Halladay-Lowry puts BYU on top at day one of conference championships

Lexy Halladay-Lowry notched her second individual Big 12 title.

Author Halle Taylor
Halladay-Lowry puts BYU on top at day one of conference championshipsHalladay-Lowry puts BYU on top at day one of conference championships

LUBBOCK, Texas – BYU ended day one of competition of the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in first place with 36 team points at the Sports Performance Center.

Full Results

“The plan for this race was to work on running an even pace and then practice closing,” Lexi Halladay-Lowry said. “It’s interesting to reflect on last year’s win and see how far I’ve come as an athlete and person.”

Three Cougars finished in the top-five in the 5000-meter. Halladay-Lowry was the champion in the event, earning 10 points for the Cougars in the process. The senior from Meridian, Idaho crossed in 15:32.52, over 30 seconds faster than second place Joy Naukot from West Virginia. Jenna Hutchins reached the finish line in 16:24.10 to stand in third place. Nelah Roberts took fifth place after she crossed in 16:24.53. The 5000m group collectively claimed 20 points for BYU.

“I am happy with a third place finish in such a competitive conference,” Mayci Taylor said. “The goal was to be tough and score as many points as I could for the team.”

Taylor’s third overall finish clutched six team points for BYU. Taylor tallied 4028 points, highlighted by her first place finish in the high jump, where she notched a 1.75m/5-8.75 mark. Today’s performance and personal record pushed her to No. 5 all-time in program records, surpassing Anu Kaljurand’s 4013 points in 1993.

“Mayci is such a competitor,” multi-event coach Tiffany Hogan said. “We had expectations of fourth, fifth or sixth place because of her health coming into the meet. However, she decided to take a new record in her first two events and closed the day with an overall point record. I am proud of her and her efforts today.”

Maren Garnett finished in fifth place in the pole vault final with her 4.46m/14-7.50, earning four team points for BYU. This surpasses her previous No. 1 school record by 0.01m.

“I finally got the courage to jump on some bigger poles and commit to my vault,” Garnett said. “That made all the difference in building up my confidence in clearing some big pars. I am looking forward to getting a few good pole vault sessions in under my belt with my new poles so I can feel ready and confident going into nationals.”

Up Next

BYU returns to the Sports Performance Center for the final day of the event on Saturday. Watch live on ESPN+ or follow live updates here.