Jun 08 | 12:00 AM
Brigham Young University

43rd

Jenessa Mann | Posted: 13 Jun 2016 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Jenessa Mann

Collinsworth places third at Nationals and qualifies for U.S. Olympic trials

Image

EUGENE, Oregon – On the final day of the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships, junior Shea Collinsworth placed third overall in the 800m race, setting a personal record time of 2:02.83 on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. Her performance gave her NCAA first-team All-America honors and qualified her to compete in the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials.

Collinsworth was the only BYU athlete to compete on Saturday, and she represented the Cougars well.

“Today it was all about Shea Collinsworth,” said track and field head coach Ed Eyestone. “She put herself in a great position this weekend, and she knew what she had to do. She showed no fear and went out strong, starting right out with the leaders. She battled all the way to the finish line, and I was very proud of her effort. She is a very strong young lady, and she represented herself and the university very well.”

Collinsworth took .38 seconds off of her previous PR of 2:03.21 and came in at 2:02.83. Her new 800m record ranks No. 3 all-time at BYU.

Coach Patrick Shane coached Collinsworth throughout this season and championship weekend, and he was pleased with the maturity and confidence she showed on the big stage.  

“After placing seventh in the 2015 indoor championships and fifth the following year, she came into this race knowing that she had some unfinished business. She had her race planned to take the lead and make it an honest race and she came out and did just that. (Running her best time ever and finishing third) put a stamp of the validity on her career. I am just thrilled for her; she showed great maturity on her part, and she developed as a world-class 800-meter runner.”

Collinsworth's personal record time also hit the standard for qualification into this year’s U.S. Olympic trials. She will return to Eugene in the first week of July with men’s 800m runner Shaquille Walker where both will compete for a chance to represent the U.S in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Coach Eyestone has high hopes for both his athletes, and he looks forward to what they will produce at race time.

“They both have a nice shot of making it into the finals,” he said, “and once you make it to the final, it is just a matter of putting your best race together and hopefully punching your ticket to Rio.”

The men's team finished tied for 36th place overall with six points, and the women's team also finished with six points, tied for 43rd overall. With the weekend and outdoor season coming to a close, Coach Eyestone is proud of the way his team ran and competed.

“It was a learning experience for a lot of our guys,” he said. “It was an opportunity for some of our younger people to get some experience. We had a number of people who ended up with second-team All-American honors, plus Shaq and Shea with first-team honors, and overall I was really pleased with how our people went out and battled.”

Day one recap. 

Day two recap.

Day three recap.

 

 
Jenessa Mann | Posted: 9 Jun 2016 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Jenessa Mann

Cougars to compete in NCAA Track and Field Championships

Image

PROVO, Utah – Nine individuals and one relay team will compete for BYU at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, beginning Wednesday, June 8, and finishing Saturday, June 11.

After strong performances from the Cougars in the West Prelims in Lawrence, Kansas, two weeks ago, BYU is the only men’s program to have an entry in every mid-distance/distance event contested at the championships.

Junior sprinter Shaquille Walker will compete in the men's 800m semifinal after placing first in his heat and second overall in Kansas. He enters the pool of 24 with the second-best 800m time in the nation with a mark of 1:44.99. Senior Jesse White will compete in the men's 400m semifinal, and both Walker and White will compete for the Cougars in the men's 4x400m relay, along with Mark Carlson and Tyrell Yardley.

Men’s distance runners Chase Horrocks, Aaron Fletcher, Connor McMillan and Rory Linkletter will represent BYU in the 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 10,000m and 5000m events, respectively. Junior Jackson Walker will compete in the decathlon, and having not gone through the preliminary stage in Kansas, he finished the season and enters the championships with a national ranking of No. 20.  

Women’s sprinter Shea Collinsworth will compete in the 800m semifinal on Thursday, coming into the competition with the third-best time in the nation.

Senior Zach Blackham will compete on Friday in the men’s high jump after clearing a mark of 2.16m and placing seventh at the preliminaries.

Competition begins Wednesday, with the opening events starting at 12:30 p.m. PDT at Hayward Field in Eugene. Each event will be broadcast on ESPN networks, and additional coverage and information can also be found here at NCAA.com. See below for a complete network coverage schedule. 

For the complete schedule of events, click here. Results can be found on the BYU schedule page as well.

Below is a schedule of BYU athletes’ events (all times PDT): 

Wednesday, June 8

Time Athlete Event
12:30 p.m. (PDT) Jackson Walker Men's 100m (Decathlon)
1:10 p.m. Jackson Walker Men's Long Jump (Decathlon)
2:25 p.m. Jackson Walker Men's Shot Put (Decathlon)
3:40 p.m. Jackson Walker Men's High Jump (Decathlon)
4:46 p.m. Chase Horrocks Men's 1500m (Semifinal)
5:02 p.m. Aaron Fletcher Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal)
6:00 p.m. Jesse White Men's 400m (Semifinal)
6:14 p.m. Shaquille Walker Men's 800m (Semifinal)
7:08 p.m. Connor McMillan Men's 10,000m (final)
7:48 p.m. Carlson, Walker, White, Yardley Men's 4x400m (Semifinal)

Thursday, June 9

Time Athlete Event
10:30 a.m. Jackson Walker Men's 110m Hurdles (Decathlon)
11:20 a.m. Jackson Walker Men's Discus Throw (Decathlon)
12:30 p.m. Jackson Walker Men's Pole Vault (Decathlon)
3:00 p.m. Jackson Walker Men's Javelin Throw (Decathlon)
6:14 p.m. Shea Collinsworth Women's 800m (Semifinal)
6:56 p.m. Jackson Walker Men's 1500m (Decathlon)

Friday, June 10

Time Athlete Event
5:00 p.m. Zach Blackham Men's High Jump (Final)
5:42 p.m. Chase Horrocks* Men's 1500m (Final)
5:54 p.m. Aaron Fletcher* Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Final)
6:32 p.m. Jesse White* Men's 400m (Final)
6:47 p.m. Shaquille Walker* Men's 800m (Final)
7:25 p.m. Rory Linkletter Men's 5000m (Final)

Saturday, June 11

Time Athlete Event
4:47 p.m. Shea Collinsworth* Women's 800m (Final)

*-- If qualified

Broadcast Schedule

Date Time (ET) Network
Wed., June 8 7:30-8:30 p.m. ESPNU
  8:30-11 p.m. ESPN2
  3:30-11:30 p.m. ESPN3
Thu., June 9 7:30-8 p.m. ESPNU
  8-10:30 p.m. ESPN
  1:30-11:30 p.m. ESPN3
Fri., June 10 8:30-11 p.m. ESPN
  3:30-11 p.m. ESPN3
Sat., June 11 6:30-9 p.m. ESPN
  2:30-9p.m. ESPN3