Along with teammate and fellow NCAA champion Mackenzie Little, Gray returns to the javelin runway at 44th Stanford Invitational after leading Cardinal to second women’s volleyball national title in three years and record eighth overall

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Winning a second NCAA Division 1 women’s volleyball championship in her career was the primary focus last year for Jenna Gray, an almost expected outcome for a Stanford team that finished 34-1, including a 32-match winning streak that culminated with a thrilling five-set victory Dec. 15 over Nebraska in the national final.

Becoming an All-American in the javelin throw and making collegiate history in two sports almost didn’t happen for Gray, a graduate of St. James Academy in Kansas and human biology major.

Gray, the starting setter for Stanford’s record-setting eighth Division 1 women’s volleyball title, nearly didn’t compete for the Cardinal track and field program during her sophomore season.

Thankfully for Gray, that scenario never materialized, allowing her and NCAA champion Mackenzie Little to become the first female teammates in Division 1 history to sweep the top two spots in the javelin.

The talented tandem will compete Friday at Cobb Track and Angell Field for the first time in their careers both as national champions at the 44th Stanford Invitational.

“I almost had to quit before the season last year. School was getting really overwhelming and I was getting really freaked out and I went and talked with (former Stanford throws coach Zeb Sion) and he talked me off the ledge and he was really understanding,” Gray said. “Coach Sion said, ‘Why don’t we just keep trying this out and when it gets to be too much, you absolutely have the choice to stop. I want to try to do everything I can for you before that has to happen.’ I was, and still am, extremely thankful for that.

“I always look back on the day of that meeting and I was crying so hard, but I’m really glad he was able to calm me down a little bit because I know I would have missed out on so many good memories throughout the season with the team. NCAAs was just really a magical weekend.”

Little, now a senior, elevated to the No. 5 performer in collegiate history following her winning throw of 198 feet (60.36m), with Gray ranking No. 24 all-time with her runner-up effort of 187-11 (57.29m).

Little became Stanford’s first javelin winner and the first NCAA women’s champion for the Cardinal since Kori Carter secured the 400-meter hurdles title in 2013.

Gray is the school’s only current first-team All-American in two separate sports, not counting her teammates who have earned recognition as runners in multiple seasons in cross country, indoor track and field or outdoor track and field.

Little and Gray also became the first Stanford women’s teammates to take the top two spots at a national championship in any event since 1984, when PattiSue Plumer and Alison Wiley achieved the feat in the 5,000 meters.

“We had all the support we needed to do well and it was just about making the most of the opportunity and we’re really lucky that we did,” Little said. “It’s so much fun to be out there with Jenna. When you’re among all these people succeeding, then it’s so much easier to step up and know that you can do well and represent them.”

Both Stanford men’s and women’s soccer programs have won national titles since Gray arrived in Palo Alto in 2016, along with women’s tennis, women’s water polo and women’s swimming and diving. The Cardinal captured a third consecutive women’s swimming and diving team crown and Division 1 record 11th overall March 23 in Texas to increase the total number of NCAA championships for Stanford to 119, the most all-time by any school.

But it is hard to argue with the history Gray has been associated with in both sports, especially in volleyball, with Stanford not only winning for the second time in three years, but surpassing Penn State for the most titles by any Division 1 women’s program.

“Especially this time, because we understand how difficult it is to actually win a national championship, it just feels that much better,” said Gray, who also led the Cardinal to the 2016 crown by defeating Texas in the national final.

“It just feels absolutely like a dream, especially having all of our sports at Stanford be so successful, you want to do as well as them and it’s really inspiring to see. Our men’s soccer team won three years in a row, our women’s soccer team won (in 2017), and just so many incredible athletes across the board in our whole entire athletic department makes us want to push hard and do well. And also seeing all of the incredible players who came before us in our own program has really inspired us.”

Although Little and Gray made NCAA Division 1 history as teammates in June, even that achievement is overshadowed by the extraordinary consistency of athletic success Stanford has demonstrated the past five decades.

The women’s volleyball title helped extend a streak of 43 consecutive school years with the Cardinal winning at least one NCAA championship in any sport.

“That streak still blows my mind,” Gray said. “We knew about it our freshman year when we won, but men’s soccer had already won and kind of locked down that year. So this time, we were excited at least that we could relieve a little bit of the pressure for the sports following us this school year.”

Gray has been blessed to compete with All-Americans in both sports throughout her career, but one teammate above all others has shared the most success along the journey and that is Stanford opposite hitter Audriana Fitzmorris, also a former prep track and field athlete at St. James Academy.

