PROVO, Utah – BYU will seek its first-ever Big 12 title May 14-16 at Drachman Stadium in Tucson, Arizona at the Big 12 Championships.
Day 1
The multis athletes will kickoff competition Thursday for the Cougars, with Tia Brown and Zoey Bonds competing in the heptathlon. Two weeks ago at the Robison Invitational, Brown won the heptathlon with 5,402 points, just shy of reaching BYU’s top-10 board. Bonds has earned herself two spots on the Cougar top-10 board this season, reaching No. 4 in the 100-meter hurdles with a 13.17 and notching the sixth-best mark in the heptathlon with 5,592 points at the Bryan Clay Multis. Additionally, Bonds finished runner-up in the pentathlon at the indoor conference championships.
Lia Katoa, Lia Pili, Jayda Lee and Kat Beachler will compete in the hammer throw. Both Katoa and Pili own spots on the top-10 board in the event, as Katoa launched a 58.25m/191-1 and Pili threw a 57.72m/189-4, the fourth- and seventh-best performances in program history. Beachler will later join Alysa Keller in the javelin.
Track events will start with the 1500m prelims, with Jane Hedengren, Carlee Hansen-Thompson, Carmen Alder, Zariel Macchia, Taylor Rohatinsky and Jenna Hutchins attempting to earn spots in Saturday’s final. Alder set the second-best program mark at the Bryan Clay Invitational as she crossed in 4:07.29.
Paje Rasmussen and Mikensi Smith will line up for the 200m prelims. Rasmussen is the school record holder and the only BYU athlete to ever clock a sub-23-second performance with her 22.69 set at the Robison Invitational. Additionally, the Draper, Utah product enters the field with the fourth-fastest time in the Big 12 this season.
Mayci Taylor and Kali McEuen will compete in the 400m hurdles prelims, coming in with the No. 1 and No. 2 marks in program history. Taylor’s 56.41 is tied for the third-best performance in the Big 12 this season, and McEuen’s 56.44 is the fourth-best.
Nelah Roberts will close the first day for BYU in the 10,000m. Roberts owns the fourth-best time in program history with her 32:47.57 at the Stanford Invitational.
Day 2
Following the conclusion of the heptathlon, Bonds will join McEuen in the 100m hurdles prelims. McEuen owns the third-best mark in program history at 13.16.
Tessa Buswell, Krystie Solomon-Jensen, Anne Elise Packard and Kylie Olsen will compete in the 800m prelims, with Buswell coming in with the second-fastest conference mark this season. The sophomore clocked a 2:00.76, good for No. 5 overall at BYU.
Cailee Faulkner and Abbie Scott will represent the Cougars in the pole vault, coming in with the seventh and eighth-best marks in the Big 12 this season.
Pili and Beachler will join Fisher in the shot put. Both Pili and Beachler rank in the program’s top 10.
The 400m duo of Cambria Hasler and Marianne Barber will compete in the event prelims. Barber’s season best is 53.51, while Hasler’s is 53.85.
Rasmussen and Smith will race in the 100m prelims, trying to earn a spot in the final. Rasmussen’s school-record 11.06 is the second-fastest time in the Big 12 this season.
Taylor Lovell, Karissa Chamberlain, Emerald Kehr, Raygan Peterson, Addie Meldrum and River White will end Day 2 for the Cougars in the 3000m steeplechase. Lovell’s career-best 9:26.99 is the third-best in program history and the fastest in the Big 12 this season by nearly 30 seconds. Peterson and Meldrum rank second and seventh in conference performances this season.
Day 3
Final events will take place Saturday alongside the relays, discus and 5000m. The 4x100m relay squad will feature Hasler, McEuen, Smith and Rasmussen, while the 4x400m quartet will include Barber, McEuen, Rasmussen and Taylor.
Fisher is expected to headline the discus for BYU after throwing a 55.09m/180-9 to earn the No. 4 spot in program history. It is also the third-farthest throw in the conference this season.
NCAA record-holder Hedengren will seek her second Big 12 track title in the 5000m. Her time is more than 22 seconds faster than any other mark in the conference this season. The freshman will be joined by Hansen-Thompson, Hutchins, Lovell, Alder and Rohatinsky. Lovell and Hutchins have the third- and fourth-fastest conference times this season.