Cougars Return Home for BYU Cougar Indoor Invitational II

MeetWeek_Feb4MeetWeek_Feb4

PROVO, Utah – BYU track and field will host the BYU Cougar Indoor Invitational II Feb. 4-6, at the Smith Fieldhouse.

Meet Information

The Cougars will host their second home meet of the season after competing at the UW Preview and Weber State Invitational last weekend. Athletes from BYU, Northwest Nazarene, Southern Utah, UNLV, Utah Valley, Weber State and Westminster are expected to compete.

The BYU women’s team jumped 16 spots in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s national rankings to No. 8 while the men’s team was rated No. 17.

The women’s squad currently has 10 athletes and a relay squad that rank in the top 25 in the NCAA. The distance medley relay team ran a 11:03.63 at the UW Preview, the fastest time in the nation. Senior All-American Courtney Wayment (4:35.80) and senior Olivia Hoj Simister (4:37.77) rank No. 2 and No. 4 in the women’s mile, respectively.

Senior Kate Hunter (11th, 4:41.18), freshman Simone Plourde (13th, 4:42.00) and junior Heather Hanson (16th, 4:42.85) also rank in the top 25 in the women’s mile.

Junior Claire Seymour is 13th in the women’s 800m with a time of 2:07.15. Jaslyn Gardner is 16th in the 60m dash (7.31*) and Aubrey Frentheway is 16th in the 3000m (9:36.20*).

In the women’s field events, Halley Folsom Walker is No. 17 in the pentathlon with 3821 points and Cierra Tidwell is 24th in the high jump with a clearance of 1.75m/5-8.75.

Six members of the men’s squad currently rank in the top 25 in the NCAA. Sophomore All-American Zach McWhorter’s clearance of 5.56m/18-2.75 is the third-best mark in the nation. Junior All-American Conner Mantz ranks ninth in the 3000m with a time of 7:58.03*.

Freshman Aidan Troutner and junior All-American Brandon Garnica also are among the top 3000m runners. Troutner is No. 11 with a time of 8:10.19* and Garnica is No. 23 with a time of 8:14.32*.

Juniors Caleb Witsken (5423 points) and Dallin Vorkink (5375 points) are 13th and 15th in the heptathlon, respectively. Witsken’s mark of 5.22m/17-1.5 in the pole vault is the 19th best in the country.

*Without altitude conversion