Cougars Prepare to Send 11 to Nationals

PROVO, Utah — The Cougars will send 11 athletes in 13 total entries to the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 13-14.

The BYU men are coming off a victory at the MPSF Championships for the second-straight season and the women saw four athletes move up the record boards in their respective events en route to an eighth-place finish in the conference.

For the men, Talem Franco will run the mile (3:58.09) as well as the mile leg in the men’s DMR. Franco is currently No. 3 all-time at BYU in the men’s indoor mile. He will be joined by teammate Jacob Heslington who will compete in the men’s 5000m (13:39.05). Heslington is No. 3 in the men's 5000m in Cougar history.

Freshman pole vaulter Zach McWhorter (5.61m/18’ 4.75”) will also make his national championships debut. McWhorter is No. 2 all-time in program history and is seventh in the nation in the pole vault.

The men’s DMR team (9:30.28) will consist of Matt Owens, Colten Yardley, Michael Bluth and Franco. The relay team is seeded sixth in the country. 

All-American Whittni Orton, who remains a contender on the 2020 Women’s Bowerman Watch List, is set to compete in the 3000m (8:49.63) and in the women’s DMR (distance medley relay). Orton is seeded first in the 3000m and broke three individual program records (women’s mile, 3000m, 5000m) this season as well as being a member of the school-record DMR team. 

Also competing for the Cougar women are school-record-holder Elise Romney (4.31m/14’ 1.75”) in the pole vault and Alena Ellsworth, Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes and Anna Camp-Bennett in the women’s DMR (10:53.95). The school-record DMR team also has the fastest time in the country and is seeded first. 

Ellsworth-Barnes moved up to No. 6 all-time in the women's 800m (2:04.79), Camp-Bennett made history in two events — the women's mile (4:38.54) and 800m (2:04.19), moving up to No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. Ellsworth also is now a dual top-10 record board member in the women's 800m (2:05.85) and the 400m (55.59), good for No. 9 and No. 10 all-time. 

The national meet will be broadcast on ESPN3, with events beginning in the morning on Friday, March 13 and will continue until Saturday evening, March 14.