STANFORD, Calif. –  Pepperdine track saw three program records fall while competing at the Stanford Invitational.

Elijah Gentry (3000m steeplechase), Lizzy Crawford (10K) and Parker Buchheit (800m) set the new program bests.

Also upstate, Gordy Nilsen represented the Waves at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic from the campus of San Francisco State.

Elijah Gentry was the first to open up the record books in Palo Alto. He achieved the fastest Pepperdine time in the 3000-meter steeplechase since the event was standardized (8:49.70). Coincidentally, in 1969 Ron Pettigrew ran an identical time of 8:49.70 for the Waves, however this came prior to the modernization of things such as barrier height and distance. 

Next up was another distance headliner. Lizzy Crawford took down the 10K record which had stood for a decade. Her speed of 33:44.39 was nearly ten seconds quicker than the previous Pepperdine mark (36:53.68). The Colorado native now holds five track records: outdoors in the 5K and 10K and indoors in 3K and 5K. 

Parker Buchheit then set a new middle distance standard in the 800m, recording a 1:49.32, improving on his previous personal best by over a second. The previous mark stood at 1:49.45, set in 2023. Buchheit placed 11th in the event with his finish.

Three other orange and blue runners made the trek to Stanford. Kian Alton competed in the 400-meter dash, earning a finish of 48.66. Brittany Rivas was the sole Wave to compete in a hurdles event, running a 1:02.47 in the 400-meter.

North in the Bay, Gordy Nilsen finished 20th in the 10K. His time was 30:37.08.

Results for the Stanford Invitational can be accessed here. The full results from San Francisco State are also available.

Next up is the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Pomona, Calif. April 11.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK

The Pepperdine cross country/track program has a rich history dating back to the 1950s with six total individual national championships to come through the program. As one of the original three programs sponsored by then George Pepperdine College in 1937, the Waves immediately began to make a mark on the track world stage with eight total Olympians and multiple regional champions throughout the program's history. 

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