Three Cardinal Crowned – Stanford University Athletics

WALNUT, Calif. – Stanford crowned three individual champions on Sunday as the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships came to a close with both Cardinal teams placing among the top four. 

Featuring victories by Udodi Onwuzurike in the 200 meters and Kevin Yang in the triple jump, the Stanford men placed third as a team, scoring 96 points. The Cardinal women were led by two freshmen winners – Juliette Whittaker in the 800 on Sunday and Alyssa Jones in the long jump on Saturday – on the way to placing fourth, with 84 points.

This was the first time since 2018 at Stanford that both Cardinal teams placed among the top four at the Pac-12 meet. The last time it happened away from home was 2009 at the Pac-10 meet in Eugene, Oregon. The four combined titles this weekend were the most since the Cardinal won six in 2018. 

First, let’s unpack Onwuzurike’s victory. He ran 19.91, shattering his own school record of 20.08 and breaking the meet record of 20.00 by UCLA’s Ato Boldon in 1996. Onwuzurike becomes No. 3 in Pac-12 history behind only Boldon (19.80, 1996) and USC’s Andre DeGrasse (19.88, 2015), each an Olympic 200 medalist.

Onwuzurike, a sophomore, moves into a tie for No. 9 on the all-time collegiate outdoor performers’ list. He is the third-fastest in the world this year.

Onwuzurike placed second in the 100 to Oregon’s Micah Williams by 0.01 earlier in the day, running into a headwind while clocking 10.23 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. He got off to a strong start in the 200 and maintained his speed down the homestretch, pulling away from the field.

“It felt good,” Onwuzurike said. “I really put it together at the end.”

It seems hard to fathom, but Onwuzurike has tied or broken Stanford records 13 times so far. He is the school’s first conference outdoor champion at 200 since Jimmie Johnson won the Pac-10 in 1997. 

Yang won the triple jump at 51-3 ¾ (15.64m) for a personal best that places him at No. 7 in Stanford history. He became Stanford’s first triple jump champion since Darian Brooks won titles from 2014-16. Yang missed much of the outdoor season, making his triple jump season debut on April 29, when he popped a wind-aided 50-9 ¼ (15.47m). 

On Sunday, Yang hit 49-10 ½ (15.20m) on the second jump to move into a tie with USC’s Dallas Wise for the lead. Though Wise never improved, Yang hit 50-2 ½ (15.30m) on his fourth attempt and a PB 51-3 ¾ (15.64m) on his fifth to win going away. 

Whittaker led from start to finish to win in 2:01.19 and become…