COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The BYU men’s track and field team was well represented this weekend at both the Washington Invitational and the Air Force Team Challenge, with athletes gaining both personal records and qualifying for nationals.

“The boys worked hard and did well this weekend,” head coach Mark Robison said. “I was pleased with the teams overall performance and look forward to building upon the efforts of this weekend.”

In Colorado Springs, BYU’s field events shined during the Air Force Team Challenge.  Two freshman particularly stood out, with Russell Nielson placing second in the high jump with his best markings since returning from serving and LDS mission, clearing 2.1-meters.  Brayden Bringhurst also placed second in the pole vault, clearing an impressive 5.00m.

Senior Kyle Mills place third in the triple jump, posting 14.64m and Joshua Weirich and Kevin Nielsen placed fourth and fifth in the heptathlon, with 5090 and 5087 points respectively.

In the 800m, senior Chris Carter also placed fourth, with a time of 1:55.02.

Up north, the distance runners held their own against the competition at the annual University of Washington Invitational.

“The kids in Washington did extremely well,” Robison said. “It was a very good weekend for the distance runners.  There was a lot of improvement and that’s always great to see.”

Miles Batty made his debut of the season in Washington, finishing third in the 3000m race, with a time of 7:49.58, one of the fastest times in BYU history in the 3000m.  With this time, Batty also qualified for nationals in the event and is ranked among the top in the country.

BYU was also well represented in the 800m.  Ryan Waite finished second in the event, with a time of 1:48.56, while Shaquille Walker and Justin Hedin finished fifth and eighth, posting times of 1:49.99 and 1:50.95 respectively.

Again, Cade Lindahl ran well in both the 200m and 400m, finishing second in the 400m, with a time of 47.43, and fourth in the 200m, finishing in 22.26.

And rounding out the distance runners, Rex Shields placed third in the mile, with an impressive time of 4:03.14

Next week, the team heads to New York to compete in the prestigious New Balance Invitational. This invitational will prove to be the toughest competition of the season so far.  The New Balance Invitational will span from Feb. 2-4.

CLICK HERE for complete results from the Washington Invitational. 

CLICK HERE for compete results from the Air Force Team Challenge. 

PROVO, Utah - As the BYU track & field teams enter their fourth week of competition, the teams will split to participate in two different meets this weekend.  The distance runners will head to Seattle, Wash. to participate in the Washington Invitational, while the rest of the team participates in the Air Force Team Challenge in Colorado Springs, Colo.

This weekend will be the debut for many distance athletes, including two-time national champion Miles Batty.  Batty, national champion in both the indoor mile and a member of the championship distance medley relay team, will participate in the 3000m race. 

Lacey Bleazard, another two-time national champion, will also be competing. Although it isn’t her first meet of the season, this weekend is the first time she will participate in her premiere race, the 800m.

At the Washington Invitational, the BYU distance runners will be competing against strong competition including Washington, California, Oregon State and UCLA.

Other teams participating in the Air Force Team Challenge include Air Force, Colorado, Long Beach State, UVU and Wyoming. 

The Washington Invitational will be held on both Friday and Saturday, whereas the Air Force Team Challenge will just be on Saturday. Results from the meet will be posted following the conclusion of the events.

Click here for more information regarding the Washington Invitational.

Click here for more information regarding the Air Force Team Challenge.