PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU men’s track and field will compete in its final meet of the regular season at the BYU Last Chance Meet at Clarence Robison Track and Field Complex May 12-13.
BYU Last Chance Meet | May 12-13
- Venue: Clarence Robison Track and Field Complex | Provo, Utah
- Friday events begin at 10:45 a.m. MDT with the heptathlon 100-meter hurdles.
- Saturday events begin at 7:50 a.m. MDT with the men's 10,000-meters.
- Free admission
As an outdoor track and field Independent, the Cougars are without access to a conference championship meet this weekend. The Last Chance Meet represents a vital opportunity for BYU to shore-up entries for the NCAA West Preliminary meet to be held in Sacramento, California May 24-27. Athletes with top-48 marks or times qualify to compete at the regional and there vie for a spot at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas June 7-10.
BYU currently has 29 likely entries (top-39 rankings) across 14 different events. This includes four in the 5000-meters, five in the 10,000 and 3,000-meter steeplechase, along with three javelin throwers.
Six BYU men are just within qualifying range with regional rankings 40th through 45th. Eli Hazlett and Josh Taylor (400m), Luke Grundvig (10,000m), Jace Jensen (400-meter hurdles), Dallin Thornton (pole vault) and Danny Bryant (discus throw) each have work to do to retain their hold on a qualifying spot.
Four Cougars are on the outside looking in heading into the Last Chance Meet. Easton Bianchi needs to improve a season-best 10.37 to 10.33 for qualifying position in the 100m. Distance runners Christian Allen and Luke Grundvig are a few spots out in the 5,000m and need to run 13:47.79 to advance. Jacob Stanford finds himself six spots out of qualifying in the 10,000m and must target a time of 28:53.29 for entry.
| BYU Men's Track and Field | Top-10 Ranked Athletes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Name | Event | Time/Mark |
| 1. | Kenneth Rooks | Steeplechase | 8:17.62* |
| 7. | Ben Barton | Decathlon | 7,699 |
| 7. | Cameron Bates | Javelin | 76.07m/249-7 |
| 8. | Dallin Shurts | Discus | 62.21m/204-1 |
| 8. | Casey Clinger | 10,000-meters | 28:01.67 |
| 9. | Creed Thompson | 10,000-meters | 28:04.62 |
*Not an NCAA qualifying time (set at a professional meet).
At the national level, BYU boasts 14 top-25 ranked men; third-most behind only Arkansas (18) and Texas Tech (19). Six of those BYU athletes rank in the top-10 in their respective events.
2023 marks the Cougars’ final season holding the Last Chance Meet. Beginning in 2024, BYU will compete in the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships on the second weekend in May.
| Top-25 Ranked Men's Athletes | |
|---|---|
| Athletes | Teams |
| 19 | Texas Tech |
| 18 | Arkansas |
| 14 | BYU |
| 13 | LSU |
| 12 | Florida, Texas |
| 11 | Iowa |
| 10 | Kansas, Mississippi State, Washington |
| 9 | Minnesota, Nebraska, USC, Tennessee |
| 8 | Alabama, Arizona State, Florida State and Stanford |
| 7 | Cal, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville, Northern Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Wisconsin |