WALNUT, California -- Competing at the 53rd Annual Mt. SAC Relays and the Mark Faldmo Invitational at Utah State, the BYU men’s and women’s track and field teams earned some great marks and top performances at two meets on Saturday.

“Mt. SAC has been very good to us this year,” BYU women’s head coach Patrick Shane said. “We had a lot of personal records run in these last few days and some excellent performances. A lot of athletes put themselves in good position for the Region meet.”

The 800-meters was the highlight race for the women’s team on Saturday, with juniors Lacey Bleazard and Katie Palmer coming away with season best times. Bleazard finished in 2:04.78 to place fourth in her heat and first among collegians. Palmer crossed the line in 2:04.47 and also took fourth in her heat.

While the distance teams have been competing at the Mt. SAC Relays this weekend the sprinters and jumpers competed at the Mark Faldmo Invitational at Utah State.

Porshe Giddings led the women in Logan with first place finishes in the 200-meter and 400-meter races. Giddings finished the 200m in 24.06 to take the win and crossed the line in 55.01 in the 400m.

BYU athletes took the top two places in the high jump, with Ada Robinson nabbing first and Diana Blauer taking second. Both athletes cleared 1.75m (5-08.75) to take the top two spots.

Also competing well in the field was junior Kelli Ehardt in the pole vault. Ehardt won the event by clearing 3.80m (12-05.50).

Tipaleli Fotu placed first among college athletes in the hammer throw at Utah State. Fotu earned the collegiate win with a toss of 55.68m (182-08), 11 feet further than her nearest NCAA competitor.

On the men’s side, Chris Carter led the way with a great performance in the 400m hurdles. Carter finished first in 53.56, nearly two seconds faster than the second place finisher.

Also taking home a win from Utah State was senior Leif Arrhenius in the discus throw. Arrhenius finished first with a throw of 61.16m (200-08), while teammate Zach Stetler took second with a toss of 51.27m (168-02).

Oliver Whaley also took home a win in the throws. Whaley won the hammer throw with a throw of 63.35m (207-10).

For complete results from the Mt. SAC Relays CLICK HERE.

PROVO, Utah -- Participating in one of the most competitive meets of the outdoor season, BYU’s track teams will be heading to the 53rd Annual Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. on Thursday.

The three-day event features several of the best high school, collegiate and elite competitors in the country. Top 10 men’s teams such as No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 7 USC and No. 9 Texas will be in attendance. On the women’s side, No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 USC, No. 8 Arkansas and No. 9 Arizona highlight a competitive field.

Most of the athletes competing for BYU will be running in middle-distance or distance races. With the school semester coming to a close many student-athletes are working on finals and finishing up classes, thus limiting the number of competitors for the Cougars.

Junior Miles Batty will compete in the Elite division of the 1,500 meters while three more athletes will participate in the Open division of the same race. Senior Nathan Ogden will run in the 5,000 meters in the top-billed Elite race and four more Cougars will run the open section.

On the women’s side, senior Cecily Lemmon-Lew will compete in her first 10000-meter race of the 2011 season. Lew, who sat out the 2010 track season for health reasons, finished second at the 2009 NCAA Championships in the 10000m, earning All-American honors in the event.

Competition at the Mt. SAC Relays will begin on Thursday at 3:30 pm MT with the women’s 3000m steeplechase. Live results will be available at mtsacrelays.com.

A few athletes will also head north to Logan on Saturday to compete in the Mark Faldmo Invitational at Utah State. The meet will begin at 10:00 am MT with the men’s and women’s hammer throw and will conclude at 4:00 pm with the 4x400m relay.