PROVO, Utah – The Cougars are aiming to earn national championship spots at the NCAA West Preliminary Round at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 28 and 30.
The top 12 placing athletes and relays in each event at both the West and East Preliminary Rounds will compose the field of 24 that will compete at the NCAA Championships from June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
BYU will send 33 qualifiers to the regional meet, highlighted by four qualifiers each in the 800-meter and 3000m steeplechase.
Day One - Thursday
Lia Pili and Lia Katoa will start things off for the Cougars in the hammer throw. Both currently rank in the top 10 in the event at BYU, with Katoa holding the No. 2 mark in program history after throwing 59.70m/195-10 at the Big 12 Championships. Pili will later compete in the shot put.
The throws group will continue with the javelin throw, with Alysa Keller and Kat Beachler representing the Cougars. At the Big 12 Championships, Keller recorded the fifth-best mark in program history with a 52.08m/170-10 to earn third place.
Zoey Bonds and Kali McEuen will aim for a quarterfinal spot on Saturday in the 100m hurdles. The duo ranks No. 3 and 4 in program history from performances this season, as McEuen clocked a 13.16 and Bonds a 13.17.
Zariel Macchia, Carmen Alder and Carlee Hansen-Thompson will race for a Saturday spot in the 1500m, with Alder entering with the third-fastest regional time after clocking a 4:07.29 at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
Paje Rasmussen will line up for the first round of the 100m and 200m, where she holds the school record in both events with marks of 11.06 and 22.69. She enters with the fifth-fastest time in the region in the 100m and the seventh-fastest in the 200m.
Cailee Faulkner and Abbie Scott will compete in the pole vault semifinal. Faulkner holds the school record in the event with her 4.33m/14-2.5, set at the Pacific Coast Invitational. She also placed seventh at the Big 12 Championships.
The 800m group consists of Tessa Buswell, Krystie Solomon-Jensen, Kylie Olsen and Anne Elise Packard. Buswell is aiming for another trip to the NCAA Championships, where she finished 21st to earn All-America honorable mention honors last year. The sophomore currently holds the 14th-fastest time in the NCAA this season.
School record holder McEuen will join teammate Mayci Taylor in the 400m hurdles. Taylor ranks No. 2 in program history in the event. McEuen holds the ninth-fastest time in the West Region this season with a 55.88.
Jane Hedengren, Jenna Hutchins and Nelah Roberts are set for the 10,000m semifinals to wrap up the first day of competition for the Cougars. Hedengren’s 30:46.80 from the Stanford Invitational is the fastest time in NCAA history, while Hutchins clocked the seventh-fastest time in the NCAA this season.
Day Two - Saturday
Kaiah Fisher will open competition on the final day in the discus, where she ranks No. 4 in program history with a 55.09m/180-9.
BYU will compete in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, aiming to advance to the NCAA Championships.
Taylor Lovell, Raygan Peterson, Addie Meldrum and River White will compete in the 3000m steeplechase. Big 12 champion Lovell enters with the fastest time in the region this season after running a 9:26.99, while Peterson holds the fifth-fastest time.
Hedengren and Hutchins will join Taylor Rohatinsky in the 5000m semifinal. Hedengren holds the NCAA record in the event with a 14:50.50 set at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Hutchins and Rohatinsky hold the fourth and 10th-fastest times in the NCAA this season, respectively.