PROVO, Utah — BYU men's and women's track and field secured three event wins Friday afternoon on day two of the Cougar Invitational at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Cougars Secure Three Event Wins on Day Two of Cougar Invitational
The second day of the Cougars' host meet saw impressive outings from Cierra Tidwell Allphin and Aaron Wood with multiple Cougars earning personal bests.
Men’s Recap
The men’s heptathlon concluded Friday afternoon, with two Cougars finishing in the top five. Recent transfer Aaron Wood led the Cougars with a new personal-best score of 4,975, taking third overall. His best performance of the two-day event was in the pole vault in which he garnered a 4.90-meters/16-1 mark.
“Aaron closed very well,” said jumps and multi-events coach Tiffany Hogan. “He put up a great performance in the pole vault and that’s what he has been searching for since his transfer to BYU.”
Freshman newcomer Jaden Roskelley placed fifth overall, scoring 4,551.
Jake Grimsman took the men’s high jump first place spot, jumping a mark of 2.12m/6-11.5 for an indoor personal best. Grimsman’s mark fell just shy of his career best of 2.16m/7-1 that he achieved at the outdoor Cougar Invitational in May 2023.
“The men in my group were awesome,” Hogan said. “They have a lot of heart and grit. We are excited for how the rest of the season is going to go.”
Women’s Recap
Cierra Tidwell Allphin highlighted the day for the women as she won the high jump with a clearance of 1.84m/6-0.5. Tidwell Allphin’s win marks the 31st of her career in the high jump. Pentathlete Mayci Taylor finished third in the event, clearing 1.69m/5-6.5 following her 1.73m/5-8 clearance in the pentathlon yesterday.
In the women’s long jump, Taylor placed third jumping 5.58m/18-3.75 to lead the BYU women and set a new career-best mark. Sophomore Maddie Passmore followed her in fourth, leaping 5.55m/18-2.5.
Shortly after, Passmore returned to compete in the triple jump and won the event by over a foot at 12.09m/39-8. Passmore’s win marks the fifth of her career in the triple jump.
“It was fun to watch the athletes again today,” Hogan said. “My multi athletes came back from five events yesterday and performed quite well today. It is fun to see their progress and I am pleased with their attitude and grit.”
Up Next
The Cougars will conclude the competition weekend on Saturday, beginning with the women’s 3000m run at the Smith Fieldhouse at 9:45 a.m. followed by the men at 10:00 a.m. MST.