OREM, Utah — BYU track and field athletes began the UVU Invitational in a cross-town meet at the Hal Wing Track & Field on Thursday. 

Men's Recap

BYU men’s track and field qualified seven sprinters in preliminary action on Thursday. Four Cougars finished top-10 in the 200m heats. Spencer Carlile and Zac Marsden took third and fourth, respectively, each with times of 21.85. Asante Laryea-Akrong and Cortez Ruiz will join Carlile and Marsden in the 200m final Friday.

Marsden (11.27) and Laryea-Akrong (11.35) took fifth and seventh, respectively, in the 100m heats and will both compete in Friday’s final. AJ Beynon clocked 15.23 in the 110m hurdle preliminary and also advanced to a Friday final.

McKay Johns finished fifth in the 1500m with a time of 4:01.48.

Women's Recap
The Cougars began the day with two top-10 marks, one in the javelin and another in the 100m hurdles.

Nicole Freestone won the javelin throw with a personal best park of 48.92m/160-6, good for sixth all-time at BYU. Alex McAllister finished second in the event with a 48.17m/158-0.5.

With a first-place and personal best time of 13.39, Adaobi Tabugbo moved from No. 8 into a tie for fifth in school history in the 100m hurdles.

Tabugbo also clocked a 12.28 for a new personal best in the 100m prelims, advancing to Friday’s finals along with Taye Raymond (1st, 12.13), Dolita Awala-Shaw (5th, 12.49) and Emma Johnson (6th, 12.54).

Lauren Merrill was the lone Cougar competing in the pole vault. She finished fourth overall with a mark of 3.35m/11-0.

Three BYU athletes placed in the top-10 of the hammer throw: Sable Lohmeier El-Bakri (3rd, 56.49m/185-4), Jessica Thompson (5th, 50.62m/166-1) and Jayda Lee (8th 47.04m/157-8.5). Gretchen Hoekstre finished 11th with a mark of 45.45m/149-1.25.

The Cougars also had three athletes finish in the top-5 of the 200m prelims: Awala-Shaw (2nd, 24.74, PR), Layne Bolli (3rd, 24.84, PR) and My'Jah Mintze (5th, 25.00). All three will advance to Friday’s final. Awala-Shaw, Bolli and Camilla Andam (26.28) set personal bests in the event.

BYU will conclude the UVU Invitational on Friday, April 1, beginning with the men’s and women’s high jump at 10 a.m. MDT. The Cougars’ distance runners will also kick off action at the Stanford Invitational on Friday, starting with the men’s 5000m at 11:30 a.m. PDT and women’s 3000m steeplechase at 5:21 p.m. PDT.

PROVO, Utah — BYU men's and women's track and field will be featured at two meets this week with the UVU Hal Wing Collegiate Invitational on March 31-April 1 and the Stanford Invitational on April 1-2. 

Stanford Invitational

• Host: Stanford
• Venue: Cobb Track and Angell Field
• Schedule
  • April 1-2
  • Friday events begin at 6:06 p.m. PDT. Saturday events begin at 2:55 p.m. PDT
• Live Results
• Live Stream

UVU Hal Wing Collegiate Invitational 

• March 31-April 1
  • Events begin on both days at 10 a.m. MDT
• Venue: Hal Wing Track and Field on College Drive in Orem, Utah
  • Parking can be found in Lot L-14
• Fans: an entry fee of $5 is charged for those ages six and older 
• Schedule
• Live Results

Rankings & Recognition

The USTFCCCA spotlighted both BYU men's and women's programs in recent rankings and mid-season awards watchlists. 

The BYU women are currently positioned to repeat as Program of the Year recipients. With 10 points, the team is tied with NC State for No. 1 in the Program of the Year Mid-Year Standings. 

Each season, the organization awards NCAA Division I Program of the Year to the men's and women's programs with the best team finishes at each of the three championships, (cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field). 

BYU distance runner Courtney Wayment has been at home on The Bowerman Women's Watch List since the start of indoor season and remained there in the award's latest list. The Bowerman is the premiere award in collegiate track and field, equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in FBS football. 

While the women were one spot out of the top-25, the BYU men came in at No. 17 in the USTFCCCA's first national rankings of the outdoor season on Monday. 

USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women's Program of the Year Mid-Year Standings

The Bowerman Women's Watch List // Post-Indoor Season Edition