PROVO, Utah – BYU track and field qualified a program-high 69 entries to the 2021 NCAA West Preliminary Round, marking the most combined men’s and women’s entries by any NCAA Division I program this season.
The Cougars have set program highs in regional entries the last three seasons. In 2018, BYU had 58 entries to the regional meet and increased that number to 59 the following outdoor season in 2019. Following the cancelation of the 2020 outdoor season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougars improved their combined entries to 69 this year.
BYU’s 69 combined entries are the most amongst NCAA Division I programs this season. Oregon has the second-most combined entries with 61 and is followed by Texas Tech who has 60.
The No. 5 BYU men’s team qualified 34 entries for the second season in a row, tying Oregon for the most men’s regional entries in the nation. The No. 16 BYU women’s team secured the second-most women’s entries in the nation with 35, just one behind Texas Tech’s 36 entries.
The BYU men’s team boasts the top-ranked 1500m squad and 3000m steeplechase squad in the nation. The men also have the No. 2 5000m squad, No. 3 javelin squad, No. 4 10,000m squad and No. 5 pole vault squad.
The BYU women’s team heads into the championship season with the top-ranked 1500m squad in the nation. The women also have the No. 2 javelin squad, No. 2 3000m steeplechase squad and No. 2 800m squad.
For each individual event at each of the preliminary round sites, the top 48 declared student-athletes were accepted into the competition. For each relay event, the top 24 declared relay teams were accepted into the competition. The top 12 performers from each event at each of the two NCAA preliminary rounds will advance to the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Each athlete is seeded based on his or her qualifying time or mark. The Cougars had 30 entries seeded in the top 15 of their respective events, including 15 entries that are seeded in the top 5. A comprehensive list of BYU regional qualifiers is included in the table below.
The NCAA West Preliminary Round will be hosted in College Station, Texas. The four-day meet will begin Wednesday, May 26, and conclude on Saturday, May 29.
Complete list of regional entries: Men | Women
NCAA West Prelims: Schedule | General Information
BYU WOMEN'S REGIONAL ENTRIES
| Event | Athletes and Seed Number |
|---|---|
| 100m | Jaslyn Gardner (No. 17) |
| 800m | Anna Camp-Bennett (No. 3) |
1500m | Whittni Orton (No. 3) |
| 5000m | Whittni Orton (No. 1) |
| 10,000m | Aubrey Frentheway (No. 9) |
| 100m Hurdles | Adaobi Tabugbo (No. 48) |
| 400m Hurdles | Halley Folsom Walker (No. 20) |
| 3000m Steeplechase | Courtney Wayment (No. 1) |
| 4x400m | BYU (No. 15) |
High Jump | Cierra Tidwell Allphin (No. 18) |
| Shot Put | Gretchen Hoekstre (No. 28) |
| Discus | Sable Lohmeier El-Bakri (No. 27) |
| Javelin | Ashton Riner (No. 1) |
BYU MEN'S REGIONAL ENTRIES
| Event | Athlete and Seed No. |
|---|---|
| 200m | Dallin Draper (No. 39) |
| 400m | Michael Bluth (No. 8) |
1500m | Lucas Bons (No. 2) |
| 5000m | Casey Clinger (No. 6) |
| 10,000m | Conner Mantz (No. 1) |
| 400m Hurdles | Colten Yardley (No. 15) |
| 3000m Steeplechase | Garrett Marsing (No. 3) Clayson Shumway (No. 8) Matt Owens (No. 16) Adam Wood (No. 19) Kramer Morton (No. 29) |
| 4x100m | BYU (No. 13) |
| 4x400m | BYU (No. 13) |
| High Jump | Jacob Veres (No. 17) |
| Pole Vault | Zach McWhorter (No. 4) |
| Triple Jump | Rickey Fantroy Jr. (No. 6) |
| Discus Throw | Dallin Shurts (No. 10) |
| Javelin | Cameron Bates (No. 2) |