthony Argyropoulos (Stanford) 180-11 (55.15m).
Women
Team scores (2 of 21 events scored): 1, Washington 16; 8, Stanford 4.
200 prelims – Ht. 2: Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 23.61w. Ht. 3: 3, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 23.47w.
1,500 prelims – Ht. 1: 5, Melissa Tanaka (Stanford) 4:16.93Q (9); 10, Lily Flynn (Stanford) 4:28.49 (20). Ht. 2: 5, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 4:20.48Q (10); 9, Julia Flynn (Stanford) 4:28.18 (18).
400 hurdles prelims – Ht. 3: 2, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 59.26Q (6).
10,000 final – 1, Emily Venters (Utah) 32:32.98; 5, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 33:33.69; 11, Audrey DaDamio (Stanford) 34:53.46.
Heptathlon (first day) – Elise Miller (Stanford) DNF.
Elise Miller (event, place in event, mark, points, place in competition):
First day: 100 hurdles – 9, 14.26w, 942 (9); High jump – 10, 5-0 ½ (1.54m), 666 (10); Shot put – 11, 31-10 ¼ (9.71m), 510 (11); 200 – DNS.
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Stanford's schedule
Saturday
2:30 p.m.: Men's shot put final – Garin Gross.
3 p.m.: Men's long jump final – Allan Hunter, John Kroeger.
4:30 p.m.: Men's high jump final – James Stevens.
4:30 p.m.: Women's pole vault final – Kelly Kern, Lianne Kistler, Laurel Wong.
4:40 p.m.: Men's 400 prelims (top 1, plus 5) – Ht. 1: Olufemi Cole. Ht. 2: Karson Lippert. Ht. 4: Miles Zoltak.
4:55 p.m.: Women's 400 prelims (top 2, plus 3) – Ht. 1: Maya Valmon. Ht. 3: Cydney Wright.
5 p.m.: Women's shot put final – Fl. 1: Brandy Atuatasi.
5:10 p.m.: Men's 100 prelims (top 2, plus 3) – Ht. 3: Udodi Onwuzurike.
5:25 p.m.: Women's 100 prelims (top 2, plus 3) – Ht. 2: Alexa Rossum.
5:30 p.m.: Women's long jump final – Fl. 1: Alaysia Oakes, Teagan Zwaanstra. Fl. 2: Alyssa Jones, Tess Stapleton.
6:10 p.m.: Women's 800 prelims (top 2, plus 3) – Ht. 2: Ellie Deligianni, Julia Flynn, Taylor James. Ht. 3: Lily Flynn, Anna Tovkach, Juliette Whittaker.
6:30 p.m.: Men's 3,000 steeplechase final – Callum Sherry.
Sunday
11 a.m.: Men's discus final – Fl. 1: Garin Gross, Max McKhann. Fl. 2: Chudi Ikpeazu.
11:45 a.m.: Men's triple jump final – Marcus Floyd, Kevin Yang.
1 p.m.: Men's 4x100 relay final – Sec. 1: Stanford.
1:10 p.m.: Women's 4x100 relay final – Sec. 2: Stanford.
1:20 p.m.: Men's 1,500 final – Ky Robinson.
1:30 p.m.: Men's pole vault final – Garrett Brown, J.T. Herrscher, Max Manson.
1:30 p.m.: Women's 1,500 final – Melissa Tanaka, Roisin Willis.
1:45 p.m.: Women's high jump final – Alyssa Jones.
1:45 p.m.: Women's discus final – Fl. 1: Brandy Atuatasi.
2 p.m.: Women's triple jump final – Fl. 1: Alaysia Oakes, Ellie Talius. Fl. 2: Elise Miller.
2 p.m.: Men's 400 final.
2:10 p.m.: Women's 400 final.
2:20 p.m.: Men's 100 final.
2:25 p.m.: Women's 100 final.
2:40 p.m.: Women's 800 final.
3 p.m.: Women's 400 hurdles final – Samantha Thomas.
3:10 p.m.: Men's 200 final – Udodi Onwuzurike.
3:30 p.m.: Men's 5,000 final – Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, Caleb Boutelle, Robert DiDonato, Devin Hart, Charles Hicks, Ky Robinson, Gavin Sherry, Cole Sprout.
3:50 p.m.: Women's 5,000 final – Grace Connolly, Audrey DaDamio, Zofia Dudek, Lucy Jenks, Ava Parekh, Riley Stewart.
4:10 p.m.: Men's 4x400 relay final – Stanford.
4:25 p.m.: Women's 4x400 relay final – Sec. 2: Stanford.