Wayment seizes steeplechase title, women finish ninth at NCAA Track & Field Championships

Wayment seizes steeplechase title, women finish ninth at NCAA Track & Field ChampionshipsWayment seizes steeplechase title, women finish ninth at NCAA Track & Field Championships

EUGENE, Ore. — Courtney Wayment capped off her BYU career winning the 3000-meter steeplechase title as No. 14 BYU women’s track and field finished ninth overall the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field on Saturday.

FULL RESULTS

“The plan was to rely on my fitness and all the things that I have done to get to this moment,” Wayment said. “If anyone was going to come with me, then I planned to put my foot on the gas a little bit more.”

Wayment clocked a personal best time of 9:16.00, breaking her own school record, the collegiate record and meet record, while also running the fifth-fastest time in U.S. history. She is the fourth BYU women’s athlete to win a steeplechase championship.

"It was a special way to cap off an incredible college career," BYU associate director of track and field Diljeet Taylor said. "She raced with extreme confidence and faith in her fitness and in the race plan."

The senior ran ahead early, trading stints in first with Auburn’s Joyce Kimeli, before seizing the position for good during the fourth lap, where should we begin to break away. As the rain fell harder at Hayward, Wayment ran faster, going on to win the third individual title of her career by 9.08 seconds.

When asked about which of her championships is the best, Wayment said, “Winning is the best one of all of them. As a freshman in 2017, I didn’t do very well at regionals, so my parents and I drove out to Eugene for Nationals and sat over there in the stands. I remember during the final, I sat there and sobbed because I wanted so badly to be on that track. Today was to inspire all of the people, all of the young women out there who are where I was in 2017. You can do it. You just have to give yourself a shot.”

Halley Folsom Walker placed 21st in the heptathlon long jump before setting a personal best and taking seventh in the javelin to put her in 15th place with the 800m remaining. The senior heptathlete closed out competition strong, winning the 800m by over four seconds at 2:08.59 to jump into eighth place in the heptathlon with 5,692 points.

In the high jump, Cierra Tidwell-Allphin finished tied for ninth with a clearance of 1.80m/5-10.75. The junior cleared 1.72m/5-7.75, 1.77m/5-9.75 and 1.80m/5-10.75 on her first attempts, before faltering out at 1.83m/6-0.

Sable Lohmeier El-Bakri closed out the Cougar’s competition in Eugene, placing 19th in the discus throw with a mark of 50.07m/164-3.

As a team, the BYU women finished tied with Colorado for ninth overall with 21 points. It is the second-straight year that the Cougars have recorded a top-10 finish, 13th top-10 finish all-time and first time that BYU has done so in consecutive years since 1999 and 2000.

BYU History
Wayment joins javelin thrower Ashton Riner as the two BYU women’s athletes to capture individual titles this week, marking the first time that two BYU athletes have won individual titles at a single Nationals since 2005, when Robison Pratt and Rodrigo Mendes took home championships in the pole vault and triple jump, respectively.

It is the first time that two BYU women’s athletes have won individual titles at a single Nationals since 2000, when Tara Rohatinsky Northcutt won the 10,000-meter and Susan Taylor took first in the 1500-meters. Wayment and Riner mark the third time that two BYU women’s athletes have won individual titles at a single Nationals. The feat was also completed in 1992.

Saturday, June 11
EventAthleteTime/MarkFinish
Heptathlon Long JumpHalley Folsom Walker5.40m/17-8.7521st
Heptathlon JavelinHalley Folsom Walker40.41m/132-7, PR7th
Women's High Jump (Final)Cierra Tidwell-Allphin1.80m/5-10.759th
Women's Discus (Final)Sable Lohmeier El-Bakri50.07m/164-319th
Women's 3000m Steeplechase (Final)Courtney Wayment9:16.001st
Heptathlon 800mHalley Folsom Walker2:08.591st
HeptathlonHalley Folsom Walker5,6928th
Wednesday, June 8
EventAthlete(s)Time/MarkFinishNext Up
Decathlon 100mDallin Vorkink11.3821stDay 2 on Thursday, June 9
Decathlon Long JumpDallin Vorkink6.62m/21-8.75 (+2.6)22ndDay 2 on Thursday, June 9
Decathlon Shot PutDallin Vorkink13.56m/44-611thDay 2 on Thursday, June 9
Decathlon High JumpDallin Vorkink1.95m/6-4.7513thDay 2 on Thursday, June 9
Men's 4x100 (Semifinal)Easton Bianchi
Jared Davis
Dallin Draper
Colten Yardley
40.1024th
Men's Pole Vault (Final)Zach McWhorter 6th
Men's Pole Vault (Final)Caleb Witsken 11th
Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal)Kenneth Rooks8:24.882ndFinal on Friday at 6:24 p.m. PDT
Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal)Garrett Marsing8:45.7119th
Men's Javelin (Final)Michael Whittaker  
Men's 800m (Semifinal)Sebastian Fernandez1:47.6611th
Men's 400m Hurdles (Semifinal)Colten Yardley49.828thFinal on Friday at 7:27 p.m. PDT
Decathlon 400mDallin Vorkink50.9511thDay 2 on Thursday, June 9
Men's 10,000m (Final)Brandon Garnica28:21.8111th
Men's 10,000m (Final)Casey Clinger28:22.9912th
Thursday, June 9
EventAthleteTime/MarkFinishNext Up
Decathlon 110m HurdlesDallin Vorkink15.3320th
Decathlon DiscusDallin Vorkink42.63m/138-105th
Decathlon Pole VaultDallin Vorkink4.91m/16-1.252nd
Decathlon JavelinDallin Vorkink54.97m/180-410th
Women's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal)Lexy Halladay
 
10:31.3823rd
Women's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal)Courtney Wayment9:41.214thFinal on Saturday at 2:54 p.m. PDT
Women's Javelin (Final)Alex McAllister
 
50.71m/166-418th
Women's Javelin (Final)Ashton Riner58.24m/191-11st*First men's or women's javelin title in school history. First women's outdoor field title since 1992.
Women's 800m (Semifinal)Claire Seymour2:04.9118th
Decathlon 1500mDallin Vorkink4:22.92 (1st)11th (7,592 points)
Women's 10,000m (Final)Aubrey Frentheway34:31.5922nd
Friday, June 10
EventAthleteTime/MarkFinishNext Up
Heptathlon 100m HurdlesHalley Folsom Walker13.9714thDay 2 on Saturday, June 11
Heptathlon High JumpHalley Folsom Walker1.69m/5-6.517thDay 2 on Saturday, June 11
Heptathlon Shot PutHalley Folsom Walker11.80m/38-8.7513thDay 2 on Saturday, June 11
Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Final)Kenneth Rooks8:22.566th
Men's 400m Hurdles (Final)Colten Yardley50.107th
Heptathlon 200mHalley Folsom Walker24.9910thDay 2 on Saturday, June 11
Men's 5,000m (Final)Casey Clinger13:33.2010th