VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. —BYU women's distance medley relay (DMR) won its second-straight national championship on day one of the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday evening at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
Jenna Hutchins opened up the race for the Cougars running the 1200-meter leg in 3:21.61 to position BYU in third place at the first exchange.
"I was really grateful for this opportunity to have a chance to represent this team," said Hutchins. "I wanted to make sure that I did my job so each of these other women could do their job. I did the best that I could to keep us in the range of top one to three. I feel like I did that really well."
Sami Oblad ran the 400m leg in 52.10, clocking the fastest second-leg split of the 12-team field to advance BYU into second place.
True freshman Tessa Buswell received the baton next and ran the 800m leg in 2:06.52. Buswell handed the baton off to Riley Chamberlain in fourth.
The junior from Loomis, California worked with anchor legs from Providence and LSU for 6.5 laps to close the gap on Oregon. Chamberlain overtook the Ducks with 300m to go and anchored BYU to a national title for the second-straight year splitting 4:25.12 over 1600m.
"I knew two in a row was going to be really hard to do, but I knew it was possible," said Chamberlain. "We had a good lineup and I was confident in the girls that were with me. I am just grateful to be here happy and healthy."
The Cougars ran 10:45.34 for a national championship, meet and facility record. The championship marks the program's third DMR title in five years (2021, 2024).
Women's Recap
Lexy Halladay-Lowry placed second in the 5000m with a time of 15:06.17 to earn her fourth First Team All-America honor in track and field.
"The plan was to stick in the top two or three and then see how it played out," said Halladay-Lowry. "I gave it my everything and I am very proud of how I competed."
The senior from Meridian, Idaho will return to compete in the 3000m tomorrow at 2 p.m. MT.
Other performances include Meghan Hunter's 10th place finish in the 800m with a time of 2:02.39, Sami Oblad's 11th place finish in the 400m with a time of 52.27 and Carmen Alder's 15th place finish in the mile with a time of 4:42.07. Each earned Second Team All-America honors.
| BYU FRIDAY RESULTS | ||||
| Athlete | Event | Result | Place | All-America Status |
| Jenna Hutchins, Sami Oblad, Tessa Buswell, Riley Chamberlain | DMR | 10:45.34 | 1st | First Team |
| Lexy Halladay-Lowry | 5000m | 15:06.17 | 2nd | First Team |
| Meghan Hunter | 800m | 2:02.39 | 10th | Second Team |
| Sami Oblad | 400m | 52.27 | 11th | Second Team |
| Carmen Alder | Mile | 4:42.07 | 15th | Second Team |
| Maren Garnett | Pole Vault | NH | NH | Honorable Mention |
Up Next
The Cougars will return to action Saturday for day two of the NCAA indoor championships. Lexy Halladay-Lowry and Riley Chamberlain are set to compete in the 3000m at 2 p.m. Live results can be found here with live streaming on ESPN+.