LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Pac-12 champions Kevin Yang and Alyssa Jones opened the indoor track and field season with victories at the Commonwealth Season Opener at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center on Saturday.
Yang won the men's triple jump at 50-7 ½ (15.43 meters), an indoor personal best by 1 ½ feet, to move up four spots to No. 6 on Stanford's all-time indoor list, just ahead of football star Richard Sherman (50-4 ¾, 15.36) from 2008.
Jones, the 2023 NCAA outdoor long jump runner-up, opened her sophomore season by winning the high jump at 6-0 (1.83m), matching her indoor best that ranks No. 3 all-time at Stanford.
Yang and Jones were among six Stanford winners among a squad of 23 sprinters, hurdlers, and field-event athletes. Sixteen women and seven men made the trip. It was Stanford's first time at this meet.
Garrett Brown, a returning first-team indoor All-American, won the men's pole vault at 17-5 (5.33m). Also winning were Brandy Atuatasi in the women's shot put (43-8 ½, 13.32m), Kaiah Fisher in the women's 20-pound weight throw (54-8 ¼, 16.67m), and the women's 4x400 relay team (3:42.00).
Fisher, a junior, competed in the weight throw twice as a freshman, but not since. Her winning throw Saturday was more than five feet beyond her previous best. Her main focus has been the shot put, with only three competitions in the hammer over the past two years. However, Fisher's success Saturday may be an indication of her focus this season.
In the women's long jump, sophomore Alaysia Oakes reached 20 feet for the first time in her collegiate career. Her jump of 20-1 ½ (6.13m) placed her third in the competition and brought her into Stanford's all-time top-10 for the first time, settling at No. 10 indoors. In fourth was teammate Tess Stapleton, who earned a personal best of 19-9 ¾ (6.04m).
Teagan Zwaanstra ran a personal best 7.52 to place fourth in the 60 final. Zwaanstra and Jones each ran 7.52, though Jones' run came in the prelims and she did not run the final. However, the time places each in a tie for No. 10 all-time at Stanford.
The women's 4x400 relay team consisted of Cydney Wright, Trinity Price, Samantha Thomas, and Camille Peisner. They won by 2.61 seconds.
Two school records fell, both in the seldom-run 300. Zachary Ryan, making his collegiate debut, was 10th in 34.51. That's a record for a Stanford team that hasn't had anyone race indoors at that distance since 2008. For the women, Wright ran 38.57 for third and a school mark. The previous records were 36.04 by Durell Coleman in 2008 and 39.43 by Shataya Hendricks from the same year.
Making their collegiate debuts were Sage Hinton, who was 10th in the 300 in 40.09, believed to be a Stanford freshman record at that distance, Cate Peters (fourth in the 600 in 1:33.91) and Sky Schuller (third in the pole vault at 12-10, 3.91m).
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Commonwealth Season Opener
At Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center
(200-meter banked track)
Men
60 – 1, Nurain Musa (Lenoir-Rhyne) 6.73. Prelims: 16, John Kroeger (Stanford) 7.02; 22, Zachary Ryan (Stanford) 7.09 (PB). Qualifying: 5, Ryan 7.10 (PB).
200 – 1, Nurain Mura (Lenoir-Rhyne) 21.61; 2, John Kroeger (Stanford) 21.96; 18, Garrett Brown (Stanford) 23.27 (PB).
300 – 1, John Rutledge (Texas) 33.41; 10, Zachary Ryan (Stanford) 34.51 (PB; school record; school frosh record).
Pole vault – 1, Garrett Brown (Stanford) 17-5 ¾ (5.33m).
Long jump – 1, Jeremiah Willis (Louisville) 24-10 ½ (7.58m); 2, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 24-0 ¾ (7.33m); 13, Kevin Yang (Stanford) 21-1 ¼ (6.43m); 17, John Kroeger (Stanford) 21-0 ¾ (6.42m).
Triple jump – 1, Kevin Yang (Stanford) 50-7 ½ (15.43m) (No. 6 Stanford AT).
Shot put – 1, Ryan Smith (unat.) 54-9 ¼ (16.69m); 3, Garin Gross (Stanford) 48-1 ¼ (14.66m).
Weight throw – 1, Ryan Smith (unat.) 55-7 ¾ (16.96m); 3, Mason McKhann (Stanford) 50-10 ¼ (15.50m).
Women
60 – 1, Alexis Brown (Lenoir-Rhyne) 7.29; 4, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 7.52 (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT); 7, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 7.66. Prelims: 5, Oakes 7.68; 6, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 7.52 (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT); 7, Zwaanstra 7.55 (PB); 11, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 7.69; 22, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 7.85; 24, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 7.88; 27, Trinity Price (Stanford) 7.90. Qualifying: 5, Thomas 7.87 (PB); 11, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 7.94 (PB); 16, Sage Hinton (Stanford) 8.01 (PB).
200 – 1, Alexis Brown (Lenoir-Rhyne) 23.93; 9, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 25.50; 15, Madison Romain (Stanford) 26.06 (PB).
300 – 1, Micayah Holland (Texas) 38.30; 3, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 38.57 (PB; school record); 6, Trinity Price (Stanford) 39.63 (PB; No. 3 Stanford AT); 7, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 39.69 (PB; No. 4 Stanford AT); 10, Sage Hinton (Stanford) 40.09 (PB; No. 5 Stanford AT; school frosh record); 15, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 40.49 (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT).
600 – 1, Ka'Myya Haywood (Tennessee) 1:31.43; 4, Cate Peters (Stanford) 1:33.91 (PB; No. 7 Stanford AT).
60 hurdles – 1, Emelia Chatfield (Texas) 8.19. Prelims: 10, Madison Romain (Stanford) 9.30; 11, Sky Schuller (Stanford) 9.33 (PB).
4x400 relay – 1, Stanford (Cydney Wright, Trinity Price, Samantha Thomas, Camille Peisner) 3:42.00.
High jump – 1, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 6-0 (1.83m) (No. 3 Stanford AT).
Pole vault – 1, Gabriela Leon (unat.) 14-3 ½ (4.36m); 3, Sky Schuller (Stanford) 12-10 (3.91m). Unseeded: 1, Lianne Kistler (Stanford) 12-10 (3.91m).
Long jump – 1, Aislinn McElhaney (Lipscomb) 20-3 ½ (6.18m); 3, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 20-1 ½ (6.13m) (No. 10 Stanford AT); 4, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 19-9 ¾ (6.04m) (PB); 12, Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) 17-9 ½ (5.42m); Alyssa Jones (Stanford) F.
Triple jump – Sophia Day (Louisville) 38-9 ½ (11.82m); Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) F.
Shot put – 1, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 43-8 ½ (13.32m); 2, Kaiah Fisher (Stanford) 43-7 ¼ (13.29m).
Weight throw – 1, Kaiah Fisher (Stanford) 54-8 ¼ (16.67m) (PB); 2, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 53-3 (16.23m) (PB).
