Top-10 marks and 800m win highlight BYU women's performance in Boston

BOSTON  — Casey Clinger's school record in 5,000-meter was just one of eight top-10 marks set by BYU men's and women's distance runners at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season-Opener hosted at Boston University on Saturday. 

Men's Recap

Entering the meet second all-time at BYU in the 5000m, Casey Clinger shattered Conner Mantz’s 2021, 13:28.00 top spot in BYU history to take the program crown and finish at 13:17.36 (ninth overall). In all, the Cougars remarkably chalked up three additional top-10 school records in the 5000m contest. Now five of BYU's top-10 5000m finishers in history are on the current roster.

Sophomore Joey Nokes vaulted to fourth in BYU history with a 13:33.69 time to surpass Clayton Young’s 2019 record, finishing 24th overall at the meet. Graduate transfer Christian Allen registered a personal best, 13:34.06 to cement his place in the BYU record books at fifth. Sophomore Davin Thompson joined the elite club of top-10 all-time to cross the line at 13:35.49, good for sixth in the program record books.

BYU fielded six runners in the 5000m: Casey Clinger, Joey Nokes, Christian Allen, Brandon Garnica, Davin Thompson and Aidan Troutner.

Senior Brandon Garnica finished at 13:34.25, just a few seconds shy of his still-standing, No. 3 all-time BYU record set last season. Aidan Troutner rounded out BYU’s six runners in the race with a 13:45.09 time, good for 45th overall and 10 seconds ahead of his previous personal best.

The men participated in two events, with sophomore Kenneth Rooks being the only athlete to represent the Cougars in the 3000m race. The Walla Walla, Washington native finished 13th with an 8:04.61 time.

Women's Recap

Four BYU women turned in top-10 performances in Boston on Saturday. Aubrey Frentheway and McKenna Lee-Hansen finished 16th and 23rd, respectively, in the women’s 5000m with personal records. Frentheway’s 15:42.19 ranks No. 3 all-time among BYU women’s indoor 5000m times. This marks two consecutive Boston Season Openers in which Frentheway has posted a personal record and top-10 time. Lee-Hansen’s 15:45.11 exceeds her previous best set at the Husky Classic in February 2022 and ranks No. 4 at BYU.

Both Frentheway and Lee-Hansen surpassed Laura Young Bluth’s 15:51.02 clocked in 2018.

The women’s 3,000-meters featured top-10 performances from Sadie Sargent and Carmen Alder. Sargent took 17th at 9:11.30, good for No. 7 in program history. Alder crossed at 9:15.20 to finish 19th and No. 9 at BYU. With her performance on Saturday, the sophomore from Southern Pines, North Carolina joins her mother Janeth Caizalatin Alder (9:13.68, 1996) in BYU’s 3000m pantheon.

Lexy Halladay-Lowry took BYU’s top spot in the 3000m with a 12th-place finish at 9:04.76, just two seconds off her personal best set there a season ago.

The Cougars crowded the top of the women’s 800-meters results led by Alena Ellsworth’s winning time of 2:06.40. Meghan Hunter (2:10.15) finished second with Heather Hanson, Jacey Farmer and Taylor Rohatinsky coming in fourth through sixth.

The Cougars return to the Smith Fieldhouse for the first of three indoor home meets beginning Dec. 8-9.