Image
Birmingham CrossPlex
2337 Bessemer Rd. Birmingham AL 35208
Joseph Hovey
| Posted: 11 Mar 2022 | Updated: 23 Mar 2022
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – BYU pole vaulters Zach McWhorter and Caleb Witsken each recorded top-10 finishes and garnered All-American honors at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships at the CrossPlex on Friday.
"It's safe to say that we have the No. 1 pole vault program in the country," said BYU director of track and field Ed Eyestone. "I'm very proud of the determination and focus shown by both Zach and Caleb."
McWhorter finished second with a clearance of 5.70m/18-8.25, good for First Team All-American honors. The sophomore pole vaulter has now finished national runner-up in back-to-back seasons while also claiming his third consecutive indoor All-American citation. McWhorter defeated Clayton Fritsch of Sam Houston State in a second straight meet after exceeding Fritsch’s clearance at the USATF Indoor Championships on Feb. 26.
Sondre Guttormsen of Princeton took home the individual national title.
"It was tough for Zach to come into this meet with a target on his back," said Eyestone. "He was well prepared and showed great mental fortitude to compete as well as he did knowing everyone was chasing him."
Witsken took 10th in Birmingham, Ala. as he cleared 5.45m/17-10.5 and was named Second Team All-America. The junior from Logandale, Nev. came in on top of opponents such as Eerick Haamer of South Dakota and Keaton Daniel of Kentucky, while finishing just short of Ohio State’s Luke Bendick. Witsken has now earned Second Team All-American honors in back-to-back indoor seasons.
Together, McWhorter and Witsken collected eight points for the BYU men and became, respectively, the 68th and 69th indoor All-Americans in program history.
Friday capped off a season of new heights for McWhorter. The Springdale, Arkansas native broke his own school record twice as he led all Division I men’s pole vaulters for much of the 2022 indoor campaign. McWhorter set the current BYU record of 5.85m/19-2.25 at the Columbia Challenge in New York City on Feb. 4. This ranked McWhorter No. 5 all-time in Division I, among former collegian greats such as KC Lightfoot of Baylor and LSU’s Mondo Duplantis.
Witsken likewise vaulted up the BYU record books with a clearance of 5.55m/18-2.5 at the BYU Indoor February Meet on Feb. 25. With the clearance, Witsken surpassed 2002 National Champion Jeff Hansen and now stands at No. 3 in school history.
Joseph Hovey
| Posted: 8 Mar 2022 | Updated: 21 Mar 2022
Joseph Hovey
Birmingham Bound: Track and Field athletes compete for Indoor national titles beginning Friday
Image
images
PROVO, Utah — Seven BYU track and field athletes and a relay squad will compete at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday and Saturday, March 11-12.
Courtney Wayment, Claire Seymour, Cierra Tidwell-Allphin, Halley Folsom Walker and Cailee Faulkner will represent the BYU women. The women’s distance medley relay team will also compete, though the runners will not be announced prior to the event.
Wayment leads a veteran group of BYU women into the national meet. The senior distance runner from Layton, Utah won individual indoor national titles a year ago in the 3000m and as a member of the DMR team. Seymour and Folsom Walker were each named 2021 All-Americans as well.
While the women look to defend national titles, the BYU men’s qualifiers look to bring home their first pole vault title since 2002. Zach McWhorter and Caleb Witsken arrive in Birmingham among the top-10 pole vaulters in the nation. McWhorter has clung to the national lead throughout the season, and rides a BYU and Division I season-best 5.85m/19-2.25 clearance into the CrossPlex.
McWhorter finished runner-up and Witsken sixth in 2021, as both also garnered All-American honors.
Watch the Cougars compete for indoor track and field supremacy with live coverage windows on ESPN3 at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. CST on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Live results will also be available throughout the weekend.
Friday Events
*All times CST // ^Final scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 (if qualified)
| Athlete | Event | Qualifying Time/Mark | Date Set | National Standing | Scheduled Event Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halley Folsom Walker | Pentathlon | 4,118 | Jan. 20 | No. 12 | 10:20 a.m. - 3:40 p.m.* |
| Zach McWhorter | Men's Pole Vault | 5.85m/19-2.25 | Feb. 4 | No. 1 | 3 p.m. |
| Caleb Witsken | Men's Pole Vault | 5.55m/18-2.5 | Feb. 25 | No. 7 | 3 p.m. |
| Cailee Faulkner | Women's Pole Vault | 4.36m/14-3.75 | Feb. 25 | T-15 | 6:45 p.m. |
| Claire Seymour | Women's 800m Semifinal^ | 2:04.03 | Feb. 12 | T-7 | 7:45 p.m. |
| Courtney Wayment | Women's 5000m | 15:15.46 | Dec. 4 | No. 1 | 8:05 p.m. |
| Women's DMR Team | Distance Medley Relay | 10:58.37 | Feb. 11 | No. 6 | 8:45 p.m. |
Saturday Events
*All times CST
| Athlete | Event | Qualifying Time/Mark | Date Set | National Standing | Scheduled Event Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cierra Tidwell-Allphin | Women's High Jump | 1.86m/6-1.25 | Feb. 11 | T-8 | 12:30 p.m.* |
| Courtney Wayment | Women's 3000m | 8:50.05 | Jan. 29 | No. 2 | 8 p.m. |
BYU Track and Field Indoor Nationals history
- 21 individual national champions (12 men, nine women)
- 67 men's indoor All-Americans dating back to 1967
- 159 women's indoor All-Americans dating back to 1980
- Highest men's team finish: 3rd (2011)
- 22 top-20 finishes
- 10 top-10
- 3 top-5
- Highest women's team finish: 3rd (2009)
- 27 top-20 finishes
- 12 top-10
- Three top-5
- 2021 team results
- Men: 16th
- Women: 7th
