It’s difficult to remember when or if BYU has ever headed into the hyper-competitive NCAA track and field championships with three athletes who rank among the top three in their specialties. That bodes well for BYU’s team-race ambitions.

“Our men could be top-15 and women could be top-four if the big guns show up,” says Ed Eyestone, BYU’s director of track and field.

The big guns are Meghan Hunter, Lexy Lowry and James Corrigan, who have had brilliant, even sensational, seasons to date. If Casey Clinger had not turned pro in the middle of the season, BYU would have four top-three favorites.

The NCAA championships will be held June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The men compete Wednesday and Friday, the women Thursday and Saturday. BYU qualified 19 athletes for the meet, counting members of a relay.

Hunter, a senior from Provo, recently became the third-fastest 800-meter runner in NCAA history, running 1:58.99 to win the Big 12 championship and then 1:58.95 to win the NCAA prelims.

Lowry, a senior from Idaho, is the fifth-fastest collegian of all time in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run.

Corrigan, who represented the U.S. in last summer’s Paris Olympic Games, has the third-fastest time in the nation, 8:22.20, which makes him the seventh-fastest American collegian ever.

The BYU trio will face formidable competition in Eugene, to say the least — most of them Kenyans who are running for U.S. schools.

“James is running very well right now, but the Kenyans on the men’s side are stronger and deeper than ever,” says Eyestone. “It might be more difficult to get top three at the NCAAs than at (the U.S. national championships).”

Five of the men’s top seven collegiate steeplechasers this season are Kenyans — Louisville’s Geoffrey Kirwa, New Mexico’s Mathew Kosgei, Kentucky’s Collins Kipngok, Iowa State’s Joash Ruto and Akron’s Bismack Kipchirchir. Kirwa is the second-fastest collegian ever, at 8:13.89.

Corrigan posted a time of 8:13.87 last summer in an 11th-hour effort to meet the Olympic qualifying standard — a time that would easily be the American collegiate record except it occurred after the collegiate season had ended and therefore isn’t recognized by the NCAA. He has not lost a steeplechase race this spring. On the other hand, he hasn’t met a field as formidable as the one he’ll see in Eugene.

Lowry, who will not contest the 5,000 because there’s not enough rest after the steeplechase, will compete against, among others, Alabama’s Doris Lemngole, a 23-year-old Kenyan and the defending NCAA champion in both cross-country and the steeplechase.

Lemngole set the NCAA record in the steeplechase earlier this season with a time of 9:10.13. BYU’s Courtney Wayment holds the American collegiate record of 9:16.00, but Lowry is closing in, running 9:18.05 earlier this season. Lowry, one of the most improved athletes in the country, will have to top that mark to win in Eugene.

Hunter is one of the most talented track athletes ever to come out of the Utah high school ranks. She was largely a sprinter at Provo High who dabbled in the 800. As a senior she pulled off a rare quadruple performance at state, winning the 100, 200, 400 and 800. She set an all-classification state record in the 400-meter dash of 52.59 in 2018 that no one has come close to breaking, even with the arrival of the new high-tech shoes.

What happened next has been widely covered. She was in a serious car accident the summer before she entered BYU, breaking her neck. She underwent surgery to fuse several vertebrae and her recovery was long and difficult, both physically but especially emotionally. She suffered from PTSD and, more specifically, panic attacks, from the violence of the rollover car wreck.

After a so-so start to the 2025 season, she has performed sensationally the last six weeks. Only Olympic champion Athing Mu (1:57.73), the former Texas A&M star and Olympic champion, and LSU’s Michaela Rose (1:58.12), the 2023 NCAA champion, have run faster. Hunter will face Rose in Eugene in what will be one of the meet’s most anticipated races. Three other women have also run under two minutes this season.

