Day One at Stanford Invite

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's Charles Hicks, in the midst of a 100-mile plus training week, ran to victory in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational in meet record time. 

It was the second meet record by a Cardinal athlete Friday at Cobb Track and Angell Field. Udodi Onwuzurike won the 100 in 10.07, tying his own year-old meet standard. Onwuzurike was making his season outdoor debut and still has the 200 – his best event – on Saturday. 

The reigning NCAA cross country champion, Hicks made his season outdoor debut by closing with a deadly kick that gave him the victory in the final meters, in 27:57.47. Down went the 2016 mark of 27:58.65 by Leonard Korir. 

Charles Hicks. Photo by David Hicks.

Stanford teammate Ky Robinson, who shared the pacesetting with Hicks for most of the last half of the race, was third in 27:58.74. Devin Hart was eighth in 28:07.64 and jumped to No. 6 on Stanford's all-time performers' list. Hicks and Robinson already are Nos. 2 and 4 with even faster times. With Cole Sprout, who didn't run, four of Stanford's current runners now rank among the school's all-time top-six at 10,000.

The goal was merely to run times that would qualify them comfortably into the NCAA West Prelims. But with the pace so strong, even when Alabama's Victor Kiprop took the lead late in the race, Hicks still found himself within striking distance and couldn't resist the scent of victory. Hicks pushed hard off the final turn and caught Kiprop just before the line. 

The race was among a flurry of great Stanford performances in the long distances. In the women's 10,000, Grace Connolly was 29th in an extremely fast section and still rose to No. 8 in school history, running 33:19.28 for a huge personal best of 50 seconds. 

Moments later, Audrey DaDamio made her debut at that distance and ran 33:21.12, placing her No. 10 on the same list. In all, a remarkable 21 women broke 33 minutes between the two sections. Before Friday, only four collegiate women had done so this year. 

Kelly Kern. Photo by John P. Lozano/ISIphotos.com.

In the 5,000, Lucy Jenks emerged from a pack on the last lap to close in third in 15:33.13 – an eight-second lifetime improvement. And Robert DiDonato set a PB of 13:44.89 in the second section of the men's 5,000.

Juliette Whittaker, the NCAA Indoor runner-up in the 800 and anchor to the winning distance medley relay, made her collegiate outdoor debut. Whittaker was second in the women's 400 in 53.74, a PB by 0.81, with Cydney Wright right behind in 53.78.

John Kroeger also had a big day, earning a lifetime best in the long jump of 24-1 ¾ (7.36 meters), while placing second in the collegiate division. 

In the women's 100, Alexa Rossum, the first Pac-12 Women's Track Athlete of the Week this season, was a narrow second in 11.45. 

Action continues on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.
 

Cydney Wright. Photo by John P. Lozano/ISIphotos.com.

Stanford Invitational
At Cobb Track and Angell Field
Friday's results
Winners and all Stanford

Men
100 – Final: 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 10.07 (ties meet record). Prelims: 1, Udodi Onwuzurike (Stanford) 10.15; 23, Dorien Simon (Stanford) 10.90.
400 – 1, Rikuya Ito (unat.) 46.45; 7, Olufemi Cole (Stanford) 47.88 (PB); 9, Karson Lippert (Stanford) 48.44; 25, Miles Zoltak (Stanford) 49.09; 30, Gabriel Navarro (Stanford) 49.65.
1,500 – Sec. 1: 1, Sam Ellis (Washington) 3:40.81. Sec. 2: 7, Zane Bergen (Stanford) 3:43.03.
5,000 – Sec. 1: 1, Anthony Camerieri (Ole Miss) 13:26.58; 15, Evan Burke (Stanford) 13:44.72. Sec. 2: 5, Robert DiDonato (Stanford) 13:44.89 (PB); 15, Caleb Boutelle (Stanford) 14:03.83; 20, Gavin Sherry (Stanford) 14:31.86. 
10,000 – Sec. 1: 1, Charles Hicks (Stanford) 27:57.47 (meet record); 3, Ky Robinson (Stanford) 27:58.74; 8, Devin Hart (Stanford) 28:07.64 (PB; No. 6 Stanford AT).
110 hurdles – Final: 1, Jerome Campbell (Northern Colorado) 13.90.
400 hurdles – 1, Reyte Rash (Cal State Fullerton) 51.82.
3,000 steeplechase – Sec. 1: 1, Kenneth Rooks (BYU) 8:33.60.
High jump – Invite: 1, Justin Lewis (unat.) 7-0 ¼ (2.14). Collegiate: 6, James Stevens (Stanford) 6-2 ¾ (7.36).
Long jump – Invite: 1, Jason Smith (unat.) 25-3 ¼ (7.70); 11, Allan Hunter (Stanford) 22-1 ¾ (6.75). Collegiate: 2, John Kroeger (Stanford) 24-1 ¾ (7.36) (PB).
Discus – Invite: 1, Ralford Mullings (Arkansas) 200-5 (61.09). 
Javelin – Invite: 1, Joe Nizich (Air Force) 213-0 (64.92).

