Card athletes put up great performances both in Berkeley and San Diego

This past weekend, the Stanford track and field team traveled to Berkeley for the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, an annual meet in the Bay Area that attracts numerous athletes from several different areas.

The meet was split into an open section and an invitational section. Stanford athletes entered both sections of the meet.

Sophomore Amaechi Morton set the bar high for the weekend, surprising everyone with an incredible performance in the open 200 meters. Normally a hurdler and a 400-meter runner, Morton placed second in the 200 with a time of 21.28 seconds, moving into eighth on the Stanford all-time list. The time was a personal best for Morton.

Most of the events were actually held on day two of the meet. Leading the way for the women was sophomore Katerina Stefanidi, who took the meet title in the pole vault with a height of 13-9.25.

Junior Arantxa King also had a good meet, jumping a season best mark of 20-10.75 in the long jump.

“The meet went pretty well for me,” King said. “It was my second time jumping for the season and it was a slight improvement.”

“I am happy that my jumps are becoming more consistent in the high 20s, which was a major issue for me indoor season,” King added. “I think I am in condition to jump well this season so I’m excited for the upcoming meets where I ideally hope to break the 21-foot mark.”

The women’s 4×400 relay team finished the day with its fastest time of the year, 3:42.68. The team consisted of freshman Hannah Farley, junior Brittni Dixon-Smith, King and freshman Carissa Levingston.

The men’s 4×400 meter relay also had a successful meet, running the eighth fastest time in Stanford history, 3:09.41. The team consisted of senior Zach Chandy, senior Durell Coleman, freshman Spencer Chase and redshirt junior Mark Mueller.

“All of the guys on the 4×400 are really excited about the way things are coming together this year,” Coleman said. “There’s an energy flowing through our team that has been an essential part of all of our performances as well as those achieved by others throughout the year.”

Mueller also competed in the invitational 200, placing third with a time of 21.71 seconds.

In the distances, sophomore Dylan Ferris led the men with a second place finish in the 800 meters. Ferris finished with a time of 1:49.34.

In the field events, the men were led by junior Casey Roche, who placed second in the pole vault with a mark of 16-9.25, matching his season best.

In addition to the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, a small contingent of Stanford athletes traveled to the Triton Invitational, which was hosted by UC-San Diego. Redshirt junior Carter Wells and redshirt senior Jaynie Goodbody led the charge. Wells had two career bests, with a mark of 161-11 in the discus and a mark of 203-1 in the hammer. Goodbody’s toss of 192-11 in the hammer was a season best.

Next up for the Cardinal will be the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational on the Farm this Saturday.