ROSA BREAKS MEET RECORD

Feb. 28, 2014



ROSA BREAKS MEET RECORD



Card runner is second, but tests NCAA star



SEATTLE – Stanford junior Joe Rosa did not win the 5,000 meters at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor track and field championships Friday, but he broke the existing meet record in a runner-up finish.



Rosa caught Arizona’s seven-time NCAA champion Lawi Lalang with two laps to go, only for the Kenyan to pull away on the final lap. However, Rosa shattered his personal record by 12 seconds, running 13:44.85, to move up to No. 8 on Stanford’s all-time indoor list.



Both Rosa and Lalang, who won in 13:41.58, broke the meet record of 13:45.54 set by Stanford Olympian Ian Dobson in 2005.



“I don’t think everything’s clicked like this since I was in high school,” said Rosa, a junior from West Windsor, N.J. “I knew I would do something big here.”



Rosa missed about three weeks of consistent of running beginning in late January because of a shin problem, but fought through an uncomfortable personal record of 13:56.76 in his return race Feb. 14 at the Husky Classic, on the same 307-meter Dempsey Indoor track.



However, that performance convinced Rosa that he was ready for more as he regained his health and settled into training. Now, Rosa moves into the No. 15 slot on the national season list and is in position to advance to the NCAA indoor championships March 14-15 in Albuquerque, N.M. Those in the top 16 in each event after this weekend earn NCAA berths.



Rosa’s performance was the biggest highlight for Stanford on the first day of the MPSF meet. The Cardinal men are fifth with 17 points and the women are 12th with 8 ½.



Winners and Stanford results in events involving Stanford athletes:



MEN

Team scores – 1, California 40; 2, Arizona State 31; 3, Arizona 28; 4, UCLA 23; 5, Stanford 17; 6, Washington State 14; 7 (tie), Colorado, Oregon, 11; 9, Washington 10; 10, BYU 5; 11, Cal State Northridge 2.

5,000 – 1, Lawi Lalang (Arizona) 13:41.58 (meet record); 2, Joe Rosa (Stanford) 13:44.85 (personal record, broke previous meet record, No. 8 Stanford all-time indoors). Stanford: 7, Thomas Graham 14:06.79; 28, Kevin Bishop 15:01.34; 29, Jack Bordoni 15:01.82.

Distance medley relay – 1, Washington 9:31.82. 3, Stanford (Michael Atchoo, Jackson Shumway, Marco Bertolotti, Thomas Coyle) 9:44.54.

Long jump – 1, Hammed Suleman (California) 24-6 ½. Stanford: 8, Dartis Willis 22-9.

Pole vault – 1, Michael Woepse (UCLA) 17-10 ½. Stanford: 5, Dylan Duvio 16-10 ¾.



WOMEN

Team scores – 1, Arizona 31; 2, Arizona State 28; 3, Oregon 26 1/2 ; 4 (tie), Washington, UCLA, 26; 6 (tie), USC, California, 25; 8, BYU 24; 9, Colorado 17; 10, Utah 16; 11, Washington State 11; 12, Stanford 8 ½; 13, Cal State Fullerton 4; 14, Long Beach State 3; 15, Cal State Northridge 2.

5,000 – 1, Rebekah Winterton (Utah) 16:30.51. Stanford: 5, Megan Lacy 16:35.21 (personal record).

Distance medley relay – 1, Washington 11:13.99. 5, Stanford (Cami Chapus, Claudia Saunders, Rebecca Mehra, Tate Murray) 11:23.74.

Pole vault – 1, Kristina Owsinski (Washington) 13-5 ¾. Stanford: 8, Ellie McCardwell 12-11 ¾.

Weight throw – 1, Chioma Amaechi (California) 67-2 ½. Stanford: 16, Rebecca Hammar 51-0 ¾.



For more information, contact:



David Kiefer

Assistant Athletic Communications Director

Stanford University

dkiefer@stanford.edu

(650) 759-0258, cell