The inaugural Stanford Twilight meet, which will be held Friday, April 22, was created to provide another opportunity for collegiate runners to notch NCAA- and Olympic Trials-qualifying marks.

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As Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational continues to grow in prestige and popularity, more collegiate runners are being pushed to the slower heats, where they are unable to experience the primetime aspect of the historically record-setting competition. But now that the Stanford Twilight has been added to the schedule nine days before the Payton Jordan, collegiate runners will be able to take advantage of not one, but TWO opportunities to run fast at Cobb Track. And the Stanford staff has set the table perfectly.  

An All-Star Men’s 1500m Lineup

The names on this start list could very well foreshadow the NCAA 1500m final weeks from now. Between Georgetown’s trio of Ahmed Bile (3:57 indoor mile in 2016), Amos Bartelsmeyer (3:58 indoor mile in 2016), and Michael Lederhouse (3:58 indoor mile in 2016); Penn State’s middle-distance aces Brannon Kidder (3:38 in 2014) and Robby Creese (3:39 in 2015); Stanford's phenoms Grant Fisher (3:42 in 2016) and Sean McGorty (3:53 indoor mile in 2016); Wisconsin's standouts Morgan McDonald (3:41 1500m in 2016) and Austin Mudd (3:40 1500m in 2014); and indoor All-Americans Joshua Thompson of Oklahoma State (3:58 indoor mile in 2016) and David Elliott of Boise State (3:57 indoor mile in 2016), the 1500m promises to set the track on fire. 

Bile, Barteslmeyer and Lederhouse are all coming off of standout indoor seasons and NCAA Championship performances. Kidder, 2015 NCAA Outdoor 800m runner-up and 2016 indoor All-American, is returning to competition after posting a season’s best of 1:46.42 in his signature event at the Florida Relays. His teammate, Creese, recently opened his outdoor season in the 1500m at the Pepsi Invitational with a 3:42.29 against race-winner Izaic Yorks of Washington. 

Fisher has already made his mark on the outdoor track while wearing a Stanford uniform — he claimed a third-place finish in the Big Meet Dual, where he ran 3:42.86 right behind teammate McGorty, who closed for 3:42.11. 

Wisconsin’s duo of McDonald and Mudd should also make for an interesting race. McDonald just completed his first NCAA Indoor Championship season by competing in the 3K, and Mudd finished fourth in the 1500m at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships before suffering from injury. 

Oklahoma State up-and-comer Thompson is returning from a breakthrough debut season for the Cowboys after anchoring the team to a fifth-place finish in the NCAA Indoor Championship DMR. He also posted a massive indoor mile PR of 3:58. 

Meanwhile, Elliott of Boise State has been enjoying a season of PRs. The Bronco posted marks of 3:57 in the indoor mile, 7:53 in the 3K, and most recently, 13:42 in the Stanford Invite 5K. 

A Star-Studded Women's 800m

World finalist Maggie Vessey (2:00 in 2015) will lead a star-studded crew in the women’s 800m, which also includes Stanford All-Americans Claudia Saunders (2:00 in 2015) and Elise Cranny (2:04 in 2014); former Arkansas All-American Stephanie Brown (2:02 in 2016); Georgetown freshman Sarah Schmidt (2:01 in 2015) and her teammates, Sabrina Southerland (2:03 in 2016), Emma Keenan (2:04 in 2016), and Heather Martin (2:04 in 2016); Oklahoma State All-American Savannah Camacho (2:02 in 2015); and Villanova’s Siofra Cleirigh Buttner (2:03). With 10 ladies entered who have run under 2:04, the women’s 800m could be a barn-burner. 

Vessey is returning to the 800m after working on strength and speed to open the season. She split a 54.80 in the 400m at the Stanford Invitational three weeks ago, and most recently ran a 4:26 in the 1500m at the Oregon Relays last weekend. The Stanford Twilight will be her first attempt at her marquee event in 2016. 

Saunders has been steadily racing through 2016 and recently won the Big Meet 800m in 2:03. Last year, she had a major breakthrough at the NCAA Outdoor Championships when she finished second in a personal best of 2:00. Saunders and Cranny are also entered in the 1500m. Cranny, who is returning from a fall injury, has already made big strides in the indoor and outdoor seasons with a 4:38 PR in the indoor mile and a season’s-best 2:07 800m at the Stanford Invite. 

After a move from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Big Bear, California, Brown will run her first race while representing the Big Bear Track Club. The eight-time Arkansas All-American ran an indoor personal best of 2:02.88 in February, and most recently competed at the USATF Indoor Championships. 

The Georgetown trio is looking to mix things up as well. Led by Schmidt, a freshman prodigy from Germany, the Hoyas have all posted 800m marks of 2:04 or better in the last year. 

Camacho of Oklahoma State is coming off one of her best seasons to date after posting an indoor PR of 2:03.48 and finishing fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Her most recent performance was a 1500m PR of 4:17 at the Stanford Invitational. 

The first-ever Stanford Twilight is poised to not only give athletes a second opportunity to notch NCAA- and Olympic-qualifying marks, but also provide the perfect opportunity for a highly competitive showdown across a number of events. Don't miss it!

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