EUGENE, Ore. – BYU track and field added two All-Americans in both the men's 3000m steeplechase and 5000m at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field on Friday.
Matt Owens and Clayson Shumway were named first-team All-Americans after finishing sixth and seventh in the 3000m steeplechase final. Owens ran the second-fastest split on the final lap to improve his scoring position and his final time to 8:38.09. Shumway finished just behind his teammate with a time of 8:40.15 to score a combined five points for the men's team.
"It is outstanding for Matt and Clayson to be first-team All-Americans in their first national meet," BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. "I was impressed that they didn't back down going up against the best competition in the nation. Knowing we've got two more years with Clayson and three more with Matt is something to look forward."
Rory Linkletter ran a 13:58.20 for an eighth-place finish in the men's 5000m final to earn first-team All-America honors and score one point for the BYU men's team. Linkletter put himself into scoring position halfway through the race moving from the middle of the pack to the front and used a strong kick at the end to clinch his position. Clayton Young came in 12th with a time of 14:02.17 to secure second-team All-America honors in the 5000m while Connor McMillan rounded out the trio finishing 24th with a time of 14:29.12.
"It was really nice that Rory and Clayton were able to bounce back after a really rough 10,000m on Wednesday," Eyestone said. "They definitely had better races than two nights ago and I'm glad they could finish the season on a positive note."
The BYU men's team finished with a total of 7 points to tie for 40th overall.
High jumper Andrea Stapleton-Johnson will be the only Cougar competing on the final day of the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She will compete in the women’s high jump final Saturday at 3:00 p.m. PDT on ESPN3.
Links of note:
Day Two Recap
Live Stats
Schedule of Events
Live Stream
@BYUTFXC - Follow BYU track and field's Twitter for live updates and additional team information.
Wednesday's Results
| Athlete | Event | Mark | Place |
| Clayson Shumway | Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal) | 8:39.97 | 2nd |
| Matt Owens | Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Semifinal) | 8:42.35 | 10th |
| Connor McMillan | Men's 10,000m (Final) | 29:32.65 | 12th |
| Conner Mantz | Men's 10,000m (Final) | 31:37.34 | 22nd |
| Clayton Young | Men's 10,000m (Final) | 31:37.54 | 23rd |
| Rory Linkletter | Men's 10,000m (Final) | 31:37.69 | 24th |
| Kevin Nielsen | Decathlon (100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m) | 4103 points | 9th |
Thursday's Results
| Athlete | Event | Mark | Place |
| Kevin Nielsen | Men's Decathlon (Final) | 7695 points | 8th |
| Ashton Riner | Women's Javelin (Final) | 50.25m | 11th |
| Whittni Orton | Women's 1500m (Final) | 4:17.84 | 19th |
| Alyssa Dalton | Women's 100m Hurdles (Final) | 15.05 | 24th |
| Brenna Porter | Women's 400m Hurdles (Final) | 58.99 | 18th |
Ellie Heiden-Quackenbush | Women's 4X400m (Final) | 3:39.14 | 20th |
Friday's Results
| Athlete | Event | Mark | Place |
| Matt Owens | Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Final) | 8:38.09 | 6th |
| Clayson Shumway | Men's 3000m Steeplechase (Final) | 8:40.15 | 7th |
| Rory Linkletter | Men's 5000m (Final) | 13:58.20 | 8th |
| Clayton Young | Men's 5000m (Final) | 14:02.17 | 12th |
| Connor McMillan | Men's 5000m (Final) | 14:29.12 | 24th |
Saturday, June 9
| Time | Athlete | Event | Network |
| 3:00 p.m. | Andrea Stapleton-Johnson | Women's High Jump (Final) | ESPN3 |