COLLEGE STATION, Texas - BYU women's track and field qualified nine women to compete in 10 events at the 2025 NCAA outdoor championships Saturday at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
Meghan Hunter set a new E.B. Cushing facility record and BYU school record in the 800m with a time of 1:58.95, earning her second career qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The senior from Provo, Utah, and two-time First Team All-American is just the third collegian in history to run under 1:59—and has now done it twice this month, first to win the Big 12 title on May 17 and again in the quarterfinals.
NATIONAL QUALIFIER ✅
— BYU Track & Field/Cross Country (@BYUTFXC) June 1, 2025
NO. 3 TIME IN NCAA HISTORY ✅
ALL-TIME SCHOOL RECORD✅
FACILITY RECORD ✅
Hunter secures her ticket with the fastest time of 1:58.95 in the NCAA West Regionals for the 800M
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/ZJSOJfHXpH
True freshman Tessa Buswell also earned a spot in Eugene in the 800m, placing eighth overall with the second-fastest time of her career at 2:02.54. She advances as the second time qualifier and will be BYU’s only freshman woman to compete at nationals.
Carlee Hansen punched her ticket to the NCAA outdoor championships in the 1500m with a fifth-place finish in both her heat and overall. The senior from Bountiful, Utah, broke the all-time BYU school record of 4:08.53—previously held by 2021 NCAA champion Anna Camp-Bennett—by nearly a full second, clocking 4:07.64. The performance secured her spot in Eugene and marks her first career appearance at the outdoor national meet.
TWO 1500M TICKETS!!
— BYU Track & Field/Cross Country (@BYUTFXC) May 31, 2025
Hansen and Chamberlain both punched their tickets to Eugene in the 1500M 👏
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/uNqrO6TEhI
Riley Chamberlain will join Hansen in the 1500m in Eugene after a personal-best 4:08.24 that featured a blistering 59-second final lap. The junior from Loomis, California, took second in the first heat and placed seventh overall. Chamberlain briefly claimed the school record from Camp-Bennett, only to see Hansen reclaim it five minutes later in the next heat, bumping her to No. 2 on the all-time list.
Lexy Halladay-Lowry dominated the 3000m steeplechase, winning in 9:23.03—more than 17 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor. The senior from Meridian, Idaho, broke the E.B. Cushing Stadium facility record and secured her third career trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the event. She’ll head to Eugene looking to improve on her fourth-place national finish from 2023.
Taylor Lovell also punched her ticket to nationals in the 3000m steeplechase with a four-second personal best of 9:42.83, finishing third in her heat and fourth overall. The time moves her to No. 4 on BYU’s all-time steeplechase list. A 2023 NCAA finalist as a freshman, Lovell earned Second Team All-America honors with a ninth-place finish.
Jenna Hutchins earned her spot at Hayward Field in the 5000m with a third-place finish in both her heat and overall. She crossed the line in 15:49.95, closing with a 68-second final lap. The junior from Johnson City, Tennessee, returns to Eugene after earning First Team All-America honors in 2024 with a sixth-place finish in the 10,000m.
"It was an incredible day for our women's distance team," said Associate Director of Track & Field Diljeet Taylor. "They all braved the heat and humidity and executed race plans. I am very proud of the way they represent our program and how they inspire each other,"
Sprinter Sami Oblad placed second in her heat and fifth overall in the 400m with a time of 51.29 to advance to the NCAA semifinal round at Hayward Field. The senior from Stansbury Park, Utah, is the first BYU athlete to qualify for the outdoor championships in the 400m since Natalie Stewart in 2013. Earlier this year, Oblad finished 11th in the 400m at the 2025 NCAA indoor championships.
"I am so proud of Sami and her performance tonight," said sprints and hurdles coach Kyle Grossarth. "She executed her race plan well and did what she needed to do to qualify for the next round. We are excited for what is next."
Gretchen Hoekstre booked her second-straight trip to nationals in the discus with a third-attempt throw of 54.58m/179-1 to place tenth. The senior from Seaside, Oregon, will also compete in the shot put in Eugene after qualifying on Thursday with a mark of 16.87m/55-4.25, also on her third and final attempt to place eighth.
| BYU NCAA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS | |
| Athlete | Event |
| Sami Obad | 400m |
| Meghan Hunter | 800m |
| Tessa Buswell | 800m |
| Carlee Hansen | 1500m |
| Riley Chamberlain | 1500m |
| Lexy Halladay-Lowry | 3000m Steeplechase |
| Taylor Lovell | 3000m Steeplechase |
| Jenna Hutchins | 5000m |
| Gretchen Hoekstre | Shot Put / Discus |
BYU’s 10 entries into the 2025 NCAA outdoor championships mark the program’s highest total since also sending 10 in 2004, and the seventh time in program history it has qualified double-digit entries.
Up Next
BYU track and field will compete at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.