Men Win Four Events, Hold Significant Lead

ALBUQUERQUE -- Consistently battling the windy weather throughout the day, the BYU men’s track and field team was able to put together a successful day three of the MWC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with four event victories and several final qualifications.

“I think we had a phenomenal day,” BYU head coach Mark Robison said. “We had quite a few lifetime and season bests, and to come away with four event wins on day one is very impressive and good for our team.”

The men got off to a very quick start on Friday morning, finishing first and second in both the hammer throw and 3000m steeplechase. The finishes gave the men 36 combined points and pushed them into an early, commanding lead.

Leif Arrhenius threw a personal best 62.77m (205-11) to win the hammer competition by more than three feet. Fellow BYU thrower Oliver Whaley came in second with his personal best toss of 61.78m (202-08).

Arrhenius won his second event of the day in the men’s discus with a toss of 57.84m (189-09). Daniel Lawson also scored in the event, moving up from seventh place to fourth place with his final throw of 49.71m (163-01).

Senior Richard Nelson ran well through the violent winds in the 3000m steeplechase, posting the top time of 9:14.32. Ryan Merriman, also in his final MWC Outdoor meet, placed second in 9:16.75. Also scoring points in the event for the Cougars were Regan Frey (9:23.11) in fourth and Josh Adams (9:27.61) in sixth.

Trevor Heiner performed well in the high jump, winning the event with a leap of 2.10m (6-10.75). Phillip Bettis also scored for the Cougars, finishing eighth in the event with a jump of 1.82m (5-11.50).

In the hurdle events, Tanner Emrich (15.08) and Lance Walker (15.12) both qualified in the 110m hurdle race. In the 400m hurdles, senior Bryan Payne ran the top time of 52.19, with teammate Kevin Ahlstrom qualifying second in 52.25 and Walker ranking sixth in 52.90.

“The wind significantly impacted the results of several events,” Robison said. “The wind here is constantly changing directions, so it’s tough to run in. The steeplechase and 400m hurdles guys put up incredible times for this weather.”

In the long jump, Anse Myller DeAraujo led the Cougars with a third-place finish with his season-best jump of 7.36m (24-01.75). Phillip Bettis placed seventh in the event with a leap of 7.07m (23-02.50) and Aaron Powell snagged eighth with his jump of 7.04m (23-01.25).

Ryan Waite (1:52.88) qualified in second in the 800m run, just behind one-mile National Champion Lee Emanuel of New Mexico. Brian Weirich qualified in fourth for the Cougars, crossing the line in 1:53.13.

The 10000m was the final event contested on day three, and junior Jonathon Kotter finished second in the event in 31:45.83 to score eight more points for the Cougars.

Heading into the final day of competition, BYU holds a strong lead with 94 points. The second place Rams of Colorado State have 58 points, and third place New Mexico has 47 points. Competition will continue Saturday at 12:00 p.m. MST with the men’s pole vault and women’s 4x100m relay.

Live results can be found at themwc.org and golobos.com.