Jones and Oblad Sprint To Top-Ten Board

BYU track and field sprinters Lainey Jones and Sami Oblad placed on the top-ten board on the second day of the Robison Invitational.

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PROVO, Utah — BYU track and field sprinters Lainey Jones and Sami Oblad battled the weather to earn program top-10 marks at the Robison Invitational at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex Friday. 

Full Results

"Obviously there were not ideal conditions today, but it was exciting to see some people really have some mental fortitude and execute their races regardless," said sprints/hurdles coach Kyle Grossarth. "We had a number of great performances highlighted by a new personal bests in the 400-meter from Sami and the 100-meter dash from Lainey."

Oblad took first overall in the women's 400-meter with a time of 53.26. Her time marked a new outdoor personal best as well as a No. 4 all-time performance on the program's top-10 board. 

"There was a unique sort of confidence in today's races," said Oblad. "We knew that we have trained in worse and had prepared to compete in any condition. It put my mind at ease and helped me to just run my race. Who would have thought that crazy weather would be the comforting part of competing?"

Jones ran 11.68 in the trials for the women's 100-meter dash to place at No.8 all-time in program records. Jones, a true freshman, placed third in the event to advance to the finals Saturday. She joins teammates Jaslyn Gardner and Dolita Shaw who also advanced to the finals taking first and fifth, respectively. 

"The race felt great," said Jones. "I had to really focus on staying mentally strong, especially having to run in the cold and rainy conditions. I’m proud of how I was able to remember my cues, stay relaxed and execute when it really mattered. I’m super happy with how it went."

Other notable wins on the women's side included Annalise Hart in the 400m hurdles, Lia Katoa in the hammer throw, Cierra Tidwell-Allphin in the high jump and Zoey Bonds in the heptathlon. Hart crossed the finish line in 59.02, Katoa threw for a mark of 55m/180-5.25 and Tidwell-Allphin jumped 1.76m/5-9.25. Bonds earned 4893 points to claim the heptathlon victory.

On the men's hurdles, Riley Hunt took first overall in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.48 to advance to the finals. G Kire Goulding took the victory in the 400m hurdles in 52.87. 

Other notable wins on the men's side included Danny Bryant in the shot put tossing 18.29m/60-0 and Abram Schaap in the 400m clocking 46.53. Jaden Roskelley as well led the decathlon with 7041 points. 

Next Call

The Cougars will conclude the Robison Invitational Saturday with the women's discus starting at 8:45 a.m. at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex. Live results can be found here