EUGENE, Ore. – BYU’s Jared Ward finished eighth in the men’s 10,000-meter race at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday to become the second Cougar to score points this week.
“Jared made a move with about five or six laps to go and ran with the leaders,” BYU coach Mark Robison said. “He was in second or third until about the last lap and a half but he couldn’t quite keep up with the lead pack. It was a bold move and I’m proud of him for going for it and not being afraid to take a risk.”
Ward earned one point for his efforts while Victor Weirich scored four points after finishing fifth in the pole vault on Wednesday. With five points BYU is currently tied for 18th overall.
A native of Kaysville, Utah, Ward finished with a time of 29:51.59 in the 10,000-meters. He scored points for BYU in the 10,000-meters for the second-straight year. In 2012 he finished fifth to earn first-team All-America honors.
Teammate Tylor Thatcher, a junior from Spokane, Wash., finished six spots back in 14th place. He registered a time of 30:07.12.
“Tylor went out and competed,” Robison commented. “He hung in there but just couldn’t just stay up with the lead groups.”
BYU’s week at the NCAA Championships will conclude on Friday when Curtis Carr competes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final at 5:40 p.m. PT.