BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Stanford’s Sean McGorty closed fast to finish second in a loaded 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
He was among three high Stanford finishers Saturday, following Olivia Baker, third in the women’s 800, and Harrison Williams, fourth in the men’s heptathlon with a school record 5,937 points. Darian Brooks was ninth in the men’s triple jump – Stanford’s best finish in that event – and Vanessa Fraser was 10th in the women’s 3,000 for the highest national finish of her career.
With Friday’s results: a third in the women’s distance medley relay and a fourth in the men’s DMR, Stanford totaled five top-four finishes at the meet. The Stanford men tied for eighth with 18 points -- their highest finish since 2011 -- and the Cardinal women were 16th with 12.
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McGORTY RAN 8:01.55 to trail only Oregon’s Edward Cheserek, who ran 8:00.40 to close out a three-victory meet.
It was remarkable performance considering the caliber of athletes competing. Most of top milers bypassed that distance for the 3,000, combining with some of the top distance runners in one high-quality field. The result reflected that depth, with eight runners finishing within three 
seconds of the lead.
It was the highest national finish for the junior McGorty, a sophomore in track eligibility who already has six All-America honors, and the highest Stanford placing in the 3,000 since Chris Derrick was runner-up in 2012. It also came a night after McGorty ran a 3:58.19 split for 1,600 to anchor the distance medley relay to fourth.
“Coming off last night, we knew he did the best he could,” said Chris Miltenberg, Stanford’s Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. “But we also knew he was hungry to what he did today.”
The race was physical throughout, and McGorty tried his best to avoid much of the traffic. He quickly positioned himself up front and sat behind the leaders.
With 1,000 to go, McGorty made a strong move to take the lead from Eastern Michigan’s Willy Fink and led for two laps with Cheserek on his heels. With three laps left, Cheserek surged to the front and the field mostly let him go. McGorty settled behind Syracuse’s Justin Knight, who had edged McGorty for the 3,000 victory at the Iowa State Classic.
“I just focused on finishing as high as I could,” McGorty said.
This time, McGorty unleashed a last-lap 28.18 – the second-fastest lap in the field – while swinging past Knight off the turn and outkicking him to the line, and actually gaining two seconds on Cheserek to the finish.
“I felt my legs some,” McGorty said. “But, honestly, the DMR helped out a lot because it provided a lot of lessons. I ran the 800 of that race too tense and it made things way harder than they should have been. So, today, I wanted to try and stay as relaxed as possible because that’s when I’m in my rhythm.”
McGorty’s seventh place at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November signaled his arrival to a higher plane, and his 3:53.95 mile at the MPSF Championships followed by his runner-up finish Saturday indicate an entirely higher level altogether.
“In 2 ½ years, we’re trying to deliver on the promise we made to him as coaches,” Miltenberg said. “He’s gotten to this point where he’s now among the nation’s elite. But we’re even more excited about what the next 2 ½ years will bring. It’s a steady evolution. He’s running with a lot of confidence, aggressiveness, and composure.”
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BAKER EARNED STANFORD'S highest-ever finish in the NCAA indoor 800, bettering the seventh of Lindsay Hyatt in 2000. Baker, a sophomore, came into the meet seeded No. 11, and qualified eighth in the semifinals. But Baker truly was ready for more, and in a tactical race, she was able to show off her speed.
After 400, Baker was last in a congested field, and was sixth with one lap to go.
“The goal was just to stay out of trouble for most of the race and then be in position to strike with 200 to go,” she said. “The traffic was definitely very tough to deal with. I was forced to fall to the back to stay out of it. But when it came time to kick, I made one definitive move and left everything I had left on the track.”
Baker passed three with the second-fastest lap (30.56), behind Rogers, in the field. Rogers won in 2:04.68, with Virginia Tech’s Hanna Green second in 2:05.90 and Baker third in 2:06.08.
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IN THE HEPTATHLON, Williams moved up from 11th to fourth on the final day of the two-day competition. He placed second in the 60-meter hurdles, fourth in the pole vault, and first in the 1,000 – the final event – to match his fourth-place NCAA decathlon finish of last spring. Overall, he set four personal records in seven events.
Williams needed to run 2:48.95 in the 1,000 to break Josh Hustedt’s 2007 school record of 5,837. Instead, Williams ran 2:39.75 for 876 points.
“I wasn’t really thinking about a particular score or place,” Williams said. “I was just focused on running a sub-2:40. I’m glad everything worked out so well. I’m very happy.”
