PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s track and field prepares for the NCAA Outdoor West Regionals at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas May 27-30.
The Cougars earned 26 entries including four or more in the 3000-meter steeplechase, 5000-meter, 10,000-meter and the 400-meter hurdles. The men will compete on Wednesday, May 27 and Friday, May 29.
Carson Riner and Brinton Paulson will lead off for the Cougars in the early afternoon Wednesday in the Javelin throw. The pair entered the regional meet ranked 20th and 36th. Riner finished fourth at the Big 12 Championships in the event while Paulson finished ninth.
On the track, Garrett Copelin will make an appearance in the 110-meter hurdles after qualifying for the regional meet with a 13.75 second performance at the Big 12 Championships ranked him 30th. The sophomore will also compete in the 400-meter hurdles alongside Brayden Dahl, Jayden Jessee, Treyton Anderson and Logan Hubler.
Carter Cutting will headline the 1500-meter for BYU joined by teammates Tayvon Kitchen and Isaac Hedengren in the event. Cutting is ranked fourth in the west in the event with his 3:40.20 performance at the Robison Invitational. The junior is also expected to appear in the 800-meter alongside Brayden Packard Wednesday evening.
Silas Zimmerman qualified for the meet in the pole vault in his first collegiate season entering the meet ranked 43rd after clearing 5.23m/17-1.75 at the Pacific Coast Invitational earlier this season.
Creed Thompson is expected to lead BYU in the 10,000-meter on Wednesday night after winning the Big 12 Championship in the event just two weeks earlier. The senior will compete alongside his brother Davin Thompson, Hunter Kitchen and Dalton Mortensen.
The Cougars will pick back up on Friday, May 29 with Mark Bryant in the discus. The freshman enters the meet ranked 22nd in the event after his 58.08m/190-7 mark at the Big 12 Championships placed him second overall.
Hedengren will once again appear on the track, this time in the 3000-meter steeplechase, joined by Olympian James Corrigan, Garrett Stanford, Max Davis and Jefferson McMullin. Hedengren is ranked 11th in the event in the west with Corrigan sitting at No. 27.
The 5000-meter will feature Tayvon Kitchen who is ranked fifth nationally in the event and holds the BYU school record at 13:16.27 set earlier this season at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The true freshman will compete alongside teammates Creed Thompson, Hedengren, Jenkins and Hunter Kitchen.
The Cougars will then end competition at the meet with the 4x400-meter relay that currently ranks ninth in the west.