Individual national championships are difficult to come by, of course. BYU men have won only two championships since 2009, both of them in the last six years — Clayton Young in the 10,000 in 2019 and Kenneth Rooks in the steeplechase in 2023. BYU women have won three individual events since 2012, all in the last three years — Wayment in the steeplechase and Ashton Riner in the javelin in 2022, and Anna Bennett in the 1,500-meter run in 2021.

BYU is one of the premier distance running schools in the country. The Cougars won both the men’s and women’s NCAA cross-country championships last fall, only the fifth time a school has pulled off that double.

BYU’s team hopes in the men’s NCAA track championships took a big hit in mid-April when Clinger signed a pro contract with Brooks, ending his collegiate eligibility (the NCAA allows NIL contracts, but it does not allow pro contracts because of the amount of the money and the inclusion of performance incentives).

Two weeks before he signed the contract, Clinger broke a 40-year-old school record in the 10,000-meter run. His time of 27:11.00 finally took down the mark held by none other than his own coach. Eyestone, a four-time NCAA champion and two-time Olympian, set the long-enduring record of 27:41.05 in 1985.

If Clinger had not turned pro, he would be the fastest collegian in the country by 25 seconds.

The BYU women’s team is set up to make a strong team showing in Eugene. Aside from the Big Three, BYU also has strong entries in the revived Carlee Hansen and Riley Chamberlain, who will compete in the 1,500-meter run.

Hansen, a junior from Woods Cross, transferred to BYU from North Carolina in 2023. In the two seasons since then, she has cut a whopping eight and a half seconds off her 1,500-meter time and qualified for nationals.

Her best time at North Carolina was 4:16.02. Like Hunter, Hansen saw little improvement until six weeks ago, when she ran 4:12.42 for a 13th-place finish. She made another dramatic improvement at the Big 12 championships two weeks later, when she posted a time of 4:08.70 to place second.

At the NCAA prelims two weeks ago, she placed fifth with a time of 4:07.64, breaking the school record of 4:08.53 set by Anna Bennett en route to winning the 2021 NCAA championships. In that same race, Chamberlain, a versatile junior from California, also broke Bennett’s record and qualified for nationals, finishing seventh with a time of 4:08.42.

“Meghan and Lexy could win, and Riley and Carlee could combine for some good points in the 1,500,” said Eyestone.

Teammates Jenna Hutchins (5,000 meters), Taylor Lovell (steeplechase) and Sami Oblad (400 meters) are also solid bets to score.

Aside from the distance races, BYU’s strongest event on the men’s side is the decathlon. Jaden Roskelley scored 8,000 points four weeks ago during a meet in Provo — ranked No. 4 in the nation — but it was teammate Ben Barton, a 6-foot-5 junior from Michigan with 10.48 100-meter speed, who won the Big 12 championship.

The BYU women have cracked the top 10 only twice in the team race during the last 19 years — ninth in 2022 and 10th in 2021. The BYU men have placed in the top 10 four times in the last seven years, including seventh last season.

---

Utah collegians competing in NCAA championships

In-state qualifiers for this week’s NCAA track and field championships, with national ranking noted.

BYU

• Sami Oblad, 400 meters (10)
• Meghan Hunter, 800 meters (2)
• Tessa Buswell, 800 meters (19)
• Carlee Hansen, 1,500 meters (10)
• Riley Chamberlain, 1,500 meters (15)
• Taylor Lovell, steeplechase (7)
• Lexy Lowry, steeplechase (2)
• Jenna Hutchins, 5,000 meters (15)
• Gretchen Hoekstre, shot put, discus (19/18)
• James Corrigan, steeplechase (3)
• Luke Grundvig, 5,000 meters (10)
• Creed Thompson, 10,000 meters (11)
• Joey Nokes, 10,000 meters (10)
• Eli Hazlett-Josh Taylor-Jonah Heimuli-Trey Jackson, 4×400 relay (8)
• Jaden Roskelley, decathlon (4)
• Ben Barton, decathlon (9)

