Hutchins, Ellsworth record top-10 times at Camel City

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Jenna Hutchins and Alena Ellsworth clocked top-10 times as No. 22 BYU women’s track and field was represented by eight distance runners at the Camel City Invitational at JDL Fast Track on Saturday.

Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Jenna Hutchins and Riley Chamberlain finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, in the 3000-meters Elite race. Halladay-Lowry led the BYU women across the finish with a time of 9:10.20. Hutchins then crossed at 9:13.97, good for No. 10 all-time at BYU. The sophomore from Johnson City, Tennessee did so in just her first collegiate career indoor meet. Chamberlain set a personal best at 9:16.10, an improvement of over three seconds from her previous best set in Boston on Dec. 3.

The BYU trio faced a field of professional and top collegiate runners including Kelsey Chmiel of No. 7 NC State. A podium finisher at indoor nationals a season ago, Chmiel took first among collegiate runners in the 3000 at 8:59.25.

Ellsworth followed-up Hutchins’ top-10 performance with one of her own in the 800-meters Elite race. The veteran mid-distance specialist from Gilbert, Arizona clocked-in at 2:05.05, a personal-best time and good for 10th in program history. Ellsworth took second among collegiate runners, beating Star Price and Hannah Ballowe of No. 18 Virginia Tech along with Virginia’s Esther Seeland.

Claire Seymour took eighth in the 800 at 2:07.46. Carmen Alder, Heather Hanson and Alissa Fielding finished off the day taking eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, in the mile.

Women's distance returns to action in Boston at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational Feb. 10-11.