Distance runners stand out at BYU's first outdoor meet

LOS ANGELES – Makenna Smith and James Tracy led the way for BYU track and field as the team competed in the Southern California Trojan Invitational this weekend.

"All in all it was a great first outdoor meet for us," BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. "We had eight or nine marks that should hold up as regional-qualifying marks, and we learned a lot about what we have to work with this outdoor season."

Smith finished second in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:26.07, three seconds faster than her time in the same meet last season. Coming in after Smith were teammates Madelyn Brooks (4:30.84), Alyssa Steed (4:36.30) and Erika Nash (4:38.17), who finished third, fourth and fifth in the event.

In the discus, Dailyn Johnson took fourth with a throw of 48.09 meters, which is now the eighth-best outdoor discus mark in school history

Jennica Redd won the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:31.12.

Alyssa Monteverde-Dalton ran a 13.73 in the 100-meter hurdles to take second place.

On the men's side, James Tracy placed first in a field of all BYU runners in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:53.16, a new personal record for the senior.

Freshman Cam Dopp won his first outdoor race of his young career with a time of 51.90 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Zachary Stetler finished third in the shot put (17.80 meters) and fifth in the discus (51.12 meters).

BYU also sent some of its decathletes, heptathletes and jumpers to the UNLV Spring Invitational over the weekend, and more information about that meet will be posted as soon as it's available.

The Cougars head to Austin next week to participate in the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.