Men Finish Second at USC, Succeed at UVU Invitational

LOS -- Splitting between the USC Trojan Tri-Meet and the UVU Invitational, the No. 11 men’s track team enjoyed terrific weather to ensure quality performances.

At USC, the Cougars managed to finish second behind the Trojans, finishing with 121.5 total points despite missing several athletes who stayed behind.

"It was pretty good, we had some great performances," head coach Mark Robison said. "We had good weather, good facilities and good progress. We look good moving forward."

In the 200m, sophomore James Derek McAllister (22.01) finished second and junior Steven Hart (22.52) grabbed a fifth place spot to contribute to the scoring total. Hart also picked up a fourth place finish in the 400m with a time of 49.07.

Senior James Heiner and sophomore Ryan Jones went second and third in the 800m in times of 1:51.95 and 1:53.65, respectively. Junior Justin Hedin ran the 1500m and finished in a time of 3:51.54 for a second-place finish. Freshman Taylor Farnsworth helped out in the 3000m, taking first place with a time of 8:33.49.

The 3000m steeplechase was a strong event for BYU, nabbing the top two spots. Senior Regan Frey won with a time of 9:14.73 and freshman Mitchell Briggs was right behind with a 9:18.72.

The Cougars claimed the top three marks in the pole vault. Sophomore Victor Weirich took first, clearing 5.22m (17-01.50). Senior Tanner Emrich (5.02m, 16-05.50) finished second and freshman Tyler Brown (5.02m, 16-05.50) finished in third place.

Freshman Zachary Stetler was a star in the throwing events, winning two individual events. With a throw of 15.73m (51-07.25) he claimed the shot put title and in the discus he hit a mark of 51.45m (168-09) to win.

In the first ever UVU Invitational on Friday, the Cougars sent a few athletes to compete closer to home. Those that competed came away with good marks.

Freshman Kyle Turner took second place in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.22 and freshman Joshua Weirich followed with sixth-place finish in 16.22. In the 100m dash, Turner and Weirich also took fifth and ninth place, respectively.

Competing in the 800m, sophomore Cade Lindahl took second place in a time of 1:54.43 and freshman Mario Harper took seventh, clocking a 2:01.36.

BYU also went one-two in the javelin throw with senior Sean Richardson taking the top spot with a 70.38m (230-10.75) and junior Chris Reno as runner-up with a mark of 61.83m (202-10.25).

Senior Trevor Heiner continued his dominance in the high jump, clearing a height of 2.10m (6-10.75) for the win.

The men will continue the outdoor track and field season next weekend as the team sends athletes to the Texas Relays, Sun Angel Classic and Utah Invitational.