SEATTLE – The BYU track and field men’s team finished in second place on the first day of competition at the 2019 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on Friday.
The BYU men’s team finished the first day in second with a total of 35 points, trailing only UCLA’s 43 points. The women’s team heads into the second day of competition 14th overall with eight points.
Jacob Heslington used a strong push in the final laps of the men’s 5000m to take second place with a career-best 13:58.00. Teammate Clayson Shumway also scored points for BYU in the 5000m after finishing seventh overall (14:01.82). In the women’s 5000m, Aubrey Frentheway took eighth with a time of 17:09.82 and Rachel Morrin ran a 17:27.74 to finish 15th.
Clark Brown ran the 200m dash in 21.25 to take third overall in the men’s 200m and Derek Sorensen finished seventh with a time of 21.37. Kyle Strauss clocked 8.15 to place 10th in the 60m hurdles preliminary rounds.
Jacob Foutz’s toss of 19.84m/65-1.25 was good enough to place third overall in the men’s weight throw. Raul Rios took sixth place in the men’s pole vault with a height of 5.02m/16-5.50. Teammates Jameson Shirley and Steven French finished 9-10 after both vaulted 4.87m/5-11.75. In the women’s pole vault, Elise Romney cleared 4.04m/13-3.00 to finish seventh overall.
The first day of the men’s heptathlon featured four Cougars with Brian Matthews heading into the second day in third place with 2950 points. Matthews matched his personal best in the 60m with a 7.13 and set season bests in the long jump (6.61m/21-8.25) and shot put (12.86m/42-2.25). Ben Barton will enter the second day of competition in third place (2817 points) with Dallin Vorkink in ninth and Caleb Witsken in 11th (2555 points)
Lindsay Yetter-Shirley had a strong showing in the women’s pentathlon sitting in the top two through the first four events before scratching the final event. The junior set season records in the high jump (1.76m/5-9.25), long jump (5.44m/17-10.25), and shot put (11.11m/36-5.50) while also breaking her personal record in the 60m hurdles (8.64).
Haley Rogers and Jaslyn Gardner had strong performances in the women’s sprints events. Gardner finished 13th in the 60m (7.58) and 14th in the 200m (24.88). Rogers took 11 overall in the 200m (24.76) and 17th in the 60m (7.62).
The BYU men’s and women’s distance medley relay (DMR) teams capped off the first day of the MPSF Championships. Talem Franco, Michael Bluth, Patrick Parker and Matt Owens ran for a combined time of 9:37.94 for second place in the men’s DMR. Kate Hunter, Alena Ellsworth, Karina Haymore and Emma Gee finished fourth overall in the women’s DMR with a time of 11:21.23
The Cougars will wrap up competition at the MPSF Championships Saturday, Feb. 23. Follow @BYUTFXC on Twitter and @BYUtrackfieldxc on Instagram for team updates from the meet. The MPSF Championships will be streamed live on FloTrack.org and live results can be found on Athletic.net.