Fifth-year student Harrison Williams begins competition in the two-day Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational today. The veteran will be vying for a ticket to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the heptathlon event. Williams is one of several Cardinal track and field athletes who will represent Stanford in a total of two states this weekend.
A four-time All-American from Memphis, Tennessee, Williams is no stranger to the big dance. He made his NCAA Championship debut as a freshman in the outdoor season. Placing fourth in the decathlon, which is the outdoor equivalent to the indoor heptathlon, Williams became the highest NCAA finisher in Stanford history in the event.
As a sophomore, he made his indoor championships debut, placing fourth. Williams’ success continued through the outdoor season, as he found himself scoring a school-record 8,032 points to finish fifth at the NCAA Championships, marking the highest fifth-place NCAA score in history.
As a junior, he placed sixth in the heptathlon at the indoor NCAA Championships, scoring a school record and personal best 5,970 points. His performance became the highest sixth-place score in NCAA heptathlon history.
Embarking on his final indoor season for the Cardinal, the well decorated reigning Pac-12 decathlon champion returns to the indoor scene this weekend at Nebraska’s Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, as he looks to qualify for the big dance once again. Williams will kickoff the two-day meet today at 10 a.m. with the 60-meter race.
Freshman Allie Jones and sophomore Giana Gayles will compete in the five-event single-day pentathlon at the same meet. A California native, Jones finished third in the event at the 2018 U.S. junior nationals. Gayles has also accumulated accolades in the event, including a second place finish at the 2016 AAU Junior Olympics. Both Jones and Gayles are set to begin competition today at 10:30 a.m.
Fifth-year student Lena Giger will highlight the Cardinal’s trip to the Mountain T’s Invite in Flagstaff, Arizona, this weekend. Listed at No. 9 in the country in the shot put, the veteran thrower will look to improve on her season best (16.90 meters) this weekend at Northern Arizona’s J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. The three-time All-American will be joined by Jaimi Salone in the event. Giger and Salone are scheduled to compete today at 5 p.m.
Standout freshman Jordan Fong will return to the track this weekend at the same meet. Fong broke into the record books at her collegiate debut a few weeks ago when she threw the 20-pound weight 16.77 meters at the UW Indoor Preview, placing her second in Stanford freshman history in the event. Fong begins competition tomorrow morning.
Contact Alejandro Salinas at asalinas ‘at’ stanford.edu.