EUGENE, Ore. – Anna Camp-Bennett broke the program record in the 1500m with a time of 4:09.22 as the BYU women’s track and field team opened competition at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
The All-American’s time ended up being the second-fastest of the women’s 1500m semifinals and earned her a spot in the final on Saturday, June 12 at 3:11 p.m. PDT. Camp-Bennett broke teammate Whittni Orton’s record of 4:09.31 that was set earlier this season.
Courtney Wayment left no doubt that she’d advance to the women’s 3000m steeplechase final. The All-American clocked a 9:32.52 in her heat of the semifinal, marking the fastest time ever in a women's steeplechase semifinal at the championship meet. This year’s collegiate leader in the event will race in Saturday’s final at 3:24 p.m.
Claire Seymour ran a personal-best 2:02.58 in the women’s 800m semifinal to advance to the final on Saturday at 4:14 p.m. The All-American’s time marks the fifth-fastest 800m in program history. After her 1500m, Camp-Bennett doubled in the 800m and came just short of advancing. She finished 11th overall, moving down one spot from 10th following a successful protest that advanced an athlete that initially finished behind her, and received All-America Second Team honors.
All-American Sara Musselman finished with a career-best 9:55.61 in the steeplechase. She finished 16th overall to earn All-America Second Team honors. Already No. 6 on the BYU Top 10 list in the steeplechase, the personal record solidifies her position on the all-time list.
Orton and All-American Kate Hunter also raced in the 1500m semifinals with Camp-Bennett. Hunter finished 15th overall with a time of 4:13.45, the sixth-fastest 1500m in program history, and received All-America Second Team honors in the event.
Orton came just shy of securing an automatic qualifying spot in her heat of the 1500m, completing the race in 4:14.99 and receiving All-America Honorable Mention. The All-American will race in the 5000m final on Saturday at 4:55 p.m.
Dallin Vorkink concluded competition on Thursday in the men’s decathlon. He finished 17th overall with 6,388 points and received All-America Honorable Mention. On the second day of competition, he recorded 15.71 in the 110m hurdles, 38.22m/125-5 in the discus, no height in the pole vault, 51.70m/169-7 in the javelin and 4:26.83 in the 1500m.
In the final event of the night, the women’s 4x400m squad completed the relay semifinal in 3:37.05 to finish 15th overall and claim All-America Second Team honors. The BYU relay team consisted of Meghan Hunter, Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes, Claire Seymour and Alena Ellsworth.
The BYU men will have five athletes in five separate events on the final day of the men’s competition on Friday, June 11. The men’s discus will be streamed on ESPN while the track events will be broadcast on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. A complete broadcast schedule specific to BYU's entries can be found on byucougars.com.