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Braden Taylor | Posted: 10 May 2019 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Braden Taylor

Stapleton-Johnson clears 1.89m to set school record

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PROVO, Utah – All-American Andrea Stapleton-Johnson broke the BYU school record in the high jump at the BYU Invitational on Friday.

In her last meet of the regular season, the senior cleared 1.89m/6-2.5 to surpass the previous record of 1.88m/6-2 that was set by Melinda Boice Hale in 1994. Stapleton-Johnson’s record-breaking jump is also the best height cleared in the NCAA this season and she will likely enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed.

Stapleton-Johnson is the second member of her family to set a BYU high jump record. Her father, Dave Stapleton, has held the men’s outdoor high jump record since 1983 when he cleared 2.27m/7-5.5.

The Cougars also had another school record broken on Thursday at the BYU Invitational. All-American Brenna Porter clocked 56.89 to set a new school record in the 400m hurdles. Porter broke the previous record of 57.08 that was set 20 years ago by Julie Bennion in 1999. 

At the conclusion of the men’s decathlon on Friday, Brian Matthews set a personal-record 7335 points. Matthews had career-best performances in the 100m (11.09), Long Jump (6.99m/22-11.25) and 1500m (4:44.09). The junior is currently on the bubble for qualifying for the NCAA Championships. He must be ranked amongst the top 24 decathletes in the nation at the end of the regular season to earn an entry to Nationals.

Full results from the BYU Invitational can be found on runnercard.com. For a recap of the first day of competition, click here.

The Cougars will finish up the regular season at the Oxy Invitational on Saturday, May 11. The Oxy Invite will take place at Bill Henry Track in Los Angeles, California. Lives results and a meet schedule can be found on oxyathletics.com.

 

 
Natalie Lopez | Posted: 8 May 2019 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Natalie Lopez

Cougars set to host last meet of regular season

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PROVO, Utah – BYU track and field will host the final meet of the regular season, the BYU Cougar Invitational, at home at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex, May 9-10. A majority of the team will also travel to the Oxy Invitational to compete on Saturday, May 11.

“The BYU Cougar Invitational is our last chance at home to improve on marks and sharpen up before the first round of the NCAA Championships,” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. “We’re two weeks out from the NCAA West Prelims and it’s important to have a solid competition. The Oxy Invitational will be great prep for the national meet.”

The No. 3/12 Cougars are looking to earn and improve their regional qualifying marks one last time before the NCAA West Prelims on May 23-25. The BYU Cougar Invitational also provides another opportunity for fans and family to see the Cougars compete at home.

Eyestone is looking forward to seeing decathlete Brian Matthews compete this weekend. Matthews scored a season-best 7280 points at the BYU Robison Invitational the last time he competed at home. Matthews hopes to earn above 7400 points to solidify his spot for Nationals. The decathlon squad is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to the USTFCCCA.

“The top-24 make it to Nationals,” Eyestone said. “Since this is conference weekend, there will probably be other decathletes with strong performances, so he’s hoping to score above 7400 points to keep his spot in the top-24 and compete at Nationals.”

At the BYU Cougar Invitational, the BYU men’s team plans to assemble a strong 4x100m relay team to earn a regional-qualifying mark. The team will consist of Andrew Stuart, Michael Bluth, Abram Schaap and Derek Sorensen.

“On the men’s side, we’re going to try and get the 4x100m qualified,” Eyestone said. "The other relay teams have qualified, so this is an important race for the squad.”

Javelin throwers Michael Whittaker and Kraymer Eppich are on the bubble and hope to position themselves to potentially qualify for the 2019 NCAA West Prelims.

Several athletes will travel to the Oxy Invitational after the BYU Cougar Invitational to join the rest of the team competing in California.

Eyestone noted that freshman Brandon Garnica hopes to get a regional-qualifying time in the 5000m. Danny Carney will also be running in the 5000m – his first race since the Stanford Invitational earlier this season.

The Oxy Invitational also provides one more opportunity for senior Madey Dickson to compete in the 1500m. Last weekend at the Payton Jordan Invitational, Dickson earned a season-best 4:26.27.

Follow @BYUTFXC on Twitter for team updates. Live stats can be found on runnercard.com and a schedule of events can be found here.