Below are breakdowns by position group including quotes from athletes and coaches.
Sprints/Hurdles
The men's sprints/hurdles group will be headlined by Trey Jackson, Josh Taylor and Eli Hazlett who most recently competed at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the 4x400-meter relay. All three men are part of the indoor school-record holding team that posted a 3:05.22 last season.
"I’m excited for this upcoming indoor season," said sprints/hurdles coach Kyle Grossarth. "We have some experienced talent returning lead by three of our 4x4 members (Eli Hazlett, Josh Taylor, Trey Jackson) that were 2nd Team All-Americans last year. We also return a strong hurdle squad, namely Logan Hubler (No. 7 all time 60m hurdles) and Riley Hunt (school record 110m hurdles). All of the guys have been working really hard this fall, especially in the weight room. They are excited to see all that hard work manifest itself on the track and have a great season."
"We’re feeling really good going into this indoor season," said Hunt. "We have a lot of upperclassmen returning from great performances last year who want to build off last season and we also have a lot of freshmen who are eager to get out there and prove themselves. The sweep at cross country nationals that really fired up the whole team for indoors because it raised everybody’s standard and we all want to carry their momentum onto the track.”
Distance
The distance crew will feature athletes from the recent 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championship team.
Casey Clinger who took sixth overall at the championships will return to the track, not having competed indoors for the Cougars since March 2023 due to injury.
Aidan Troutner clocked the first sub four-minute mile in the Smith Fieldhouse in 3:59.20 last season. Troutner concluded the indoor season with a 3:59.7 performance at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships achieving 11th place overall.
Joey Nokes will also make the quick transition from the cross country course to the track, hoping to improve upon his No.4 all-time performance in the indoor 5000m that he achieved in 2023.
Middle Distance
The men's middle distance crew will feature Sebastian Fernandez who ran 1:46.32 in the outdoor 800m this spring moving himself up to No. 2 on the all-time record list.
Carter Cutting will return for his sophomore season. Cutting ran 8:35.69 in the indoor 3000m at the 2024 Indoor Big 12 Championships as a true freshman. This past August he competed in Lima, Peru at the U20 World Championships where he took fifth in the final of the men's 1500m.
The group will be coached by Ryan Waite who most recently coached the men's cross country team to the national title alongside Ed Eyestone.
Jumps and Multi Events
"The jumps and combined events group are excited for the start of the indoor season," said jumps/multis coach Tiffany Hogan. "We’ve put in some good workouts over the fall training period. We have a few new faces that are excited to put on a BYU uniform for the first time and display their talents."
Hogan is set to lead her position group in her second year in the program after previously working at Weber State since 2015.
Jaden Roskelly headlined the men's multi position group, placing fourth overall at the 2024 Big 12 Outdoor Championships in the decathlon with 7325 points.
Throws
The throw's group will be led by Coach Niklas Arrhenius who most recently coached three men to All-American status at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Danny Bryant will return to the ring after placing fourth overall in the men's shot put at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Bryant threw a personal best 20.02m/65-8.25 in the outdoor event, elevating to No. 3 on the all-time program records.
“I’m very excited to start competing again," said Bryant. "Everyone has been putting the work in and are ready to start seeing results. Seeing my cross country teammates absolutely crush it this season has me very optimistic about how this indoor and outdoor season will go."
Pole Vault
The pole vault group will be coached by Rick McWhorter in his fifth year with the Cougars.
"This will be an exciting year for the Polevault," said McWhorter. "On the men's side we have our two transfers, Ethan Amata and Austin Cox, that could both also potentially score points at the Big 12 Championships this year. Good things are happening."
Ethan Amata will return in a BYU uniform for the Cougars having competed in seven total meets during the indoor and outdoor seasons last year.
"Our team is fired up for this indoor season," said Amata. "Our guys are serious about putting in the work in the off season. Feeding off the success of the cross country teams we are ready to leave it all on the field and on the track."
Additional Quotes
Dustin Williams - Head Athletic Trainer
"The indoor season for BYU track and field is upon us, and I know we are going to have some special performances. The momentum they are generating from their team's championships and success in 2024 is gigantic. They have put in the training and recovery it takes to go out and prove themselves in the Big 12 and NCAA."
Up Next
The Cougars' first outing will be the Boston Colyear-Danville Season Opener at Boston University on Dec. 7.
