BYU’s men’s team finished in eighth place at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas, on Friday night, its best finish since 2011.
The women’s meet at Mike Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas will conclude Saturday.
Two days after placing first and fourth in the 10,000 meters, BYU’s Clayton Young and Conner Mantz competed in the 5,000 Friday and placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
Young, the 10,000 champion from American Fork, posted a time of 14 minutes, 9 seconds. Mantz, a Sky View High product from Smithfield who was fourth in the 10K, crossed the finish line at 14:09.20 in the 5K.
It was a mildly disappointing day for the Cougars, who were hoping to finish in the top five after being ranked there most of the season.
Texas Tech won the men’s meet with 60 points, followed by Florida (50) and Houston (40). BYU finished with 27 points.
BYU had one-third of the 12-man field in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase — Jacob Heslington, Kenneth Rooks, Matt Owens and Clayson Shumway — but couldn’t put an athlete in the top seven.
Owens was the highest BYU finisher, placing eighth with a time of 8:45.50, while Shumway was 10th, Heslington 11th and Rooks 12th.
BYU’s Rickey Fantroy Jr. jumped 50 feet, 10 inches to finish 21st in the triple jump.
BYU’s Talem Franco, a junior from Heber City, finished in 11th place in the men’s 1,500 with a time of 3:46.20 seconds.
Southern Utah’s Kasey Knevelbaard, a junior from Caruthers, Calif., was sixth in the same race with a time of 3:42.43.
Weber State’s Nathan Dunivan was 10th in the discus Friday with a throw of 57.75 meters (189 feet, 5 inches).
Four BYU women will compete in the finals of their respective events Saturday.
Erica Birk-Jarvis, of Coalville, ranked No. 2 nationally in the women’s steeplechase, will try for a national title in that event.
Panguitch’s Whittni Orton will compete in the 1,500 meters, while Anna Camp of Fillmore will run in the 800 meters and Brenna Porter of Logan will run the final race of her career in the 400-meter hurdles.
BYU’s Andrea Stapleton-Johnson, a junior from Kennewick, Wash., who has posted the best height in the country in the high jump this season, will go for the championship in that event Saturday afternoon.
