Stanford track and field split competition between Boston, Mass. and Albuquerque, N.M. this past weekend, producing a wave of record-breaking performances in its fourth indoor meet of the season.
At the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, Stanford’s distance runners delivered eye-catching results. Sophomore James Dargan stood out at the meet by winning the men’s open mile and breaking the four-minute barrier for the first time in his career, crossing the line in 3:58.35. Just a few heats later, junior Leo Young competed in the invitational mile, running an all-conditions personal best of 3:57.81.
The performances vaulted both athletes into Stanford’s indoor record books, with Young now sixth and Dargan seventh on the program’s all-time indoor mile list. For Dargan, the race marked his first appearance in Stanford’s record books.
On the women’s side, senior Juliette Whittaker recorded the top collegiate mile time of the weekend. Her 4:30.97 finish ranks as the fourth-fastest NCAA mile this season, as she placed ninth overall in a deep international field.
Stanford’s momentum continued in the longer distances. Junior Sophia Kennedy placed fourth in the 3,000-meter invitational with an 8:49.23, finishing second among collegiate competitors. Junior Amelia Everett added a second-place finish in the 800-meter open, running 2:09.35. Senior Julia Flynn and junior Hillary Studdart also turned in personal bests in the mile, clocking 4:41.23 and 4:44.98, respectively.
While the distance squad competed in Boston, Stanford’s sprinters made their mark at the New Mexico Team Open. The weekend produced two new individual top-10 performances, the program’s first top-10 relay of the season and several personal bests.
In the men’s 200-meter, junior Zachary Ryan placed third in 21.33, while junior Gabriel Ajaegbu finished 10th in 21.58. The times moved Ryan to sixth and Ajaegbu to 10th on Stanford’s all-time indoor 200-meter list.
Senior Alaysia Oakes led the women’s sprint group, setting a personal best of 7.42 in the 60-meter prelims before finishing second in the finals. Junior Cate Peters and freshman Hannah Rutherford each recorded personal bests in the 200-meter, with Peters running 24.41 and Rutherford 24.35. Rutherford capped her weekend with another personal record in the 400-meter, finishing seventh in 54.82.
Stanford closed the weekend with one final entry into the record books. The men’s 4×400-meter relay, consisting of Ryan, sophomore Ryce Reynolds, junior Joseph Bailey and Ajaegbu, ran 3:11.66 to place fourth, recording the 10th-fastest indoor time in program history.
Looking ahead, Stanford track and field will spend the next few weekends in Albuquerque for the New Mexico Collegiate Classic and the Don Kirby Elite Invitational.