Cramer, McClurkin lead the way at Stanford

PALO ALTO -- Sophomore Lacey Cramer and senior Mindy McClurkin led the way for the track and field team at the Stanford Invitational, taking home wins in the 800-meters and 200-meters, respectively.

“Everything went really well this weekend,” BYU head coach Craig Poole said. “It was the first outdoor meet for a lot of girls, and we put up a lot of good marks that are encouraging for the rest of the season.”

Cramer, in her first race since taking second at the Indoor National Championships, took first among collegians in the 800-meters in 2:06.57. Teammate Nachelle Stewart ran well too, coming in second behind Cramer at 2:06.84.

McClurkin started her outdoor season better than ever, nearing career bests in the 100-meters and 200-meters. She finished second among collegians in the 100 at 11.70 and placed first among collegians in the 200 at 23.58.

Also competing well in the sprints was sophomore Natalie Stewart. Stewart led the Cougars in the 400-meter dash, taking second in 54.56. She also ran the 200-meters and finished fifth in 24.37.

In the shot put, sophomore Cassandra Woodall dominated the collegiate division with a 13.71m (44-11.75) throw, good enough to win by more than a foot.

Senior Amy Otis transitioned well from the 60-meter hurdles to the 100-meter hurdles. Otis ran 13.93 in preliminaries, and finished sixth in the finals in 14.15.

Sophomore Diana Blauer and senior Ashley Dziendziel performed well in the high jump, tying for fifth. The teammates both leapt 1.71m (5-07.25).

Several Cougars competed in the 1500-meter run. Freshman Michealanne Laurent led the way in 4:31.54, followed by teammates Sarah Yingling (4:31.80), Candace Eddy (4:34.33) and Lisa Drury (4:37.51).

“We are well on our way,” Poole said. “We got some good marks in the top 48 in the West (regional qualifying standard), and this outdoor season is already coming along well.”

BYU track and field will be back in action next weekend as they host their first home outdoor meet of the season with the BYU Cougar Invitational on April 2. A few athletes will also head to Austin, Texas for the Texas Relays from April 1-3.