After last week’s triumph at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, where junior Ky Robinson set a Stanford record in the 5000-meter, the Cardinal were feeling confident as they prepared to make their first appearance at the Spokane Invitational. Without a doubt, Stanford made their mark in Spokane, Wash. as they posted five wins across the course of the competition.
Among the 23 Cardinal athletes that competed, all eyes were on All-Americans fifth-year Max McKhann and junior Samantha Thomas who competed in the 35-pound men’s weight throw and the 400-meter and 4×400-meter relay, respectively. Both excelled in the spotlight, with McKhann winning his event with a throw of 20.90 meters and Thomas being victorious in the 4×400-meter with her team, consisting of sophomores Trinity Price and Camille Peisner, as well as junior Megan Olomu, finishing in 3:46.63.
Additionally, Spokane witnessed the collegiate debuts of freshmen Alaysia Oakes and Alyssa Jones. Oakes competed admirably in the triple jump and the 60-meter with the latter being won by former Cardinal athlete, G3 Performance’s Cheetah Burrell (formerly, Chauntae Bayne). Jones certainly did not disappoint, comfortably winning her long jump event with a distance of 6.25 meters, claiming her place as No. 2 on Stanford’s all-time freshman list and No. 6 on the school’s all-time indoor record.
The Cardinal dominated the pole vault event, achieving all three podium positions thanks to first-place sophomore Garrett Brown and seniors second-place Max Manson and third J.T. Herrscher. Brown exceeded his indoor personal best with a clearance of 5.40 meters and gained his position as joint No. 3 on the Stanford indoor all-time rankings, while the seniors cleared 5.30 meters and 5.05 meters respectively to complete the podium.
Other notable performances came from Stanford’s fifth winner of the day – senior Sam Liokumovich – who won the shot put with a distance of 17.32 meters and senior Laurel Wong in the pole vault who cleared 3.90 meters to become the No. 9 indoor all-time at Stanford.
After another successful meet, the Cardinal eagerly look ahead to the Cougar Classic which is set to be held on the same banked track on Jan. 13 in Spokane, Wash.