BYU sits third after Keller, Beachler, Katoa, Roberts podium on day one of Big 12 Championships

TUCSON, Ariz. – Alysa Keller and Kat Beachler took third and fourth in the javelin, Lia Katoa sixth in the hammer throw and Nelah Roberts sixth in the 10,000-meter at the Big 12 Championships at Drachman Stadium.

Full Results

The Cougars sit third in the team competition after day one with 17 points. Iowa State leads with 24 points, followed by Oklahoma State with 21. Arizona and West Virginia have 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Keller and Beachler combined for 11 points in the javelin. Keller threw a 52.08m/170-10 for third and Beachler posted a 48.79m/160-1 for fourth. Both performances marked new career bests, and Keller’s keeps her at No. 5 all-time at BYU.

Katoa set the No. 2 program mark in the hammer throw as she launched a 59.70m/195-10, earning a sixth-place podium finish in the event. She finished over one meter ahead of the rest of the competition. Additionally, Katoa's throw is the best in BYU history since 1998. The performance earned the Cougars three points.

Sophomore Roberts took sixth in the 10,000m with a 34:38.89, earning BYU three points.

All six BYU athletes in the women’s 1500m advanced to Saturday’s final. Carmen Alder’s 4:14.08 earned her first place going into the final by more than two seconds. Jane Hedengren was the Cougars’ next qualifier in third, clocking a 4:16.49 in her first-ever 1500m race. Taylor Rohatinsky, Jenna Hutchins, Carlee Hansen-Thompson and Zariel Macchia took sixth, eighth, ninth and 12th, respectively.

After day one of the heptathlon, Zoey Bonds sits in fourth and Tia Brown is in 19th. Bonds’ performance was led by her career-best 1.76m/5-9.25 in the high jump for second and her win in the 100m hurdles with a 13.21. The senior posted 3,548 points Thursday and is 227 points behind the leader, Iowa State’s Zola N’Douma-Mona. Brown’s best event Thursday was the 100m hurdles, where she ran a 13.84 for seventh.

Kali McEuen won the preliminary round of the 400m hurdles, crossing in 56.47, nearly 0.2 seconds ahead of the rest of the competition. She will face eight other athletes in Saturday’s final.

Paje Rasmussen took sixth in the 200m prelims with a 22.90. The reigning indoor conference runner-up aims to return to the podium in Saturday’s final.