Men's Cross Country 2023 Season In Review

BYU men's cross country concluded the 2023 season, capped off by placing third at the NCAA Division I National Championships.

Author Zach Hunter
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PROVO, UT – With yet another podium finish in the books, BYU men’s cross country can now reflect on a highly successful 2023 campaign that culminated in a third-place finish at the NCAA Division I National Championships in Earlysville, Virginia.

The program has produced back-to-back podium finishes at the NCAA National Championships, with this season marking its fifth in the last seven seasons. The Cougars have also registered eight consecutive top-10 finishes at the national meet.

Three weeks prior, BYU placed second during the program’s debut at the inaugural Big 12 Championships, only bested by Oklahoma State, who later went on to claim the team title at the NCAA National Championships.

“I think it's been an amazing season in a lot of ways. It's been a season of hardship, but at the end of the day, we did as well as we possibly could have to finish third. Any time you place third in a national championship, you're in the Final Four in a sense. You're on the podium, so you've got to be pleased.”

Head Coach Ed Eyestone
23X-CTY National Championship 1112
23X-CTY National Championship 1144
23X-CTY National Championship 0779
23X-CTY Big 12 Championships 245
23X-CTY Big 12 Championships 205
23X-CTY Big 12 Championships 251

The Cougars began their 2023 campaign with the absence of four time All-American Casey Clinger and 2022 All-American Davin Thompson. A variety of teammates stepped up with notable success, relying heavily on Joey Nokes and Davin’s brother Creed Thompson.

Nokes was a driving force for the Cougars throughout the season, earning points in each meet for the team. The junior had a successsful start in September when BYU hosted in its first meet, winning the four-mile Autumn Classic at 19:33.1. The performance earned him Big 12 Runner of the Week honors for Week 2, marking the first in school history. Other notable season highlights include his 13th-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational and sixth-place finish at the Big 12 Conference Championships. At the NCAA National Championships, Nokes took 56th overall and fourth for the Cougars with a time of 30:05.5 on the 10k course.

Creed Thompson provided consistent power for the program, crossing the line as one of the top three Cougars in each meet he competed in this season. Thompson led BYU to a second-place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational, placing 10th individually in 23:35.3 through the 8k course. The junior finished 46th overall at the NCAA National Championships and third for the Cougars.

Kenneth Rooks added depth to the roster, providing critical points at the NCAA National Championships. Prior to the season, Rooks competed in a lengthy outdoor track postseason that included taking the national title in the steeplechase at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in June, winning the USATF Outdoor Championships in July and placing 10th at the World Athletics Championships in August. He competed in the last four meets of the cross country season, highlighted by an All-American performance at the NCAA National Championships in which he placed 35th overall and second for BYU. Rooks also won the NCAA Elite 90 Award for achieving the highest grade-point-average at the national meet.

Sophomore James Corrigan and freshman Isaac Hedengren also contributed heavily. Corrigan led the Cougars across the line at the NCAA Championships, garnering him All-American honors after placing 32nd overall. Hedengren competed in the last three meets of the season, highlighted by a standout performance in his first outing at the Big 12 Championships where he placed 16th overall and fourth for the Cougars.

The Cougars will now switch gears in preparation for the indoor track season, beginning at Boston University’s Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday, December 2.