Published on Jun 26, 2012 by stanfordathletics

By Mark Soltau, Bud Anderson

Katerina Stefanidi and Amaechi Morton had two lofty goals this year for their final seasons with the Stanford track & field team: Win individual titles at the NCAA outdoor championships, and qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Both came up big.

Stefanidi, a senior from Athens, Greece, was runner-up in the NCAA indoor championships and third in the NCAA outdoor championships in the women’s pole vault last year. She won the event this year at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, clearing 14-7 ½. Two nights later, Morton, a senior form Atlanta, Georgia, became the first Cardinal scholar-athlete to win the 400-meter hurdles, posting a personal best and school record time of 48.79, the fifth fastest in the world, to avenge last year’s second-place finish.

For both, it was an incredible conclusion to brilliant college careers, and all but assured their participation in the Summer Games. Morton leaves the Farm as a six-time All-American, while Stefanidi earned the distinction five times.

Shortly after the NCAA’s, Stefanidi cleared 14-9 ½ to achieve an Olympic “A” standard and clinch a spot on the Greek Olympic team. Morton’s time in the 400-meter hurdles also secured an Olympic “A” standard for his home country of Nigeria, for whom he is expected to compete in London.

They will be two of many current and former Stanford scholar-athletes competing in the Summer Games. With generous support from the Buck/Cardinal Club, both were able to achieve their dreams on and off the track and can look forward to very bright futures.