Two Pac-12 Champions – Stanford University Athletics

BOULDER, Colo. – Two Stanford athletes were crowned champions on Friday on the first day of the final Pac-12 Track and Field Championships. 

Alyssa Jones repeated as women’s long jump champion and two-time NCAA champ Ky Robinson won his first conference track title, winning the men’s 10,000 meters. 

Robinson’s convincing victory was Stanford third triumph in four years in the 10,000, following Charles Hicks in 2021 and 2022. Robinson, the reigning Pac-12 cross country champion, led from the start and won by 25 seconds. His time was 29:15.03 at the 5,360-foot elevation of Potts Field at the University of Colorado. 

Jones, a sophomore, was locked in a battle before taking the lead in the fifth round with a season-best jump of 21-3 ½ (6.49 meters).

Jones was seventh going into the final, teammates Tess Stapleton in fourth and Alaysia Oakes tied for fifth. Nothing changed for Jones in the fourth round, but her big jump in the fifth vaulted her six spots into first and Jones would win by 9 inches. Stapleton took fifth in 19-6 ¾ (5.96m) and Jones seventh (19-6 (5.94m). 

Jones is among three Stanford women’s long jump champions. The others are Jackie Edwards (1992) and Erica McLain (2005, 2006, 2008). Jones holds the wind-legal meet record of 22-1 ½ (6.74m), set last year. 

The dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference after this academic year marks the end of a storied history, especially in track and field. Stanford first competed in the Pacific Coast Conference (the forerunner of the Pac-12) meet in 1919.

Jones’ victory extends Stanford’s streak of consecutive conference meets with a women’s individual champion to 28, since 1997. The Cardinal men have had a champion in every Pac-12 championship meet since 2014. 

Four events were contested among the women and three for the men. In the 1,500, four Stanford women advanced to the final and two Cardinal men. The top five in each advanced automatically. Juliette Whittaker and Lucy Jenks were third and fourth in Heat 1. Julia Flynn and Zofia Dudek were the two time qualifiers. 

For the men, Leo Young was fourth in Heat 1 to advance automatically, and Thomas Boyden was a time qualifier out of Heat 2. 

In the long jump, Allan Hunter scored the first point of the meet for the Stanford men, taking eighth at 24-6 ¼ (7.47m). 

In the women’s javelin, freshman Abbey Moody took intentional fouls on her first two attempts, but came through on her third to advance to the final. That throw (154-0, 46.95m) would be her best….