(Editor’s note: Stanford athletics release)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Led by Vanessa Fraser’s fourth-place finish in the 3,000 meters, five Stanford women finished among the top eight Saturday to help the Cardinal score 24 points to place eighth at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, matching its most points since 2008.
The Card women earned their fifth consecutive top-20 finish and the men, led by Grant Fisher’s fourth in the 3,000, finished tied for 21st with 10 pointts. Stanford’s combined total of 34 points is the most since scoring 40 in 2014.
Fraser, a graduate student in management science and engineering, earned her highest NCAA place — including indoors, outdoors and cross country – by leading two redshirt freshmen teammates into top 10. Following Fraser (9:02.31) were Christina Aragon (9:03.71) in seventh and Fiona O’Keeffe (9:10.54) in 10th.
O’Keeffe likely would have placed higher, but fell midway through the race. She continued on with blood dripping down both legs because of spike wounds and road rash, and had scrapes on her hip.
Fisher, a redshirt sophomore who is the reigning NCAA outdoor 5,000 champ, completed his first collegiate indoor season with an 8:06.52 in the 3,000.
Elise Cranny, a senior in her first NCAA Indoor Championships mile, placed fifth in 4:34.48, a Stanford record for this meet.
The Card women also got eighth-place finishes from Olivia Baker in the 800 and Valarie Allman in the 20-pound weight throw. Baker was competing in her third consecutive NCAA indoor 800 final and Allman was the first from Stanford ever to reach the NCAA’s in her event.
From the two-day meet, Stanford crowned 11 first-team All-Americans, including three for the first time – Julian Body and Brandon McGorty from the men’s distance medley relay and women’s shot putter Lena Giger.