In addition to their two NCAA championships, Fitzmorris and Gray won three Kansas 5A state titles together at St. James Academy, including a mythical national crown in 2013 when they contributed to an undefeated season. That same year, they were also club teammates for the ASICS Mavs, who captured the 16 Open title at the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships.

“It’s absolutely incredible. It finally started to sink in just saying it, because I hadn’t really thought about everything we’ve accomplished together,” Gray said. “I’ve been so thankful to have her by my side this entire time just because she’s so talented, but also just such a kind person and she’s been so fun to play with.”

In addition to Fitzmorris, Gray has also been inspired during her Stanford career being teammates with two-time national player of the year Kathryn Plummer, along with having All-American libero Morgan Hentz as her roommate.

“I understand how incredible all of my teammates are, but you just forget sometimes because those are my best friends,” Gray said. “There’s something about training with people who are at such a high level, and it kind of forces you to reach that level, too, because you don’t want to be stuck behind. It’s really amazing as their teammate to see them having that kind of courage in the big situations and having the skills to pull those things off.”

It took Gray a little longer to realize just how significant it was to have Little as a teammate, only because she wasn’t as familiar with the elite competitors in collegiate track and field as she was in volleyball.

“I knew Mackenzie was good, because she was always kicking my butt at the meets, but I think it was like halfway into my freshman season I found out that she and (former Stanford discus All-American Valarie Allman) were incredible, like the very best. But they didn’t act like it at all, they were so nice to me,” Gray said. “There would be so many days at practice where I would just watch Mackenzie and I’m like, ‘OK, that’s how you do it. That’s how a javelin thrower should look.’ She’s played such a huge role in helping me develop and just being also such a great teammate and being so supportive.

“It’s been incredible being able to be surrounded by such supportive teammates that are also, literally, the best in their sport. It’s extremely motivating.”

In addition to benefiting from the presence of talented training partners on the volleyball court and javelin runway, Gray is also grateful to have had coaches in both sports who understand not only how to communicate with her, but also the demands of her academic and athletic schedules.

And she has managed to continue those positive relationships, despite having coaching changes in both sports during her collegiate career.

After Stanford won the 2016 national title, legendary volleyball coach John Dunning retired after 32 seasons, including 16 with the Cardinal. He was replaced by Kevin Hambly, who spent eight seasons coaching at Illinois before arriving in Palo Alto.

“A lot of the coaches at Stanford are willing to put in the time to understand you and get to know you as a person first and they’re not just focusing on my technique, but also on how I’m doing as a person and how I want to be interacted with and Kevin is definitely one of those coaches,” Gray said. “I like having it be fun and light-hearted. I don’t like getting super caught up in the stats or the technical things, I just want to go out and compete. I’ve been so lucky to have coaches who understand that and are willing to work with that.”

That aspect of Gray’s two-sport schedule was put to the test even more during the summer when Sion, who was selected national women’s assistant coach of the year by the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association last season, left Stanford to accept a coaching job at Texas under new program director Edrick Floreal.

Amin Nikfar, who worked the past three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, was hired in July as the new Stanford throws coach.

“It was really hard to see him leave. Coach Sion set up a training schedule and routine for me that doesn’t break down my body, which was so appreciated by me and the volleyball staff. He’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had,” Gray said. “But I talked with coach Nikfar during the summer and he was extremely understanding. He basically sat down and said, ‘Tell me what you do and I’ll do that, and we’ll figure out a way to work around it.’ I was so thankful to hear that. I had so much trust in our head coaches that they would find someone incredible to replace coach Sion, so I was extremely relieved to hear that he was their choice. I’m excited to work with him this year.”

Little and Gray both produced the best season-opening marks of their careers March 16 at the Sacramento State Hornet Invitational, picking up where they left off last year by taking the top two spots.

Little enters Friday’s competition as the collegiate leader at 194-3 (59.20m) and Gray ranks sixth at 173-1 (52.75m).

“We really have a presence and people know that we can do well, so I think we’ll continue to be a really dominant force,” Little said. “With how much our team has improved, I think there’s so much more for us to accomplish (this) year and beyond.”

Training only two days a week for a couple of hours during each javelin workout in order to balance her schedule with academics and spring volleyball practice, Gray knows it will require patience and trust in the process in order to peak again at the NCAA outdoor finals in pursuit of another 1-2 finish with Little.

But just like during the run to another volleyball national championship in the fall, once Stanford discovered its rhythm in the postseason, it led to another memorable conclusion.

“It can be difficult at times, but once you find your rhythm, it’s almost like a dance, it’s just beautiful,” Gray said. “It works out nicely in terms of peaking at the right time when I get a full week, along with studying for finals, to really focus on finding my rhythm in my approach. It turned out really well (last) year at NCAAs, so I’m hoping it does again this season.”