Track and field embarks on indoor season in Boston

PROVO, Utah — BYU track and field embarks on its 2023 indoor season at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday.

Meet Information

• Host: Boston University
• Venue: BU Track and Tennis Center
• Time: 11:15 a.m. EST
• Live Stream: FloTrack ($)
• Further Details

BYU will only compete distance athletes in Boston on Saturday. Distance events begin with the women’s mile at 9:05 a.m. EST.

Women’s Indoor Season Preview

Despite losing defending 5000m national champion Courtney Wayment and All-American pentathlete Halley Folsom Walker, BYU women’s track and field returns five All-Americans from its 2022 team.

Claire Seymour returns for the Cougars after a national runner-up season in the women’s 800m. The senior from Modesto, California clocked-in at 2:01.96 to finish second and earn First Team All-American honors at the 2022 NCAA National Championships. Seymour owns the program’s No. 2 all-time 800m spot with at 2:02.20 set at the 2021 Husky Classic.

This season Seymour looks to surpass Shea Collinsworth’s school record of 2:01.42 set at the Iowa State Classic in 2017.

Cierra Tidwell-Allphin joined Seymour as a first teamer a season ago with a clearance of 1.78m/5-10 in the women’s national high jump final. Tidwell-Allphin enters the season tied with Melinda Hale (1998) and Ada Robinson (2011) for No. 3 all-time at BYU with an indoor high jump mark of 1.86m/6-1.25.

Carmen Alder and Meghan Hunter return from a BYU distance medley relay team that earned Second Team All-American honors last season. The combination of Alder, Hunter and departed athletes Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes and Kate Hunter produced a ninth-place time of 11:06.64 at 2022 indoor nationals.

Cailee Faulkner looks to take her next step after a promising start to her BYU career as a freshman a season ago. The sophomore from Mesa, Arizona cleared a school record 4.36m/14-3.75 at the BYU Indoor Invitational in February 2022.

Men's Indoor Season Preview

BYU men's track and field returns one indoor All-American (Second Team) from the 2022 season in pole vault standout Caleb Witsken.

Witsken, a senior, will aim to build off last season's 10th-place finish at the NCAA Division I Indoor National Championships. He is No. 3 all-time at BYU in the men's indoor pole vault with a clearance of 5.55m/18-2.5 set at the BYU Indoor Invitational II.

Senior distance runner Casey Clinger returns after competing in two meets during the 2022 indoor season. In 2021, he clocked the second-best 5000m indoor time in school history with a 13:28.79 time at the UW Invite.

This season Clinger will look to break former teammate Conner Mantz's 5000m school record of 13:28.00 set in 2021.

Dallin Vorkink, a senior multi athlete from Kirksville Missouri, enters the season aiming to build on a No. 4 all-time BYU heptathlon record in 2022 (5,618 points) and MPSF All-Academic Team honors. He also took home the 2022 MPSF heptathlon crown to become the first BYU heptathlete to win a conference title since Phillip Bettis in 2010.

The Cougars return a number of athletes who contributed to indoor conference titles in their respective events. Spencer Carlile and Jace Jensen are two members of the 4x400m team that claimed an MPSF Indoor Championship in 2022. Brandon Garnica, Kenneth Rooks and Joey Nokes each return having won the distance medley relay MPSF indoor title.

Dallin Draper enters his sophomore season as the defending conference champion of the 200m and 60m. Additional defending conference first-place finishers include Zach Erikson (5000m) and Danny Bryant (shot put).

Indoor Season Schedule

Following the season opening meet in Boston, BYU track and field will compete at the first of three home meets on Dec. 8-10. The Cougars will make two more appearances at the Smith Fieldhouse on Jan. 12-14 and Feb. 23-25.

The Cougars will then travel to the Air Force and Razorback Invitationals in the closing weeks of January before dividing the team between Boston’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational and Texas Tech’s Jarvis Scott Open on Feb. 10-11.

The final weeks of February include travel to the MPSF Indoor Track and Field Championships in Spokane, Washington on Feb. 17-18 and to the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite in Seattle, Washington Feb. 24-25.

In 2022, BYU men’s track and field looks to win its fourth-consecutive MPSF title while the women seek their second-straight.

Each of these meets serve as preparation to compete in the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field National Championships held March 10-11 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.