PROVO, Utah – The BYU men’s track and field team has reached No. 20 in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I rankings released this week.
The USTFCCCA calculates rankings by using a computer system based on national descending-order lists. Athletes are awarded points for their individual rankings in their respective events, and points are then combined for a team total.
The Cougars arrived in the Top 25 by climbing 13 spots from their previous No. 33 ranking after strong performances over the weekend in the 2016 Oxy Invitational. With 82.92 total points, the Cougars enter the close of the regular season with solid qualifying times from several athletes.
Shaquille Walker sits in first place in the NCAA West Region and second place in the nation in the 800 meters, with a regional qualifying time of 1:44.99. He is also ranked 26th in the 400 meters, having qualified for regionals with a time of 46:67. Distance runner Connor McMillan sits at No. 22 in the West Region in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters with times of 13:53.53 and 29:15.0, respectively. Zachary Blackham holds fifth place in the West and seventh in the nation in the high jump with a mark of 2.21m.
The Cougars will compete in the BYU Last Chance meet on May 12-13 at the Clarence F. Robison Track in Provo. This meet serves as a final opportunity for athletes to qualify in their events before the NCAA West prelims in Lawrence, Kansas, on May 26-28.
See the complete list of USTFCCCA NCAA Division 1 rankings here and a release about this week's rankings here.