SACRAMENTO -- Behind junior Josh McAdam's near-record performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, all seven BYU athletes who competed on Wednesday will advance to either final or semi-final competition at the 2005 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Sacramento.
McAdams, a junior from Broadview Heights, Ohio, eclipsed his personal-best by over six seconds and recorded the second fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time in school history, earning a spot in Friday's final. McAdams turned in a time of 8:34.84 to finish third in the first heat on Wednesday.
"Any time you beat your personal-best by over six seconds, your doing something right," BYU men's coach Mark Robison said. "They were running really fast today, and the great thing is, I think Josh is capable of running even faster. He had an unbelievable day. I couldn't be more pleased with how the entire day went."
BYU pole vaulters Robison Pratt and Trent Powell were the only competitors to pass the opening height on Wednesday, and went on to tie for the lead with a clearance of 16-10.75 after a one-hour rain delay. Both will advance to the finals in the pole vault on Friday.
In the women's long jump, sophomore Amy Menlove earned an invitation to Thursday's finals with a qualifying jump of 20-05.00.
Senior Aneta Lemiesz cruised to a second-place finish in the opening round of competition in the 800 meters. Lemiesz turned in the second fastest qualifying time during Wednesday's opening round, completing the event in a time of 2:05.04. Lemiesz will compete in the semifinals on Thursday. The competition is gearing up to be a head-to-head battle for the championship between Lemiesz and Kansas States' Lysaira Roman-DelValle, who recorded the fastest qualifying time on Wednesday, 2:04.85.
In the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase, both Rena Chesser and Lisa Pratt also advanced to Friday's finals. Chesser finished fifth in Heat 2 with a time of 10:08.82, while Pratt finished 8th in the same heat with a time of 10:14.55.
The Cougars will return to action again on Thursday, competing in eight additional events, including finals in the women's long jump and the men's 10,000 meters.