SEATTLE – Darian Brooks unleashed the longest triple jump in Stanford history, indoors or outdoors, as the Cardinal opened its track and field season at the UW Indoor Preview on Saturday.
Brooks, the defending conference champion indoors and outdoors, jumped 52-9 ¼ on his sixth and final attempt to improve by more than a foot and break his own year-old school indoor mark (52-2 3/4) by seven inches.
Close behind runner-up Brooks was teammate Jaak Uudmae, who uncoiled a huge personal record of his own, jumping 51-5 ¾ to move ahead of current NFL star Richard Sherman to No. 4 on Stanford’s all-time indoor performers’ list.
It was the sixth time that Brooks, a fifth-year senior jumping back in his hometown, has broken a school record over the past three years. At the 2013 Pac-12 meet, he broke the outdoor record four times in one day -- a mark that had stood since 1970 -- and now has twice shattered the indoor mark.
"This has been a four or five year process for him," said Michael Eskind, who coaches Stanford's jumps, pole vault, and multis. "He truly understands what he's trying to do and what he needs to do to continue to do some special things."
At the same time as the triple jump, the Cardinal men's pole vaulters were having a big day, finishing 1-2-3, and high jumper Dartis Willis was as well. Eskind said they were "feeding off each other."
The vaulters matched clearances of 17-3, with Dylan Duvio winning on fewer misses, followed by Garrett Starkey in second and Harrison Williams in third. Duvio was perfect until going out at 17-9. Williams, a decathlete, set a personal best by seven inches and jumped an exhausting 13 times in the competition. Williams also competed in the 60-meter hurdles (sixth, 8.29) and long jump (13th,), 21-7 ½).
Willis proved he is back in form. An All-America as a freshman, Willis cleared 7-0 for the first time since 2012. He finished third overall, but the top collegian after clearing 7-0 ½ on his first attempt at that height.
"We had a pretty special day today," Eskind said. "But by no means is this where things stop."
Other Stanford victories came in the women’s 800 (Malika Waschmann) and 1,000 (Rebecca Mehra), and Collin Leibold didn't win, but had a memorable Stanford track and field debut.
Leibold ran the fastest mile by a collegian this year, with a 4:02.65 on the 307-meter flat Mondo track. Leibold is a graduate transfer from Georgetown now working toward his master’s in epidemiology. A second-team All-America outdoors in the 5,000 last spring, the Virginia native arrived at Stanford with a foot injury suffered during the summer and was limited to only one cross country race. However, Saturday’s mile proved that Leibold is better than ever, improving upon his previous mile best of 4:03.29.
Leibold began the race conservatively, but moved up from eighth to tuck into third with a lap remaining on the 307-meter flat Mondo track at Dempsey Indoor. He moved into second on the final turn behind Dusty Solis, only for Nike’s Trevor Dunbar to overtake both to win in 4:01.41. Leibold eclipsed the previous season collegiate leader, Sean Tobin of Ole Miss (4:02.97).
Olivia Baker broke her own school record in the rarely-run 600 in perhaps the most anticipated race of the meet. Baker took on fellow sophomore Raevyn Rogers of Oregon, the 2015 NCAA outdoor 800 champion. Baker is the New Jersey high school 400 record-holder and became a second-team outdoor All-American in the 800 last year.
Stanford teammate Gaby Gayles took the race out hard as a rabbit, but Baker was unable to sustain the pace and gave up the lead on the backstretch of the final lap. Baker ran 1:29.08 to eclipse her Stanford record of 1:29.42, but finished third. Rogers ran 1:26.34 to not only break the meet and track records, but also the collegiate record for oversized tracks (over 200 meters).
In the 1,000, Mehra made a bold move on the backstretch of the to join teammate Claudia Saunders in the lead, only for Oregon’s Annie Leblanc to move from the outside as they came off the turn. As Saunders faded, Mehra held off Leblanc down the stretch to win in 2:45.28. Saunders was eighth in 2:47.27.
Waschmann, a junior, earned her first collegiate victory by taking the lead entering the final straight and powering down the homestretch to win in 2:08.96.
Among other highlights, Jackson Shumway, a 400 hurdler by trade, equaled his best outdoor time in the open 400. Shumway’s 47.71 moved him up to No. 7 all-time indoors at Stanford. He was second in the race.
The meet also marked the collegiate debut for three Stanford freshmen. Kaitlyn Merritt (12-6 ¼) and Jackie McNulty (12-0 ½) were fourth and sixth, respectively, in the women’s pole vault. Heptathlete Brittany McGee competed in the long jump (fourth, 18-11 1/4), 60 hurdles (10th, 8.95), and 200 (28th, 26.33).