It was the third school record for Williams, who twice broke Stanford’s decathlon record last spring as a freshman. His excellence at this stage is impressive. The three finishers ahead of him – Wisconsin’s Zach Ziemek (6,137), Arizona’s Pau Tonnesen (6,027), and Georgia’s Garrett Scantling (5,951) – are fifth-year seniors. Among his victims was last year’s NCAA indoor champion, Minnesota’s Luca Wieland, who finished fifth.
In the pole vault, Williams fought to a third-try clearance at 16-8 ¾ to set the scene for the 1,000, which he won by more than two seconds. His performance in the final event moved him up two spots, from sixth.
Though Williams has jumped 17-3 ¾ this season, the pole vault was perhaps the most satisfying event, given that he struggled to only a 15-11 in his previous heptathlon, at the Penn State National in January. His most disappointing event was the Friday’s long jump, with a 22-7 ¼, the 14th best in the competition.
“I felt I was really close to a breakthrough in practice leading up to this meet, but I just couldn’t put it together,” he said. “I know I could’ve jumped farther if I had just trusted my run. But, overall, I’m very satisfied, and very excited to see what I can do outdoors.”
Williams will make his season decathlon debut at the Texas Relays on March 30-31, in an effort to get an early qualifying mark for NCAA Outdoors.
Williams came into the indoor meet with two goals. The first was to finish among the top eight and earn first-team All-America honors. The ‘reach’ goal was 6,000 points. Though Williams fell just short, the school record was a satisfying byproduct. Williams’ finish was the highest by Stanford athlete in this event since Hustedt’s second place in 2008.
Williams’ school record was the sixth by Stanford athletes this season. Previous records were set by Brooks (52-9 1/4), McGorty in the mile (3:53.95), Valarie Allman in the women’s 20-pound weight throw (62-8 ½), the men’s DMR (9:27.27), and the women’s 4x400 relay (3:33.78).
The six records from 2016 are double those from any other year in the Stanford indoor record book. In second are three marks from 2012.
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IN THE TRIPLE JUMP, Brooks’ first jump of 52-4 stood as his best. It was Stanford’s highest placing in that event, improving upon Brooks’ 12-place of a year ago. The goal was to get him into the top nine after three jumps and into the finals. He did so, but was unable to improve and missed first-team All-America honors by one place. However, the two-time Pac-12 champ and fifth-year senior will get another opportunity at NCAA Outdoors.
Fraser, a junior, earned her third All-America honor in less than a year, continuing her ascent from a freshman walk-on. She ran 9:15.09 while improving upon her 13th place at the NCAA outdoor 5,000 last spring that earned Fraser her first All-America honor.
Aisling Cuffe, a seven-time All-American and two-time NCAA 5,000 runner-up, qualified in the 3,000, but ultimately was scratched as an injury precaution. Miltenberg stressed the long-term goals for Cuffe, mainly to run strong at NCAA Outdoors and qualify for Olympic trials and racing Saturday risked aggravating a minor foot injury and setting back her training.
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NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
At Birmingham CrossPlex
Men
Team scores -- 1, Oregon 62; 2, Arkansas 39; Tennessee 34. 8, Stanford 18.
3,000 – 1, Edward Cheserek (Oregon) 8:00.40; 2, Sean McGorty (Stanford) 8:01.55.
Triple jump – 1, Clive Pullen (Arkansas) 54-7 ¼ (16.64m); 9, Darian Brooks (Stanford) 52-4 (15.95m).
Heptathlon – 1, Zach Ziemek (Wisconsin) 6,173 points.; 4, Harrison Williams (Stanford) 5,937.
Williams’ results (event, place, mark, points):
Day One -- 60: 6, 6.96 (897); Long jump: 14, 22-7 ¼, 6.89m (788); Shot put: 10, 44-4, 13.51m (698); High jump: 12, 6-6, 1.98m (785). Total: 3,168 points.
Day Two – 60 hurdles: 2, 8.12 (952); Pole vault: 4, 16-8 3/4, 5.10m (941); 1,000: 1, 2:39.75 (876). Total: 2,769.
Women
Team scores -- 1, Oregon 53; 2, Arkansas 50; 3, Georgia 45; 16, Stanford 12.
800 – 1, Raevyn Rogers (Oregon) 2:04.68; 3, Olivia Baker (Stanford) 2:06.08.
3,000 – 1, Molly Seidel (Notre Dame) 8:57.86; 10, Vanessa Fraser (Stanford) 9:15.09. DNS, Aisling Cuffe (Stanford).
