LAS VEGAS – Four BYU track and field athletes earned spots on the BYU Top 10 board at the UNLV Invitational this weekend.
Competing in his first meet since the 2020 indoor season, Rickey Fantroy Jr. had a career season debut in the men’s triple jump. The senior won the event with a jump of 16.37m/53-8.5 and moved up to No. 4 on the BYU all-time list.
Freshman Gretchen Hoesktre finished with a toss of 15.17m/49-9.25 in the women’s shot put, marking the fourth-best mark in BYU history. Hoesktre came back later on Saturday to take second place in the discus with a throw of 48.43m/158-11.
One week after taking 15th in the pentathlon at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, All-American Halley Folsom Walker opened her outdoor season recording the ninth-best heptathlon score in school history. The senior earned personal records in the 100m hurdles (14.64), 200m (26.00) and Javelin (37.05m/121-7) to finish with a career-best 5,271 points.
Sophomore Libby Parkinson recorded the tenth-best javelin throw all-time at BYU with a toss of 47.71m/156-6. The performance marks the third BYU javelin thrower to move up the BYU Top 10 list in the first two weeks of the season.
Dallin Vorkink won the men’s decathlon with a career-best 7,316 points. The junior recorded personal records in the long jump (6.56m/21-6.25), 400m (51.88), discus (40.00m/131-3), javelin (61.66m/202-3) and 1500m (4:42.09).
Freshman Jacob Veres cleared 2.14m/7-0.25 to win the men’s high jump while Cierra Tidwell-Allphin took second place in the women’s high jump with a mark of 1.72m/5-7.75.
Freshman Camilla Andam won the women’s long jump with a mark of 5.78m/18-11.75. In the men’s long jump, junior Conner Kennedy placed third with a jump of 7.38m/24-2.5.
Freshman Dallin Shurts took second place in his collegiate debut with a toss of 50.38m/165-3 to take second in the men’s discus.
Junior Jaslyn Garnder clocked an 11.46 in the 100m before doubling back to run a 23.79 in the 200m. All-American Michael Bluth ran a 21.00 to take third place in the men’s 200m while freshman Dallin Draper placed fifth with a time of 21.43.
Freshman Adaobi Tabugbo ran a 13.91 and junior Kayla Perry ran a 14.07 to go 3-4 in the women’s 100m hurdles. In the men’s 110m hurdles, senior Kyle Strauss (14.53), freshman Corey Johnson (14.55) and sophomore Jared Davis (14.57) finished 2-4 for the Cougars.
Sophomore All-American Zach McWhorter took first place in the men’s pole vault (5.40m/17-8.5) to open his outdoor season following his national runner-up performance at the indoor championships last week. In the women's pole vault, freshman Hannah Richardson and junior Isabel Neal went 1-2, both clearing 3.66m/12-0.
The Cougars will compete next March 25-27 at the Aztec Invitational and Texas Relays. The Aztec Inviational will be held at the SDSU Sports Deck in San Diego while the Texas Relays will be at the Mike A. Myers Track Stadium in Austin, Texas.