As for Brooks, he may have left Dempsey Indoor with mixed feelings. He jumped farther than he ever has, but fell short of the winning 53-11 jump of USC’s Eric Sloan, a junior college transfer making his four-year college debut. Sloan jumped just once, but his first attempt in the first flight stood. Brooks, in the second flight, was forced to compete from behind the entire competition. Brooks has won the past two Pac-12 outdoor titles and the 2015 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor crown, but the feeling is that he and Sloan will have some memorable duels to come.
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UW Indoor PreviewAt Dempsey IndoorTrack length: 307 metersWinners and Stanford competitorsMen400: 1, Zyaire Clemes (USC) 47.46; 2, Jackson Shumway (Stanford) 47.71; 13, Daniel Brady (Stanford) 49.81.
1,000: 1, Izaic York (Washington) 2:24.68; 3, Tom Coyle (Stanford) 2:25.36; 4, Justin Brinkley (Stanford) 2:25.36; 5, Patrick Perrier (Stanford) 2:25.93; 16, Marco Bertolotti (Strava) 2:29.41; 19, Scott Buttinger (Stanford) 2:30.88.
Mile: Trevor Dunbar (Nike) 4:01.41; 4, Collin Leibold (Stanford) 4:02.65.
60 hurdles: 1, Siddhanth Thingalaya (Evo TC) 7.86; 6, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 8.29.
Long jump: 1, Norris Frederick (Asics) 24-10 ½ (7.58m); 13, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 21-7 ½ (6.59m).
Triple jump: 1, Eric Sloan (USC) 53-11 (16.43m); 2, Darian Brooks (Stanford) 52-9 ¼ (16.08m); 3, Jaak Uudmae (Stanford) 51-5 ¾ (15.69m).
High jump: 1, Django Lovett (unattached) 7-1 ¾ (2.18m); 3, Dartis Willis (Stanford) 7-0 ½ (2.15m).
Pole vault: 1, Dylan Duvio (Stanford) 17-3 (5.26m); 2, Garrett Starkey (Stanford) 17-3 (5.26m); 3, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 17-3 (5.26m); 8, Dan Emery (Stanford) 15-9 ¼ (4.81m); 10, Dalton Duvio (Stanford) 15-9 ¼ (4.81m).
Shot put: 1, Nicholas Ponzio (USC) 63-9 (19.43m); 8, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 54-3 ¾ (16.55m).
Weight throw: 1, Greg Skipper (Oregon) 70-9 ¾ (21.58m); 6, Tristen Newman (Stanford) 52-4 (15.95m).
Women200: 1, Gabrielle Cantrell (USC) 24.13; 4, Kristyn Williams (Stanford) 24.47; 10, Michaela Crunkleton Wilson (Stanford) 25.09; 11, Kaitlyn Williams (Stanford) 25.19; 24, Daryth Gayles (Stanford) 25.92; 28, Brittany McGee (Stanford) 26.33.
800: 1, Malika Waschmann (Stanford) 2:08.96.
1,000: 1, Rebecca Mehra (Stanford) 2:45.28. 8, Claudia Saunders (Stanford) 2:47.27.
Mile: Amanda Eccleston (Brooks) 4:36.13; 12, Maddy Berkson (Stanford) 4:50.44; 19, Catherine Pagano (Stanford) 5:01.42.
60 hurdles: 1, Nia Ali (Nike) 8.12 (meet record); 10, Brittany McGee (Stanford) 8.95).
4x400 relay: 1, Washington 3:50.93; 2, Stanford (Michaela Crunkleton Wilson, Claudia Saunders, Maddy Berkson, Malika Waschmann) 3:51.41.
Long jump: 1, Andrea Geubelle (unattached) 21-1 ¼ (6.43m); 4, Brittany McGee (Stanford) 18-11 ¼ (5.77m); 6, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 18-10 (5.74m); 8, Carla Forbes (Stanford) 18-3 ¼ (5.57m); 9, Daryth Gayles (Stanford) 18-3 (5.56m).
Triple jump: 1, Blessing Ufodiama (unattached) 43-5 (13.23m); 3, Marisa Kwiatkowski (Stanford) 40-7 (12.37m); 4, Carla Forbes (Stanford) 40-0 ¾ (12.21m);
Pole vault: 1, Kristina Owsinski (Washington) 14-2 (4.32m); 4, Kaitlyn Merritt (Stanford) 12-6 ¼ (3.82m); 10, Jackie McNulty (Stanford) 12-0 ½ (3.67m).
Shot put: 1, Itohan Aikhionbare (Oregon) 55-2 ¼ (16.82m); 3, Lena Giger (Stanford) 49-5 (15.06m).
Weight throw: 1, Kaytlyn Coleman (Eastern Washington) 62-8 ½ (19.11m); 11, Lena Giger (Stanford) 53-1 ½ (16.19m; PB).
