Outdoor season begins in Los Angeles

PROVO, Utah – BYU track and field opens up its outdoor season this Friday and Saturday at the Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles.

“This weekend really marks the first outdoor meet of the season. It sets the tone and we hope to get some more regional qualifiers,” BYU track and field head coach Ed Eyestone said. “It will be a good opportunity for some of the athletes to post marks that will hopefully get them through to the regional meet. This will also be a great chance for those who were de-emphasized during the indoor season to come out swinging.”

Eyestone says most of the athletes competing this weekend were either regional qualifiers or those close to qualifying last year.

Male athletes who will compete, among others, this weekend include distance runners Mitchell Briggs and Aaron Fletcher. Sophomore Tyler Crofts will make his season debut in the steeplechase. Middle distance runners Connor Ross and Marcus Dickson, who both normally run the 800 meters, will be running the 1500 meters.

Female athletes who will make the trip include middle distance runners Kaylee Packham, Madelyn Brooks and Lauren Ellsworth. Packham and Brooks are expected to participate in longer distance events. Ellsworth, a freshman, will be running the 800 meters.

Multi-event athletes, high jumpers and pole vaulters will also be in action Thursday through Saturday. They will be heading to Las Vegas to compete in the UNLV Spring Invitational/Shelia Tarr-Smith Multis.

“Our main goal is to increase the number of people we get to the NCAA and regional meets this outdoor season,” Eyestone said. “We had a good group go last year, but we’d like to improve and continue to get more and more people not just to the regional meet, but to the national meet. Our focus is on making it to nationals.”

For complete meet results, visit the BYU women's track and field schedule page.