Kitchen leads BYU to John McNichols Invitational title

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Sophomore Tayvon Kitchen took third place and the No. 9 BYU Cougars placed all five scorers in the Top 20 to win the John McNichols Invitational Saturday morning.

It was a statement win in the first 8,000-meter race of the season for BYU, taking first in a field that included 13 of the top 25 schools in the USTFCCCA Coaches’ Poll.

"It was a lot of fun. I think it was a good start; not perfect, but we're just building," Kitchen said after the race. "I learned a lot about the course. I have some thoughts and strategies that I think will help me be prepared and ready for whatever happens at nationals in Noevember."

Kitchen was the team’s low stick, followed by teammates Noah Jenkins in 14th, James Corrigan in 16th, Dalton Mortensen in 18th and Isaac Hedengren in 20th. It was the season debut for both Corrigan and Hedengren, giving BYU’s harriers a crucial opportunity to get a look at the course that will host this year’s NCAA Championship race in November.

Full race results can be found here.

"Our number one goal was to get out here and take a look at the national course, and our number two goal was to have good, solid races. I think we accomplished both those goals and I'm really pleased with how we ran," head coach Ed Eyestone said. "To have five guys finish in the top 20 in a meet of this caliber is a good sign. I think the guys will have confidence in our training as we move forward and prepare for our next race."

BYU Finishes in Championship Race

Name	Time	Finish
Tayvon Kitchen	23:23.1	3rd
Noah Jenkins	24:01.5	14th
James Corrigan	24:03.5	16th
Dalton Mortensen	24:06.2	18th
Isaac Hedengren	24:06.7	20th
Jefferson McMullin	24:36.6	64th
Hunter Kitchen	24:37.1	65th
Land Lambert	24:51.1	88th
Kyle Steadman	25:27.7	148th

The Cougars also won the 8,000m open race, led by a first-place finish for freshman Malachi Schoenherr. He was followed by teammates Ethan Peterson and Jackson Henstrom as the Cougars swept the top three spots and showcased their team depth.

Championship Race
It was a quick and unified start for the Cougars, as a group of six BYU runners headlined by Kitchen, Hedengren and Corrigan were at the front of the pack through the first 2,000 meters of the race.

At the 3,000 meters split, the Cougars had five of the top 10 runners as the team remained grouped together at the front of the pack. BYU’s top runner, Kitchen, was separated from BYU’s ninth runner Kyle Steadman by only 16 seconds.

Much like last year’s NCAA Championship race where he made headlines, Kitchen was at the front of the pack through 5,000m as the lead group began to separate itself and the pack lengthened out. Kitchen wasn't alone, as he continued to run with his teammates to keep the pack together. Both Mortensen and Hedengren joined Kitchen in the top 10 at the 5,000m mark.

Runners began to truly separate after that 5,000m split. A group of four 2025 All-Americans, including Kitchen, broke off from the rest of the group into a commanding lead. Kitchen regained second place coming into the final 1,000 meters, ultimately finishing in third. His time of 23:23.1 put him ahead of two runners that beat him in the NCAA Championship just a season ago.

Jenkins made his surge late, coming up from the 25th spot at the 5,000m mark to finish second for the Cougars and fourth overall at 24:01.5. Jenkins, who finished just three spots away from All-American honors in 2025, continues to score near the top of the BYU lineup.

Corrigan (24:03.5), Mortensen (24:06.2) and Hedengren (24:06.7) all finished within 3.2 seconds of each other to round out the scoring for BYU and close out the top 20. Jenkins and Hedengren, the Cougars’ 2-5 scorers, were only separated by 5.2 seconds.

Juniors Jefferson McMullin (24:36.6) and Hunter Kitchen (24:37.1) were the next BYU runners to cross the line, coming in at 64 and 65, respectively. Their combined time made them the fastest sixth- and seventh-place runners from any team in the race, showcasing the depth of the BYU roster. 

Junior Land Lambert followed close behind, finishing 88th with a time of 24:51.1. Freshman Kyle Steadman rounded out the BYU runners in the Championship race, running a 25:27.7 and placing 148th in his first-ever collegiate 8,000m race.

Open Race
Similar to the Championship race, the Cougars came out bunched up as a pack early, but in this race they remained a few lines back. Schoenherr and teammates Carter Cutting and Jackson Henstrom were at the head of the BYU group through the first 3,000m, all around 15th place.

Schoenherr was part of a group of four runners who began to separate themselves around the 5,000m mark. Schoenherr made his move over the next 1,000 meters and never looked back, running a 25:31.8 and winning the race by six seconds in his first time covering that distance.

“I felt really really good at 5k," Schoenherr said. "I just decided, ‘Hey, I’m going to go to the front and push this. So that whole last lap I kind of just turned up the tempo slowly, and those hills felt really easy going up. I’m really proud of my race and really proud of my team.”

It was an impressive late surge for Peterson, the Utah State transfer, who moved from 14th at the 5,000m mark to a second-place finish. A strong kick in the home stretch brought him across the line at 25:37.9. Henstrom followed close behind, finishing with a 25:39.8 to complete the Cougar podium sweep.

Freshman Danny Simmons in his collegiate debut was joined by Cutting as both crossed the line at 26:13.7, coming in at 27 and 28. The late kick from both runners helped secure BYU its second victory in as many races on the day.

Open Race results can be found here.

Up Next
The Cougars will take two weeks off before heading to Madison, Wisconsin, to participate in the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 9.