Utah

• McKaylie Caesar, 10,000 (19)
• Morgan Jensen, 10,000 (20)
• Megan Rose-Emily Martin-Bailey Kealamakia-Chelsea Amoah, 4×100 relay (22)

Utah State

• Shelby Jensen, steeplechase (20)
• Logan Hammer, pole vault (7)

Utah Valley

• Kelsi Oldroyd, javelin (8)
• Gavin Stafford-Cameron Franklin-Kade Thompson-Gabe Remy, 4×100 relay (20)

Weber State

• Peter Visser, steeplechase (9)

Southern Utah

• Ajia Hughes, high jump (18)

INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy volleyball first-year head coach Haley Case (Kindall) announced the program’s 2025 schedule on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Encompassing 29 regular-season matches, the Greyhounds have 21 in-region opponents on the docket, including 13 GLVC contests. Notably, UIndy hosts one of its three tournaments before traveling to Cedarville, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Fla., prior to conference play opening on Sept. 26. Outside of their six GLVC matches in Ruth Lilly Fitness Center, the Hounds host Ursuline and Kentucky State in out-of-conference bouts in September.
 
UIndy welcomes nine-time national champion Concordia-St. Paul and 2024 DII tournament selection West Virginia State in the first weekend, while also battling in-region Parkside to open the season on Sept. 4.
 
This year’s Midwest Region Crossover is slated for Oct. 17-18 in Hammond, Ind., with the GLVC Championship Tournament returning to Williamsville, Ill., from Nov. 21-23.
 
The complete schedule can be found here.

 

 

Julianna Reichenbach joined the WAKA Action 8 News team as a Sports Anchor/Reporter in 2023.

She grew up in Gainesville, Florida. Some of her fondest memories involve gathering around the couch on Saturdays to watch college football with her family.

Julianna went on to attend the University of Florida. Here, she fell in love with storytelling and sports journalism. She served as a WUFT News Sports Anchor and News Anchor/Reporter. She was also an on-air contributor for ESPN Gainesville and wrote for The Independent Florida Alligator and FloridaGators.com.

Over the summer of 2022, Julianna interned as a Studio Host/Reporter for the Northwoods League. Some of her best memories include the volleyball and softball beats, football games in The Swamp and covering the Gators’ 2023 College World Series run in Omaha.

Julianna is thrilled to stay in SEC Country because she knows how passionate the fans are about sports.

In high school, Julianna played three sports: volleyball, weightlifting and track and field. She later joined the UF club beach volleyball team. Nowadays, Julianna continues to enjoy staying active— she loves any adventure, whether traveling, hiking or trying new foods.

She is excited to be part of the River Region community and looks forward to telling your stories.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana State track and field heads to the heart of TrackTown, USA, this week, competing at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. 

Action from Historic Hayward Field begins Wednesday and continues through Saturday. The entire meet will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2, with online streaming available through ESPN+. 

Concluding one of the greatest seasons in program history, Montana State will have a record seven student-athletes across four entries donning the Blue and Gold in Eugene. 

The Cats’ four entries are tied for the third-most in program history behind only the five in 2023 and 2022. The Cats also qualified four to the national meet in 2015. 

The two entries on the women’s side mark just the fourth time in program history that MSU has qualified multiple athletes on the women’s side (2015, 2012, 2006). 

Rob McManus (3,000 meter steeplechase), Harvey Cramb (1,500 meters), Hailey Coey (long jump), and the women’s 4×400 meter relay team of Olivia Lewis, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi, Caroline Hawkes, and alternate Jadyn VanDyken will all compete at the American cathedral of track and field after rising to the top at the NCAA West First Rounds two weeks ago in College Station, Texas. 

McManus, a senior from Cashmere, Washington, makes his third straight appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. The current face of ‘Steeple U’ is making his fourth career appearance at the NCAA Championships after placing 15th in the mile at NCAA indoor nationals in March. 

