BYU women's cross country gears up for 2019 season opener

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s cross country team will open its 2019 season at the Big Wave Invitational in Kahuku, HI on Saturday, Aug. 31.  

Coming off a seventh-place finish at last year’s NCAA Cross Country Nationals, the women are anticipating a strong start to the new year. The women’s team enters the season ranked No. 6 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason national rankings released on Tuesday. 

“We’re excited for this meet particularly because it’s a low pressure meet for us,” BYU associate head women’s coach Diljeet Taylor said. “We’re just trying to put in some work in early in the season before we gear up for pre-Nationals and conference next month. We’re going to work on pack running and working as a group. I’d like to see what kind of shape the women are in after the summer.” 

Along with BYU, the Hawai'i Big Wave Invitational will feature George Fox University, HPU, UH Hilo, Chaminade and Pacific (California). 

All-Americans Erica Birk-Jarvis and Courtney Wayment will be returning, along with first team All-WCC honorees – Anna Camp-Bennett, Aubrey Frentheway, Olivia Hoj and Sara Musselman. Junior Whittni Orton will also gear up to compete after returning from injury last season. 

In the 2018 season, Birk-Jarvis placed seventh overall at Nationals with Wayment close behind in 23rd, making it the first time since 2003 that the women’s team has had multiple All-Americans and the highest finish since 2003. 

Taylor is also looking forward to seeing how freshmen Ember Stratton and Sophie Lasswell perform with the team. “This is a great experience for them,” Taylor said. “They’ve worked hard over the summer so I’m excited to see how they fit in with our returners.”

Women’s Team Notables

• The Cougars ranked No. 6 in the USTFCCCA preseason national rankings
• BYU women’s cross country team will be returning two All-Americans, Erica Birk-Jarvis and Courtney Wayment
• In the 2018 season, the women finished seventh at the NCAA National Championship and claimed the WCC Championship title

“Ultimately this is an opportunity for us to have a great experience in Hawaii, get a good tempo run in and see what kind of work we need to do after that,” Taylor said. 

The Big Wave Invitational will be hosted at University of Hawai'i’s Kahuku Golf Course starting at 7:45 a.m. HT. Follow @BYUTFXC on Twitter for team updates. Live stats will be available on the BYU women’s cross country schedule page by the day of competition.