Nine Cougars move up BYU Top 10 board

SEATTLE – BYU track and field had nine athletes move up the program’s all-time list as both the men's and women's teams concluded the indoor regular season on Saturday at the Husky Classic and Championships at the Peak.

Final Results: Husky Classic | Championships at the Peak

Husky Classic
Dempsey Indoor Track | Seattle, Washington

The Cougars had five runners run top-10 times in school history in the women’s mile on Friday at the Dempsey Indoor Track. Senior All-American Courtney Wayment clocked an NCAA-leading 4:30.47 to win the race, the second-fastest mile in BYU history.

Senior Olivia Hoj Simister now ranks No. 3 all-time at BYU in the mile and No. 3 in the NCAA this season with a time of 4:31.73. Junior Heather Hanson ran a 4:36.49, senior Kate Hunter ran a 4:37.17 and freshman Simone Plourde ran a 4:37.24. The trio’s times rank 6-8 in BYU history and 13-15 in the NCAA.

The entire BYU Top 10 list in the women's indoor mile has now been completely rewritten over the last five years, with the earliest time on the list being from the 2017 season. The list now only consists of athletes coached by BYU associate director of track & field/cross country Diljeet Taylor.

Freshman Lucas Bons ran a 3:55.45 in the men’s mile, joining school record holder Miles Batty (3:54.54 - 2012) as the only two Cougars to run a sub-3:56 mile. Ranking No. 2 on the BYU Top 10 list, Bons has the fifth-fastest mile time in the NCAA this season.

Junior Claire Seymour completed the women’s 800m in a career-best 2:02.20, almost five whole seconds faster than her previous personal record. Seymour’s time ranks No. 2 in both BYU history and the NCAA this year.

Senior Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes ran a season-best 2:05.39 in the women’s 800m, the ninth-fastest time in the nation this season. Doubling back after Friday’s mile, Wayment clocked the 10th-fastest 800m in school history with a time of 2:05.76 (No. 14 in the NCAA). Alena Ellsworth marked the fourth Cougar to rank in the top 20 in the nation with a time of 2:06.01, the 18th-fastest time in the country.

Championships at the Peak
Cadet Field House | Air Force Academy, Colorado

Senior Halley Folsom Walker got things started for the Cougars in the pentathlon at the Championships at the Peak on Thursday. Folsom Walker won the event with a career-best 3,954 points, the fourth-best pentathlon performance in school history and the 14th-best score in the country this year.

The senior recorded personal bests in both the 60m hurdles (8.88) and shot put (12.01m/39-5) while also recording season-best marks in the high jump (1.69m/5-6.5) and long jump (5.23m/17-2). Folsom Walker capped off the pentathlon with a 2:15.02 in the 800m.

Sophomore Cierra Tidwell-Allphin was the eighth Cougar to move up the BYU Top 10 board this weekend, clearing 1.80m/5-10.75 in the women’s high jump. She is now tied for the 10th-best mark in school history.

Sophomore All-American Zach McWhorter cleared 5.55m/18-2.5 to win the men’s pole vault. Junior Jaslyn Gardner clocked 7.33 to take fourth place in the women’s 60m final while junior Easton Bianchi ran a 6.76 to finish sixth in the men’s 60m finals.

BYU track and field will compete next at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships March 11-13 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Cougars will find out what athletes will officially qualify to compete at the championship meet in the coming week.