MURRAY, Utah – BYU men’s and women’s cross country kicked off the season with the men’s team taking first place and the women’s team taking fourth overall in the Utah Open Invitational at Murray Park Friday afternoon.

“I think we did just what we were hoping we would do,” men’s coach Ed Eyestone said. “We were able to get in a good solid race and make it a workout style race. It was a good test for some of our younger guys.“

The top finisher for the Cougars in the 6k race for the men was Jonathan Nelson with a time of 19:19.0. His time was good for third overall. Close behind Nelson finishing second for BYU and fifth overall was Conner Peloquin with a time of 19:24.5.

The women used the race as an opportunity for some of their younger athletes to gain experience as they ran five freshmen and one sophomore in the 4k race.

“We achieved what we wanted to today,” women’s coach Patrick Shane said. “We got to take a look at the freshmen, give them a chance to put the Cougar uniform on and go out and represent and they did very well at that. Now, we’re focused on bringing it next week against Minnesota and UCLA at the Autumn Classic.”

In her first collegiate race, freshman Mckenzie Weir was the women’s top finisher for BYU placing ninth overall in 15:11.2.

“I felt like I started strong but I felt like I also had enough to finish hard too,” Mckenzie Weir said. “I was so nervous and tense. I just tried to tell myself it was just another race.”

Finishing second for BYU and 13th overall was Hannah Albrechtsen in 15:15.6 followed by Alyssa Steed with a time of 15:19.5 that was good for 16th overall.

Next up for both the men’s and women’s teams is the BYU Autumn Classic on Saturday, Sept. 13, with the men's race starting at 9:45 a.m. and the women's race 10:15 a.m. The course includes the outfield of the baseball field of Miller Park and the grass corridor between the track and Miller Park. 

Complete meet results can be found below.

PROVO, Utah – BYU cross country gets underway Friday as the men’s and women’s teams head to Murray City Park in Salt Lake City for the Utah Open. The meet will feature teams from Utah and Idaho.

Last year, the men’s team won the West Coast Conference title and finished fourth nationally. The Cougars look to build on their success despite losing three of their top four finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships.

“A lot of people would say this will be a rebuilding year, losing two All-Americans and a lot of experience and talent,” men’s head coach Ed Eyestone said. “But some new guys will contribute and our experienced guys will step up. I think we’ll be well represented."

Jonathan Nelson, Spencer Gardner, Conner Peloquin, Mitchell Briggs, Travis Fuller and Spencer Hanson will represent the team as attached runners.

Nelson is the Cougars’ top returning finisher from last year. He won last year’s Utah Open and placed third on the team at the NCAA Championships. Gardner scored points for the team at the West Coast Conference Championships and the NCAA Championships last season.

Peloquin, who redshirted last year, also adds experience to BYU’s young roster. He scored points at several meets and finished third among Cougar runners at the NCAA Championships in 2012.

The women’s team finished third in the WCC and 28th nationally last season. The team returns three of its four top finishers from last year’s NCAA Championships in Andrea Nelson Harrison, Natalie Shields and Makenna Smith.

Harrison earned the Cougars’ top spot in five of the six meets she competed in last year, including the conference and national championships.

With eight true freshmen on his team, women’s head coach Patrick Shane is excited to see what his younger runners will do in the first meet of the year.

“I want to see where they are at and how they stack up against race competition,” Shane said. “We haven’t had freshman talent like this in ten to 15 years.”

The races will begin at 3:00 MDT on Friday. The men’s race will be a 6k and the women’s race will be a 4k. Click here for more event information.