BYU cross country teams aim to make history this week – Deseret News

BYU, ranked No. 1 in the country in both the men’s and women’s divisions, will look to make history when it competes in Saturday’s NCAA Championships in Wisconsin. They will try to become only the fifth team ever to win the NCAA men’s and women’s championships in the same year.

This feat was accomplished by Colorado in 2004, Stanford in 1996 and 2003, and Wisconsin in 1985.

The Cougars won the men’s and women’s titles. at both the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Mountain Region competition. That they were able to win regionals while resting some of their best runners is a sign of the strength of both teams.

BYU is a distance running powerhouse. Seven current and former high school distance runners qualified for the US Olympic track and field team last summer in Paris – more than in any school.

The NCAA Championships will begin with the women’s race at 8:20 a.m. ET, followed by the men’s race. They will be broadcast by ESPN.

The BYU women, who finished 14th and 8th in the last two NCAA meets, won the 2021 championship with a second-place finish in between. NC State has won the last three championships. In total, BYU has won five NCAA women’s cross country championships.

The top five teams in the women’s rankings include BYU, Oregon, Northern Arizona, West Virginia and Notre Dame.

The BYU women’s team is led by Lexi Lowery, an All-American and one of the up-and-coming steeplechasers in the country. She did not compete in regional competitions. Jenna Hutchins, a promising sophomore, was one of BYU’s best athletes this season, but an injury left her 36th at the conference meet and 10th among her teammates. She also did not compete in regional competitions. Losing a running back of his caliber would be catastrophic for most programs, but the Cougars continue to win.

Other BYU top performers: Riley Chamberlain, Carmen Alder, Taylor Rohatinski, Taylor Lovell, Carly Hansen, Destiny Everett.

The BYU men finished third in the last two NCAA Championships, but won the team title in 2019 and finished second in 2018. The top five teams in the rankings are BYU, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Iowa State and New Mexico.

“We’re in a great place,” coach Ed Eyestone said. “… This whole year began with our very first training in the summer. I think we did a really good job of preparing and putting ourselves in the best position.”

BYU faces a major challenge in the men’s game. Oklahoma State, a program built for African runners, returned all of its athletes from last year’s NCAA championship team and added more international talent in the offseason. OSU was ranked No. 1 until BYU swept the Cowboys for the Big 12 Championship.

“We realize we’ve already beaten Oklahoma State once. We know we have a very big task ahead of us to try to beat them, to try to beat Arkansas, to try to beat Iowa State… We have a very talented group of guys and they’re tough. When you’re strong and talented, we like our chances.”

— BYU men’s cross country coach Ed Eyestone

“We realize we’ve already beaten Oklahoma State once,” Eyestone said. “We know we have a very big task ahead of us, trying to beat them, trying to beat Arkansas, trying to beat Iowa State… We have a very talented group of guys and they’re tough. When you’re strong and talented, we like our chances.”

There may not be a better time for BYU to strike. After this meeting, the team faced heavy losses at graduation. According to Eyestone, this is the last varsity cross-country meet for seniors Aidan Troutner, Joey Noakes and Casey Klingerand there is a chance that the young Olympic champion in steeplechase James Corrigan I’m leaving school this winter to become a professional.

“I’ll be surprised if he stays, even though he has another year (of eligibility),” Eyestone says. “He could have gone pro after making the Olympic team.”

Corrigan finished surprisingly third in the steeplechase at the Olympic track and field trials last summer in his first full season in the sport. According to Eyestone, his return to collegiate competition was facilitated by a zero deal with Nike. It was a natural fit since BYU is a Nike school.

Klinger, a four-time All-American Runner of the Year and former American Fork National High School Runner of the Year, will turn pro next year. According to Eyestone, Klinger also signed a zero deal with shoe company Brooks. He missed the spring track season due to injury but returned in time to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer, finishing fifth in the 10,000 meters. He finished third at the conference championships and fourth at regionals.

The BYU team includes Klinger, Noakes, Corrigan, Devin and Creed Thompson, Lucas Bones and Troutner. Five of the seven are Utah high school graduates.

Utah will also be represented in the competition, with 31 teams competing in each race. The University of Utah, ranked No. 12 in the women’s poll, earned one of 13 spots at the NCAA Championships. Utah’s team includes Erin Wringer, Annastasia Peters, Morgan Jensen, McKaylee Caesar and Lindsey Peters.

Utah State won one of the spots in the men’s event. Weber State’s Peter Visser was awarded one of the additional spots awarded to top athletes whose team did not qualify for the NCAA Championships.