Gray adds depth, championship experience to Cardinal program

Former state javelin record holder from Kansas, NCAA women's volleyball title winner balancing a trio of sports, but excelling in all three, especially with weekend of beach volleyball and "Big Meet"

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

When it comes to throwing the javelin at Stanford, there is no gray area for freshman Jenna Gray.

After leading the Cardinal to the NCAA Division 1 women's volleyball championship in December and playing her first beach volleyball season this spring as half of Stanford's No. 1 pairing with FIVB 19-under bronze medalist Kathryn Plummer, Gray also remains committed to being a member of the track and field program, continuing her throwing career Saturday at the annual "Big Meet" against rival Cal in Palo Alto.

"There is such a different vibe in track and I think it's a nice escape from volleyball," Gray said. "Just getting to meet new people and have new teammates that are so great who are going to be lifelong friends, just like my volleyball teammates, is really why I did it. I'm just trying to contribute in every sport and trying to do my best."

Gray, who captured the Kansas state championship in May by throwing a Class 5A record 162 feet (49.37m) for St. James Academy, competed in the javelin for the first time in college March 31 at the 42nd Stanford Invitational.

Despite only a few workouts prior to the meet with new Stanford throws coach Zeb Sion, Gray placed fourth with a mark of 159-10 (48.73m), sixth among all freshmen in the country and 29th overall. She improved to 160-9 (49.00m), No. 6 in Stanford history, to place second at the "Big Meet" and elevate to 28th in the country.

"I think a lot of it is just getting back in the groove and getting my rhythm back," Gray said. "I think a lot of the crossover from volleyball into javelin is just the last three steps, left, right, left, which is the same as the volleyball approach.

"It's really nice in terms of having that natural rhythm at least on those last three on my release. In volleyball, it's huge about reaching high and having that high snap and that's pretty much the same thing with javelin. It's just reaching high and snapping high."

Stanford boasts the top sophomore javelin thrower in the country in Mackenzie Little, who placed seventh at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships and 17th at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Victoria Smith, a senior, was a second-team All-American in 2015.

With the presence and improvement of Gray, Stanford has the potential to produce three NCAA West Regional qualifiers in May.

"She's in great shape, but javelin throwing is just so specific," said Sion, who coached at Wake Forest for five seasons before arriving at Stanford.

"She has a fiery arm. It's definitely the real thing. I think it's just getting a better feel for how to work the runway and create speed with her body and then putting it all into the arm. When she does that, I think it's going to be scary."

Being able to have teammates like Little, who threw 183-4 (55.88m) last year and has a personal-best of 188-11 (57.60m) from 2014 in Australia, and a three-year veteran in Smith has made the transition seamless for Gray back to the runway.

"I find myself hanging back in practice and watching Mackenzie, so it's really nice having a mentor like that," Gray said. "And Victoria has been super great with helping me out, just showing me everywhere and helping me with my technique, so it's been really nice with people helping me along the way."

Although Little is expected to extend Stanford's streak in the women's javelin at the "Big Meet" to 15 consecutive victories, in addition to being the favorite to repeat as Pac-12 champion in May, she appreciates the dynamic of training with another accomplished, motivated athlete like Gray.

"She brings a lot of energy to practice. It's been great having her around and seeing her improve so much already," Little said. "The atmosphere at training is wonderful."

Gray has relied on her communication skills from being an All-America honorable mention setter in the fall to remain in contact with Sion and Stanford beach volleyball coach Andrew Fuller, while balancing a demanding academic schedule with training and competing in both sports.

She played in beach volleyball matches Friday, winning against San Francisco and suffering a tough three-set loss against San Jose State, although the Cardinal won both matches. Following a quick turnaround, Gray helped Stanford prevail for the third consecutive year against Cal with an 85-74 victory in the 38th all-time women's meeting Saturday in their storied rivalry.

"Communication has been the No. 1 thing, just between scheduling and me telling them how I'm actually feeling and being honest about my shoulder and telling them if I need to hold back or if I'm good to go," Gray said. "Plus, this is my first time playing beach volleyball, so adjusting to the sand and really having to push hard to jump. But everything has been really great with helping my explosiveness on the runway."

Although all of her coaches are supporting in Gray's decision to be a three-sport athlete, it has been her desire to not only throw the javelin in college, but compete at the Pac-12 Championships and continue to set bigger goals to aspire to in the postseason.

"The fact that she wanted to do it, even though she wasn't recruited through the track program at all is huge," Sion said. "She's a great addition to the group because of her demeanor and her attitude and everything else."

Perhaps her championship experience and will to excel at the highest level, demonstrated by leading the youngest women's volleyball team in NCAA Division 1 history to the seventh all-time title for the Cardinal, could be the biggest intangibles for a Stanford women's track and field team seeking its first conference crown since 2005.

"There's a certain level of drive just wanting to achieve that, but there is another level when you've achieved it and you know that feeling and you want to achieve it again," Gray said. "In indoor, we couldn't clinch a Pac-12 title, so a big goal of mine is trying to clinch it in track and field. I'm definitely trying to contribute as much as I can to the team as a whole, so we can accomplish greater goals."