PROVO, Utah – A successful 2014 Robison Invitational concluded on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex.
"It was an amazing meet,” BYU coach Ed Eyestone said. “This was the best meet of the year for us. We had regional marks improve and some athletes hit regional marks for the first time.”
Despite the rain, several Cougars turned in quality marks on the track and in the field on Saturday.
“It was good to get some experience running in the rain,” Eyestone said. “Nationals is held in Eugene, Ore., which is often a rainy place. As of today we have more than 40 regional qualifiers, almost to our overall team goal of 50.”
Two Cougars qualified for the regionals in the women’s 400 meter hurdles as sophomores Kaylee Packham and Allysa Hansen took second and third. Packham came in with a time of 59.72 while Hansen was close behind at 58.83.
The Cougars had two of the top five times in the women’s 200 meter race as seniors Arlene Gowar (24.38) and Kassie Jensen (24.51) took third and fifth, respectively.
Freshman Cherilyn Bunker won her event, taking the javelin by a narrow margin. Her throw measured 38.92 meters (127 feet, 8.25 inches) while Megan Loveland from Weber State was right behind with a mark of 38.49 meters (126 feet, 3.25 inches).
Junior Joseph Stull won the men’s hammer throw with a toss that measured 53.78 meters (176 feet, 5.25 inches). Freshman Craig Merkley was a close second behind Stull with a throw of 52.74 meters (173 feet, 0.5 inches).
The men’s 4x100 meter relay team took second with a time of 41.91. This weekend marked the track debut of Jamaal Williams, the starting running back from the football team. On Friday he ran the 100 meters in 11.1 seconds and on Saturday he ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay team that also included Kyle Turner, Tyler Sorensen and Fan Fan Charles.
The Cougars will remain at home next week to compete in the BYU Cougar Invitational on Thursday, May 1, at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex. The meet will begin at noon MT with the men’s hammer throw and women’s shot put. The final event, the men’s 4x400 relay, is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.