SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Nearly two weeks after she won a Pac-12 Conference long jump title, freshman Alyssa Jones became the first Stanford woman to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Jones did so by placing third in the long jump at the NCAA West Prelims on Thursday – the first day of women's competition in the four-day meet at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium.
As in all the events at the Prelims, the top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, on June 7-10. Other than the 10,000 meters, all the running events Thursday served to advance athletes to Saturday's decisive rounds. Seven Cardinal were able to advance from the track to Saturday's action.
Of the three events involving Stanford athletes on Thursday that decided NCAA berths, Jones was the only one to clinch a spot. Laurel Wong in the pole vault, and Grace Connolly and Audrey DaDamio in the 10,000 did not advance. Connolly will have another chance in the 5,000.
Laurel Wong. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
Jones, who placed fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, was the last to jump among the 48-athlete field because of her high seeding. The danger in this meet for the elite is that each only gets three attempts, rather than the possibility of six. Thus, after going a relatively short 18-2 ¼ (5.54m) on her first attempt, Jones found herself in a hole with only two tries left.
Going into her second jump, Jones was in 42nd place. But everything changed on that try when she reached 21-1 ¼ to move into second and essentially ensure her passage to Austin.
Stanford sent four runners into the 800 and two advanced, both from the same heat. Needing to finish among the top three in each heat for automatic advancement, Roisin Willis controlled the first heat and set up teammate Taylor James for success.
Willis, a freshman and reigning NCAA indoor 800 champion, cruised for a wire-to-wire victory in 2:04.77 and allowed James, a redshirt freshman, enough contact to pull her teammate to a personal best. James was fourth in the heat, but her time of 2:04.97 held as the fastest time qualifier through the additional five heats. Stanford junior Ellie Deligianni and graduate student Anna Tovkach were unable to advance.
Roisin Willis (front) and Taylor James. Photo by David Hicks.
Stanford freshman Juliette Whittaker, second to Willis in the NCAA indoor 800 final and holder of the national high school outdoor record at that distance, bypassed that event for her NCAA run in favor of the 1,500.
How does it look so far? Good. Whittaker took third in the second of four heats, with the top five in each advancing automatically. Whittaker clocked 4:16.54 and held second or third throughout the race.
In the third heat, Melissa Tanaka had a similar experience, placing third in 4:15.64, holding her position on the final lap. Both Whittaker and Tanaka, teammates on the NCAA indoor champion distance medley relay team, advance to Saturday.
Other Cardinal to move through Thursday's rounds were Alexa Rossum in the 200, Maya Valmon in the 400, and Samantha Thomas in the 400 hurdles.
Rossum's 200 time of 23.33 from Lane One bettered her season best, though it was aided by a 2.1 meters per second wind, barely over the allowable 2.0 for record purposes. Teammate Cydney Wright followed in Heat Two and ran 23.44 – a personal best by 0.01 – while placing a non-auto fourth.
As it turned out, Wright missed advancing by one spot, by a margin of 0.004. She did strengthen her position at No. 10 on Stanford's all-time outdoor list and has the 4x100 on Saturday.
Stanford's men compete on their final day on Friday. Seven individuals and the 4x100 relay team compete for NCAA berths. Udodi Onwuzurike competes in the 100, 200, and 4x100.
Alexa Rossum. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
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NCAA West Prelims
At Hornet Stadium
Thursday's results
Winners and all Stanford
Women
100 first round – 27, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 11.53.
200 first round – 19, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 23.33w; 25, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 23.44 (PB). Rossum advances to Saturday's NCAA quarterfinals.
400 first round – 17, Maya Valmon (Stanford) 52.24. Valmon advances to Saturday's NCAA quarterfinals.
800 first round – 1, Roisin Willis (Stanford) 2:04.77; 6, Taylor James (Stanford) 2:04.97 (PB); 31, Anna Tovkach (Stanford) 2:07.64; 32, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 2:07.67. Willis and James advance to Saturday's NCAA quarterfinals.
1,500 first round – 11, Melissa Tanaka (Stanford) 4:15.64; 16, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 4:16.54. Tanaka and Whittaker advance to Saturday's NCAA quarterfinals.
10,000 – 1, Everlyn Kemboi (Utah Valley) 32:05.56; 31, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 33:45.76; 42, Audrey DaDamio (Stanford) 34:24.65.
400 hurdles – 24, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 59.31. Thomas advances to Saturday's NCAA quarterfinals.
Pole vault – 1 (tie), Kaitlyn Banas (Arkansas), Nastassja Campbell (Washington), Marleen Mulla (South Dakota), each 13-10 (4.22m); 26, Laurel Wong (Stanford) 13-0 ¼ (3.97m).
Long jump – 1, Ackelia Smith (Texas) 21-11 ½ (6.69m); 3, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 21-1 ¼ (6.43m). Jones advances to NCAA Championships.
Alyssa Jones. Photo by Spencer Allen/SportsImageWire.com.
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Stanford's Schedule
Friday
1 p.m.: Men's discus first round (top 12) – Fl. 2: Chudi Ikpeazu.
5 p.m.: Men's 4x100 relay quarterfinals (top 3 + 3) – Ht. 2: Stanford.
6 p.m.: Men's triple jump first round (top 12) – Fl. 2: Kevin Yang.
6:35 p.m.: Men's 100 quarterfinals (top 12) – Udodi Onwuzurike.
7:50 p.m.: Men's 200 quarterfinals (top 12) – Udodi Onwuzurike.
8:10 p.m.: Men's 5,000 semifinals (top 5 + 2) – Ht. 1: Robert DiDonato, Charles Hicks, Ky Robinson; Ht. 2: Evan Burke.
Saturday
2:30 p.m.: Women's high jump first round (top 12) – Fl. 1: Alyssa Jones.
5 p.m.: Women's 4x100 quarterfinals (top 3 + 3) – Ht. 3: Stanford.
5:15 p.m.: Women's 1,500 quarterfinals (top 12) – Melissa Tanaka, Juliette Whittaker.
6:50 p.m.: Women's 400 quarterfinals (top 12) – Maya Valmon.
7:05 p.m.: Women's 800 quarterfinals (top 12) – Taylor James, Roisin Willis.
7:25 p.m.: Women's 400 hurdles quarterfinals (top 12) – Samantha Thomas.
7:50 p.m.: Women's 200 quarterfinals (top 12) – Alexa Rossum.
8:10 p.m.: Women's 5,000 semifinals (top 5 + 2) – Ht. 1: Riley Stewart; Ht. 2: Grace Connolly, Zofia Dudek, Lucy Jenks.
8:45 p.m.: Women's 4x400 relay quarterfinals (top 3 + 3) – Fl. 3: Stanford.