Card Thrower Claims U.S. Title

EUGENE, Ore. – Valarie Allman captured the USA Track and Field Junior Championships (for ages 19 and under) on Sunday in impressive fashion, advancing to the IAAF World Junior Championships, also at University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, on July 22-27.

Allman improved upon her Stanford freshman record by throwing a lifetime best 188-6 on her first throw to win by 14 feet. She remains at No. 3 on Stanford’s all-time list, improving on her previous frosh record of 187-7. The throw ranks her No. 1 among world juniors.

Allman will be joined at the Worlds by two Stanford incoming freshmen, Olivia Baker and Elise Cranny, on the U.S. Worlds team. Baker, a recent graduate of Columbia High in Maplewood, N.J., was second in the women’s 400 meters in a New Jersey high school-record 52.46, breaking the mark of 52.56 set in 1998 by Olympian Mikele Barber.

In a matchup between two of the three fastest high school runners of all-time, Cranny (Niwot, Colo.) was second in the women’s 1,500 in a dual with Alexa Efraimson (Camas, Wash.), 4:16.87 to Cranny’s 4:17.40.

Also placing second was incoming freshman Rachel Reichenbach out of Foothill High in Pleasanton. Reichenbach high-jumped a lifetime best 5-8 3/4. Though the top two in each event earn the right to advance to Worlds, Reichenbach has not achieved the qualifying standard of 5-11 ½.

The following are Stanford results from the U.S. and Canadian junior championships. Asterisks indicate incoming freshmen.

U.S. Championships
In Eugene, Ore.

Men
1,500 – 4, Thomas Coyle 3:52.94.
5,000 – 3, Jack Keelan 14:27.03; 5, Sam Wharton 14:33.81.
Pole vault – 5, Dylan Duvio 16-10 ¾ (5.15m).
Women
400 – 2, Olivia Baker* 52.46.
1,500 – 2, Elise Cranny* 4:17.40.
Triple jump – 10, Marisa Kwiatkowski* 39-5 ¼ (12.02m).
High Jump – 2, Rachel Reichenbach* 5-8 ¾ (1.75m).
Discus – 1, Valarie Allman 188-6 (57.45m).
Hammer – 4, Lena Giger* 178-3 (54.35m).

Canadian Championships
In Sainte-Therese, Quebec

Women
Javelin – 4, Victoria Smith 143-8 (43.80m).