PROVO, Utah — With three weeks remaining before the NCAA West Preliminary meet, No. 9/No. 12 BYU men’s and women’s track and field will compete athletes at the Oxy Invitational and Sound Running Track Fest in southern California on Saturday.
Meet Information
Oxy Invitational
Location: Los Angeles, California
Host: Occidental College
Venue: Bill Henry Track
Sound Running Track Fest*
Location: Walnut, California
Host: Sound Running
Venue: Hilmer Lodge Stadium
*Results do not count toward NCAA qualifying.
Seven BYU athletes are set to face professional and international competition at the Sound Running Track Fest on Saturday. Claire Seymour will compete in the 800-meters while Taylor Rohatinsky, Riley Chamberlain and Carmen Alder will run in Section Three of the 1500.
Lexy Halladay-Lowry will star in the steeplechase and face former BYU teammate Courtney Wayment (now of On Running) along with fifth-ranked Ceili McCabe of West Virginia. Ugandan Olympian Halimah Nakaayi is also featured in the steeplechase field.
Jenna Hutchins and Aubrey Frentheway will feature in the 5000-meters and face three Olympians in Erin Teschuk of Canada, Portugal’s Marta Freitas and Lea Meyer of Germany.
Kenneth Rooks also faces a trio of Olympians in the men’s steeplechase. Rooks will run against American Olympians Benard Keter and Hillary Bor along with Ben Buckingham of Australia.
National Rankings
BYU boasts 10 top-10 nationally ranked athletes across eight different events.
Seymour leads the pack, ranking second in the women’s 800-meters behind only Michaela Rose of No. 6 LSU. Seymour reached Division I’s second-leading spot with a school-record time of 2:00.04 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 14. The senior from Modesto, California looks to become the program’s first ever woman to break the two-minute barrier in the mid-distance event.
| Women's 800-meter Rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Name | Team | Time |
| 1. | Michaela Rose | No. 6 LSU | 1:59.08 |
| 2. | Claire Seymour | No. 12 BYU | 2:00.04 |
| 3. | Valery Tobias | No. 1 Texas | 2:00.31 |
| 4. | Imogan Barrett | No. 2 Florida | 2:00.96 |
| 5. | Juliette Whittaker | No. 17 Stanford | 2:01.79 |
Cierra Tidwell Allphin ranks third nationally in the women’s high jump after clearing 1.88-meters/6-2 at Mt. SAC Relays on April 15. The junior from Gilbert, Arizona is now just a half-inch shy of tying Andrea Stapleton-Johnson’s school record clearance set in 2019.
| Women's High Jump Rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Name | Team | Mark |
| 1. | Lamara Distin | No. 7 Texas A&M | 1.95m/6-4.75 |
| 2. | Elena Kulichenko | No. 8 Georgia | 1.90m/6-2.75 |
| 3. | Cierra Tidwell Allphin | No. 12 BYU | 1.88m/6-2 |
| 4. | Jenna Rogers | No. 11 Nebraska | 1.86m/6-1.25 |
| Rylee Anderson | Kansas | 1.86m/6-1.25 | |
| Morgan Smalls | No. 6 LSU | 1.86m/6-1.25 | |
Rooks stands at fifth nationally in the men’s steeplechase after running a season-best 8:31.81 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 13. The junior from Walla Walla, Washington remains in the hunt for the school steeplechase record after he clocked 8:22.56 at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Three-time Olympian and former BYU great Henry Marsh holds the record of 8:21.60 set in 1977.
| Men's Steeplechase Rankings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Name | Team | Time |
| 1. | Duncan Hamilton | Montana State | 8:25.17 |
| 2. | Matthew Wilkinson | No. 22 Minnesota | 8:29.35 |
| 3. | Ed Trippas | No. 10 Washington | 8:31.40 |
| 4. | Victor Shitsama | Oklahoma State | 8:31.50 |
| 5. | Kenneth Rooks | No. 9 BYU | 8:31.83 |