Over the past five years, the Cats have sent ten total qualifiers to the national meet in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, with Duncan Hamilton going three times, Levi Taylor three times, McManus three times, and Owen Smith once. 

McManus, a three-time All-American, finished 16th in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 2023 and 13th in 2024—one spot out of making the final after being passed in the final moments of last year’s semifinal by teammate Levi Taylor. 

This season, McManus enters the competition holding the sixth-fastest time in the field (8:26.83), qualifying for the national meet on the back of a dominating performance at the NCAA West Regional, where he recorded the third-fastest time (8:30.65). 

The two-time defending Big Sky champion in the steeplechase is just the fourth Bobcat in history to compete at three straight NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, joining Levi Taylor (2022-24), Duncan Hamilton (2021-23), and Nick Lam (2007-09). The distance runner is also one of just five Bobcats ever to earn at least three All-American honors (Taylor, Hamilton, Lyle Weese, Shannon Butler), and with a fourth All-American nod this week, would rise to second all-time behind  his former running mate in Hamilton, a six-time All-American in track and field. 

“Rob has been comfortable in all of his races but especially in the steeple races this year,” Weese said. “It’s just an event that he has a high level of comfort and a lot of confidence in. I think a key for him is just taking that into the race and not over-thinking it, but just punching his way through to the final while not worrying too much about saving energy or anything else, just finding a way to get to the final.” 

McManus runs in the first of two heats of the national semifinals for the 3,000 meter steeplechase on Wednesday night, toeing the line at 4:38 p.m. PT/5:38 p.m. MT on ESPN. The top five finishers from each of the two 12-man heats advance to Friday night’s final, with the next two-fastest times rounding out the field. 

Cramb, a sophomore from Brisbane, Australia, makes his first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 meters. It’s the second career appearance at a national meet for Cramb, who placed 11th in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach in March. 

The reigning Big Sky Champion cruised through both of his races at the NCAA West Regional in Texas two weeks ago, winning his first round heat before taking an auto-qualifier in the national quarterfinal. The Australian owns the 23rd-fastest time in the country this year (3:37.31). 

“Harvey is a great championship racer,” Weese said. “The way that he likes to race with a fast close fits in really well at these meets, so the 1,500 is a really good event for him and something that he’s really comfortable in. I anticipate that he will go out and compete really and has a really good chance to fight his way through to the final on Friday.” 

Cramb runs in the second of two heats in the 1,500 meters on Wednesday night, with the start time scheduled for 4:21 p.m. PT/5:21 p.m. MT on ESPN and ESPN+. The top five finishers from each of the two 12-man heats advance to Friday night’s final, with the next two-fastest times rounding out the field. 

Coey, a junior from Billings, makes her first appearance at the NCAA Championships in the long jump, becoming the first Bobcat on either the men’s or women’s side to ever qualify in the event. 

The school record-holder won a Big Sky title and set the conference record indoors before carrying that momentum outside this spring, where she set the school record in the sand with the second-best jump in conference history (21-03.50). Seeded ninth in the West entering the Regional meet, the Montana native came up clutch with a 21-foot leap to place eighth and secure one of 12 tickets to Eugene this week. 

“Hailey compared to pretty much every long jumper is one of the most consistent jumpers in the entire country,” Weese said. “In a meet like this where you just get three attempts to make it through to the final, I think she’s in a really good situation and has a reasonable chance of making it to the final because of her consistency throughout the year. She has been over in the high-20’s and low 21-feet in almost all of her competitions throughout the year, so obviously it would be great if she hit a really great mark, but at the same time you don’t always have to do that—you just have to do what you’ve done before in order to advance to the next part of the competition.” 

Ahead of the conference meet in Sacramento in early May, Coey told Parker Cotton of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle “In the past, I used to compare myself to the rest of the conference. Now, I compare myself to the rest of the country.”  

