FOURTEEN STANFORD ATHLETES HEADED TO NCAA INDOORS

March 4, 2013
Cardinal to compete in national track and field championships



FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Seven Stanford athletes and two relay teams have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday and Saturday at the University of Arkansas.

Chris Miltenberg, Stanford’s Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and first-year coach, will bring 14 athletes in all, seven women and seven men, to the 200-meter banked Mondo track at the Randal Tyson Center.

Stanford participants include four recent school-record breakers: Michael Atchoo (3:57.14) in the men’s mile, Kori Carter (8.17) in the women’s 60-meter hurdles, Amy Weissenbach (2:05.56) in the women’s 800, and the men’s distance medley relay team (9:28.25).

In addition, Jessica Tonn (15:56.42) qualified in the women’s 5,000, Alyssa Wisdom (55-8¼) in the women’s shot put, Tyler Stutzman (3:58.85) in the men’s mile, and Jules Sharpe (7-3¼) in the men’s high jump. The Cardinal women’s distance medley relay team (11:06.46) advanced as well.

The No. 3 men’s DMR has the highest seeding of any Stanford entrant. The quartet that posted the school-record time last week at Notre Dame’s Alex Wilson Invitational were, in order, Stutzman (1,200), Spencer Chase (400), Luke Lefebure (800), and Atchoo (1,600).

With Atchoo and Stutzman running in the mile semifinals barely three hours before Friday’s DMR final, Miltenberg is bringing middle-distance runners Marco Bertolotti and Justin Brinkley to provide some flexibility.

The women’s DMR should open with Weissenbach and Carter, but Miltenberg also has Cami Chapus, Kathy Kroeger, and Claudia Saunders to be decided for the final two spots.

The NCAA invited the top 16 in each event to participate – and top 12 in relays. After individual scratches and maneuvering among events, the lists were finalized Monday. All athletes competing in the indoor nationals receive All-America status.

Among Stanford’s individual qualifiers, Carter will receive her sixth All-America honor (including indoors and outdoors), and Atchoo and Sharpe each will receive their second. This will be the first such honor (including cross country) for Tonn, Weissenbach, Wisdom, and Stutzman.

Friday’s action will be streamed live on ESPN3.com from 3:30-7:30 p.m. PT. On Saturday, ESPN3.com will stream from 4-6:30 p.m. The meet will be shown tape-delayed on ESPNU on March 17 at 4 p.m.

The following is Stanford’s schedule with each individual or relay team’s seeding (all times Pacific):



Friday

3:45 p.m.: Men’s mile semifinals (No. 5 Michael Atchoo, No. 11 Tyler Stutzman).

4 p.m.: Women’s 60-meter hurdles semifinals (No. 14 Kori Carter).

5:15 p.m.: Women’s 800 semifinals (No. 11 Amy Weissenbach).

5:55 p.m.: Women’s 5,000 final (No. 16 Jessica Tonn).

6:45 p.m.: Women’s distance medley relay final (No. 12; Weissebach, Carter, Cami Chapus, Kathy Kroeger, or Claudia Saunders).

7 p.m.: Men’s distance medley relay final (No. 3; Stutzman, Chase, Lefebure, Atchoo, Marco Bertolotti, or Justin Brinkley)



Saturday

1:30 p.m.: Men’s high jump final (No. 16 Jules Sharpe).

2 p.m.: Women’s shot put trials and final (No. 10 Alyssa Wisdom).

4:10 p.m.: Men’s mile final.

4:20 p.m.: Women’s 60 hurdles final.

5:20 p.m.: Women’s 800 final.



For more information, contact:



David Kiefer

Assistant Athletic Communications Director

Stanford University

dkiefer@stanford.edu

(650) 736-7921