Women
100 – Final: 1, Marie-Eloise Leclair (Simon Fraser) 11.45; 2, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 11.45; 6, Olivia Okoli (Stanford) 11.75. Prelims: 1, Alexa Rossum (Stanford) 11.42; 9, Olivia Okoli (Stanford) 11.81; 21, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 12.17 (PB); 33, Megan Olomu (Stanford) 12.28.
400 – 1, Josefine Eriksen (Utah) 53.41; 2, Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) 53.74 (PB); 3, Cydney Wright (Stanford) 53.78; 7, Trinity Price (Stanford) 55.61; 14, Taylor James (Stanford) 56.41; 18, Camille Peisner (Stanford) 56.81. 
1,500 – Sec. 1: 1, Billah Jepkirui (Oklahoma State) 4:14.00; 11, Ellie Deligianni (Stanford) 4:21.74. Sec. 2: Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) DNF. Sec. 3: 9, Riley Stewart (Stanford) 4:27.15; 10, Audrey Suarez (Stanford) 4:28.52. Sec. 5: 11, Ava Parekh (Stanford) 4:34.02; 13, Lily Flynn (Stanford) 4:39.92.
5,000 – Sec. 1: 1, WuGa He (China AA) 15:26.58; 3, Lucy Jenks (Stanford) 15:33.13 (PB). Sec. 4: 19, Caroline Wells (Stanford) 17:11.94.
10,000 – Sec. 1: 1, Emily Venters (Utah) 31:48.35; 29, Grace Connolly (Stanford) 33:19.28 (PB; No. 8 Stanford AT). Sec. 2: 8, Audrey DaDamio (Stanford) 33:21.12 (PB; No. 10 Stanford AT).
100 hurdles – Final: 1, Astrid Nyame (unat.) 13.12. Prelims: 16, Elise Miller (Stanford) 14.30.
400 hurdles – 1, Chloe Taylor (Chico State) 1:00.21; 6, Samantha Thomas (Stanford) 1:01.67. 
3,000 steeplechase – Sec. 1: 1, Kayley Delay (Washington) 9:48.44.  
High jump – 1, Lilian Turban (Hawai'i) 5-11 ½ (1.82); 2, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 5-9 ¼ (1.76).
Pole vault – Invite: 1, Nastassja Campbell (Washington) 13-8 ¼ (4.17); 5, Laurel Wong (Stanford) 12-10 ¼ (3.92); 9, Kelly Kern (Stanford) 12-10 ¼ (3.92); 13, Lianne Kistler (Stanford) 11-10 ½ (3.62). 
Long jump – Invite: 1, Alyssa Jones (Stanford) 21-0 ½ (6.41) (No. 6 Stanford AT); Teagan Zwaanstra (Stanford) F. Collegiate: 1, Alaysia Oakes (Stanford) 19-6 ¾ (5.96); 3, Tess Stapleton (Stanford) 18-8 (5.69).
Shot put – Invite: 1, Jaida Ross (Oregon) 56-8 ¾ (17.29). Collegiate: 8, Brandy Atuatasi (Stanford) 42-4 (12.90).
Hammer – Invite: 1, Chloe Lindeman (Wisconsin) 208-6 (63.56).
Javelin – Invite: 1, Valerie Clark (Utah State) 152-10 (46.60).