The junior has now backed that up with her performances in the postseason, and will get another chance to do so on Thursday in the long jump at the NCAA Championships, scheduled for 5:40 p.m. PT/6:40 p.m. MT on ESPN+. 

Rounding out Montana State’s contingent of national qualifiers is the women’s 4×400 meter relay team, making history as the first-ever Bobcat relay to make it to the national meet on either the men’s or women’s side. 

The quartet of Olivia Lewis, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi, and Caroline Hawkes punched their ticket to Eugene with a heroic effort at the NCAA West Regionals, grabbing the final spot out of the final heat on the final day in College Station with the second-fastest race in school history (3:34.31). 

Montana State is one of only two teams outside of the Power Four conferences to race in the 4×400 meter relay (Harvard). 

“Having a relay here is very exciting,” Weese said. “Like we’ve talked about before, it just takes a one-off for an individual to make it through, but it takes at least four and oftentimes five or six to get a relay through to the NCAA Championships. Just overall, we’re really excited about that—it’s a great sign of where that long sprints program is at. The 4×400 at the NCAA Championships is crazy—when you look at the teams, they would be some of the top teams for a lot of the nations throughout the world that would be put together for the world championships or Olympic Games teams. They fit in with that really well because of what they’ve done this season. I think this is an environment where they could even take a couple seconds off their school record.” 

The Cats will run out of lane two on Thursday night in the first of three heats at 8:36 p.m. MT on ESPN. The top two finishers from each eat plus the next three fastest times advance to Saturday night’s final. 

“It’s another step forward for us getting this many individuals to the NCAA Championships and getting a relay here while continuing the recent history of getting a lot of men’s distance through,” Weese said. “Obviously it’s so exciting having Hailey here in the long jump. Both the long jump and 4×400 are very, very challenging events to get people through to the NCAA finals, so we’re just really excited about that and can’t wait to see what they do this week. We do have a lot of newcomers where this is their first NCAA meet. Rob McManus is the only one who has competed at these outdoor championships before, so I’m sure there’s a lot of excitement throughout the group. However, there are also a lot of individuals who have a lot of championship experience, whether it’s those pressure situations at regionals or conference championships.” 

MEET SCHEDULE 

Wednesday:  

Thursday: 

• Hailey Coey, long jump (6:40 p.m. MT) 
• 4×400 meter relay (8:36 p.m. MT) 

#GoCatsGo 

FRISCO, Texas – Boise State’s Allyson Alden was named the Southland Conference Beach Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday. The honor marks the second consecutive season a Bronco has earned the accolade after Sierra Land took home the award a season ago.
 
Six Broncos were also named to the SLC All-Academic Team, the most honorees that have been named from a single team in the history of the conference. Alden joined Avery Allen, Emilia Guerra-Acuña, Sharli O’Neil, Abbie Wolf and Elli Wolthuis on the 12-person team.  Guerra-Acuña, O’Neil, Wolf and Wolthuis all received the recognition for the second time in their respective careers.
 
The Student-Athlete of the Year honor represents the beach volleyball student-athlete who best exemplifies academic and athletic success. To qualify, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
 
Alden adds the honor to an already illustrious season, as she was also named the SLC Newcomer of the Year and to the SLC First Team from the No. 1 position. The San Marcos, Calif., native posted a 21-10 mark, finishing 6-3 from the top court and 15-7 from the No. 2 position. Alden claimed victories over pairs from three ranked teams (No. 11 Arizona State, No. 18 Grand Canyon and No. 7 Florida State) and finished 9-2 against conference foes on the year. Alden is currently pursuing a business administration masters degree and earned a 3.95 GPA last semester.
 
A native from Mahomet, Ill., Allen had an impressive debut season donning the Blue and Orange, earning a first-team all-conference selection from the No. 3 position. She finished the season with a 19-12 record, and won three matches over ranked opponents (No. 12 Florida Atlantic, No. 13 Texas and No. 9 Long Beach State). Allen went 6-1 against SLC opponents during the regular season and was named the SLC Pair of the Tournament alongside Wolf.
 
