SACRAMENTO -- A pair of BYU freshmen proved their strength by their qualifying performances at the NCAA Track and Field Championships Thursday.
Men's 400-meter Hurdles (First Round)
MWC Champion Chris Carter kept the field in check on the national scene, automatically qualifying for Friday's semifinals with a time of 50.69 in the 400-meter hurdles. Carter, a freshman from Ogden, Utah, finished second in his heat and had the eighth-fastest time overall. He has a season-best time of 49.67, set in his MWC Championship win.
Men's 1,500 Meters (Semifinal)
Kyle Perry, a freshman from Sandy, Utah, automatically qualified for finals in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:48.31. Perry fought his way out of the middle of the pack in the last lap and moved along the outside at a sprint to finish third in his heat and reserve his position in Saturday's finals. Teammate Dustin Bybee was not as fortunate, working his way forward from a slow start but missing qualification with his time of 3:54.79.
Men's Javelin (Qualifying)
Freshman Chris Reno threw the javelin for 206 feet 3 inches in his first national championships competition but did not qualify for the final rounds. Reno won the Mountain West Conference Championships this year with a throw of 222 feet 3 inches. The top throw in Thursday's competition came from North Carolina's Justin Ryncavage, who threw 243 feet 3 inches.
Women's Pole Vault (Qualifying)
School record-holder Mandy Kelly Lonsway reached 12 feet 9.5 inches in her national championship debut but was unable to make the qualifying height of 13 feet 5.25 inches. Lonsway had a personal record of 13 feet 5.5 inches that she set earlier this year.
Men's 4x400 Relay (Semifinal)
The 1,600-meter relay team of Nate Rencher, Paul Smith, Jake Garlick and Chris Carter could not hang on to the leader of the pack and finished behind the qualifying time. The men ran a time of 3:07.23, less than a second off their qualifying mark of 3:06.40.
Wednesday Addition: Men's Discus (Qualifying)
Wednesday's discus competition baffled many track supporters when an off day for Niklas Arrhenius ended his stay at the NCAA Championships. Arrhenius threw for 180 feet 4 inches but finished 13th in a field of only 12 qualifiers. Arrhenius is a two-time discus All-American and was ranked second in the nation entering this week's competition.
Qualifiers
Men
Chris Carter -- 400-meter Hurdles
Josh McAdams -- 3,000-meter Steeplechase
Dave Pendergrass -- High Jump
Kyle Perry -- 1,500 Meters
Robbie Pratt -- Pole Vault
Women
Rena Chesser -- 3,000-meter Steeplechase
Amy Fowler -- 3,000-meter Steeplechase