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Oct 03 | 12:00 PM
2nd
Jack Urquhart
| Posted: 3 Oct 2014 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Jack Urquhart
Nelson leads No. 10 BYU to second-place finish at Notre Dame Invitational
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior Jonathan Nelson led No. 10 BYU to a second-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational Friday at Notre Dame Golf Course in South Bend, Indiana.
"I think our team performed very well," head coach Ed Eyestone said. "We came into this meet hoping to beat a number of teams from other regions to give us some at-large points and we did just that. We beat a lot of great teams, inlcuding all of the teams from our region."
The Cougars scored 112 points, placing them behind No. 19 Michigan, who won the meet with 97 points. BYU held off ranked opponents New Mexico, North Carolina State, Tulsa, Princeton, Eastern Kentucky and Florida State in the field of 24 teams.
Nelson's time of 23:33.0 on the five-mile course placed him first among BYU runners and 10th overall. The Provo native's performance made him the first BYU finisher for the second time this season and the third time of his career.
"He (Nelson) ran a great race," Eyestone said. "He finished tenth in a fairly conservative effort. He worked from a decent position and chipped away toward the lead throughout the race."
Senior Spencer Gardner finished seven seconds behind Nelson (23:40.1), good for second on the team and 14th overall. Gardner has placed in BYU's top three in all three meets this season. Connor McMillan, Mitchell Briggs and Conner Peloquin rounded out the scoring for the Cougars and finished 27th, 28th, and 33rd overall, respectively.
Complete race results can be found here.
BYU next races Oct. 17 at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin.
Jack Urquhart
| Posted: 1 Oct 2014 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Jack Urquhart
BYU brings No. 10 ranking into Notre Dame Invitational
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PROVO, Utah – Tenth-ranked BYU men’s cross country faces a field of ranked foes this Friday at the Notre Dame Invitational.
“This is an important meet for us,” head coach Ed Eyestone said. “In terms of picking up at-large points and measuring how we’re competing, it’s huge.”
After winning their first two meets, the Cougars will test their caliber against ranked opponents New Mexico (15th), North Carolina State (16th), Tulsa (18th), Michigan (19th), Princeton (20th), Eastern Kentucky (23rd) and Florida State (24th). Tulsa and Princeton finished second and third, respectively, at last year’s Notre Dame Invitational.
In 2011, the last time BYU’s men’s team participated in the Notre Dame Invitational, the Cougars won the meet. Former BYU cross country runner Miles Batty finished first overall. Conner Peloquin and Steve Flint are the only members of the current team who ran at the 2011 meet. Peloquin finished sixth for the Cougars, and 45th overall.
In a year that Eyestone said was supposed to be a rebuilding year, BYU comes into the meet as the top-ranked team in a large field, garnering the No. 10 ranking from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the third week in a row. Jonathan Nelson, Spencer Gardner, Connor McMillan and Peloquin have emerged as the Cougars’ top runners this season, each having finished in the top three for BYU in at least one of the first two meets.
“I like our team,” Eyestone said. “I like our depth and leadership. I like our young guys. Hopefully we can keep moving forward to have a finish like last season’s.”
The men’s five-mile race will take place at 5 p.m. EST at Notre Dame Golf Course in South Bend, Indiana.