Guerra-Acuña, a health studies major with a 3.66 cumulative GPA, earned the recognition for the second time in her career. She was named First Team All-SLC from the No. 4 position after finishing with a 19-14 record. She went 18-6 from the No. 4 position and finished 10-2 against SLC Pairs. One of three players to earn all-conference recognition in all three years with the team, Guerra-Acuna ended the season as the program’s all-time wins leader with 86 career victories.
 
A native of West Seattle, Wash., O’Neil earned the academic accolade for the second consecutive season. She earned first team all-conference honors from the No. 2 position after finishing with a 21-10 record on the season. A psychology major with a 3.64 cumulative GPA, O’Neil started at the No. 2 spot, posting a 15-7 record before moving up to the top position, where she finished with a 6-3 mark. The senior won three matches against ranked foes, including No. 11 Arizona State, No. 18 Grand Canyon and No. 7 Florida State. She finished the season with 68 career victories, the fourth-most in program history.

A communications major with a 3.89 cumulative GPA, Wolf also earned the accomplishment for the second consecutive season. She was named first team all-conference from the No. 3 position after posting an 18-10 mark, including a 7-1 advantage against conference foes. Wolf, who holds the program’s best winning percentage in program history (75.0%), defeated three ranked pairs this season (No. 12 Florida Atlantic, No. 13 Texas and No. 9 Florida State). She was also named the SLC Pair of the Tournament alongside Allen. 

 

Wolthuis also earned the honor for the Broncos, claiming the honor for the second consecutive season. A kinesiology major with a 3.56 cumulative GPA, the Gilbert, Ariz., became the only player in program history to claim three consecutive first-team all-conference selections after posting a 21-8 record on the year. She won a team-high 11 duals against SLC opponents on the season and took down the No. 5 pair from No. 11 Arizona State in the season-opener on Feb. 28.

 

The SLC All-Academic Team is comprised of 12 student-athletes, with first-team all-conference players who had a minimum of a 3.25 GPA earning an automatic spot. The remainder of the team was voted on by head coaches, sports information directors and academic staff members of each SLC institution.

 

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers track and field made history, qualifying a program record eight for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The four-day meet will run from Wednesday, June 11 through Saturday, June 14.
 
Rutgers will send competitors to the outdoor championships on both the men’s and women’s side for the fourth consecutive year. The seven events mark the most at the national championships in program history, eclipsing the previous record of four events in 2018.
 
Chloe Timberg is making her fourth appearance at the outdoor championships and enters competition as the reigning champion after claiming the title in 2024.
 
Three Scarlet Knights qualified out of the NCAA East First Round on the track – Charlee Crawford in the women’s 400-meter, Chris Serrao in the 110-meter hurdles and Byrce Tucker in the 400-meter hurdles.
 
Steve Coponi will represent Rutgers in the javelin, while a pair of Scarlet Knights will get the meet started for Rutgers in the pole vault with Kevin O’Sullivan and Nico Morales. Paige Floriea will pursue a championship in the long jump at nationals.
 
The ESPN family of networks will provide coverage of the championships with the first and second days of competition airing on ESPN, while day three and day four will broadcast on ESPN2. Select events throughout the four-day meet will stream on ESPN+.
 
Live results for the NCAA Championships are available here.
 
Wednesday, June 11
4:35 p.m.      Pole Vault                                        Nico Morales, Kevin O’Sullivan
5:08 p.m.      110M Hurdles (Semifinal)            Chris Serrao
5:15 p.m.      Javelin                                              Steve Coponi
6:14 p.m.      400M Hurdles (Semifinal)            Bryce Tucker
 
Thursday, June 12
4:35 p.m.      Pole Vault                                        Chloe Timberg
5:40 p.m.      Long Jump                                      Paige Floriea
5:41 p.m.      400M (Semifinal)                           Charlee Crawford