Can BYU carry momentum forward at NCAA track and field preliminaries?

Utah collegiate track and field athletes have qualified more than 100 entries in the NCAA West Region Preliminaries in Fayetteville, Arkansas, about half of them in distance and middle-distance events, as usual.

The men will compete in the first round Wednesday and the quarterfinals Friday. The women will compete in the first round on Thursday and the quarterfinals on Saturday. The top 12 finishers in both the East and West Preliminaries will advance to the NCAA championships, which will be held June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.

The BYU women’s team has finished in the top eight of the NCAA championships three of the last four years; the BYU men’s team has finished in the top 10 two of the last five years. The Cougars are coming off a strong showing in their first Big 12 Conference championships, with the women finishing second and the men fourth in one of the strongest track leagues in the country.

“I think we are on a high coming off of really good performances at the Big 12 championships,” said director of track and field Ed Eyestone. “What I’d like to see is that momentum carried forward into the regional meet. We have a lot of athletes that are capable of not only performing well but qualifying for the national championships.”

BYU qualified a combined total of 52 entries for the West Preliminaries. That doesn’t include All-Americans Lexy Halladay, Meghan Hunter and Casey Clinger, who are redshirting the season.

Twenty-two athletes with Utah college ties rank in the top 10 of their events headed into the meet.

Remarkably, 25 Utah collegians have qualified in the 3,000-meter steeplechase alone. BYU’s James Corrigan and Utah State’s Max Wehrli rank third and seventh, respectively. BYU’s Taylor Lovell ranks third in the women’s steeplechase. BYU has produced 10 NCAA steeplechase champions.

Among the other top entries: Utah’s State’s Logan Hammer, second in the pole vault; BYU’s Dallin Shurts, second in the discus; Joey Nokes, third in the 5,000; Weber State’s Cody Cannard, fourth in the javelin; BYU’s Jenna Hutchins, fifth in the 5,000;

Here is a list of the Utah collegians who have qualified for the West Region Preliminaries, with their current ranking in parenthesis.

NCAA prelim qualifiers with Utah ties

100 meters

• Dallin Draper, BYU, 10.13 (8th).

200 meters

• Abran Schaap, BYU, 20.66 (34th).

400 meters

• Dylan Gibson, SUU, 46.15 (32nd).
• Eli Hazlett, BYU, 46.41 (44th).

800 meters

• Sebastian Fernandez, BYU, 1:46.25 (7th).
• Jake Orr, BYU, 1:48.35 (30th).
• Joe Lighthall, BYU, 1:48.90 (43rd).

1,500 meters

• Kelton Gagnon, Weber St., 3:38.77 (9th).
• Carter Cutting, BYU, 3:42.53 (48th).

5,000 meters

• Joey Nokes, BYU, 13:28.89 (3rd).
• Travis Feeny, SUU, 13:45.18 (30th).
• Isaac Hedengren, BYU, 13:46.85 (36th).
• James Corrigan, BYU, 13:47.21 (38th).
• Adam Troutner, BYU, 13:47.98 (47th).

10,000 meters

• Joey Nokes, BYU, 28:21.75 (17th).
• Todd Camren, USU, 28:43.08 (34th).

110 hurdles

• Riley Hunt, BYU, 13.91 (49th).

3,000 steeplechase

• James Corrigan, BYU, 8:29.24 (3rd).
• Max Wehrli, USU, 8:36.43 (7th).
• Hayden Harward, SUU, 8:39.24 (10th).
• Peter Visser, Weber St., 8:39.46 (11th).
• Joel Mendez, UVU, 8:39.55 (12th)
• Wyatt Haughton, BYU, 8:42.91 (15th).
• Bronson Winter, Weber St., 8:43.35 (16th).
• Adam Bunker, UVU, 8:44.12 (17th).
• Logan Garnica, USU, 8:44.88 (19th).
• Jamison Wilkes Weber St., 8:45.05 (20th).
• Ty Davis, Weber St., 8;48.31 (31st).
• Garrett Stanford, BYU, 8:48.80 (33rd).
• Caleb Johnson BYU, 8:51.27 (43rd).
• Mark Crandall, USU, 8:51.35 (44th)

4 x 100 relay

• Utah Valley, 39.33 (18th).
• BYU, 39.86 (49th).

4 x 400 relay

Pole vault

• Logan Hammer, USU, 18-5 ¼ (2nd).
• Noah Peterson, UVU, 17-0 (42nd).
• Ethan Amata, BYU, 17-0 (42nd).
• Zach Bingham, BYU, 16-11 (47th).

Triple jump

• Godwin Charles, USU, 52-1 ¼ (10th).

Shot put

• Danny Bryant, BYU, 64-3 ¼ (7th).
• Gavin Beierle, USU, 58-9 ½ (38th).

Discus

• Dallin Shurts, BYU, 207-6 (2nd).
• Joseph Turner, USU, 181-9 (41st).
• Danny Bryant, BYU, 179-1 (46th).
• Gavin Beierle, USU, 178-4 (49th).

Javelin

• Cody Canard, Weber St., 256-2 (4th).
• Cameron Bates, BYU, 246-7 (8th).
• Josh Trafny, Weber St., 242-3 (12th).
• Michael Whittaker, BYU, 220-8 (30th).
• Chase Clement, BYU, 218-5 (34th).
• Walker Deede, USU, 217-8 (35th).
• Brinton Paulson, BYU, 216-11 (36th).
• Nick Forsyth, UVU, 216-3 (39th).
• Bronis MacDougall, SUU, 211-4 (47th).

Decathlon

• Jaden Roskelley, BYU, 7,325 (24th).

100 meters

• Jaslyn Gardner, BYU, 11.23 (10th).

200 meters

• Jaslyn Gardner, BYU, 23.17 (28th).

400 meters

• Josefine Eriksen, Utah, 52.36 (20th).
• Sam Oblad, BYU, 53.32 (41st).

800 meters

• Josefine Eriksen, Utah, 2:01.58 (8th).
• Brooke Manson, Utah, 2:04.05 (23rd).
• Riley Chamberlain, BYU, 2:04.32 (28th).
• Krystie Solomon, BYU, 2:04.68 (32nd).

1,500 meters

• Sadie Sargent, BYU, 4:09.65 (7th).
• Riley Chamberlain, BYU, 4:11.48 (12th).
• Erin Vringer, Utah, 4:13.17 (15th).
• Taylor Lovell, BYU, 4:17.31 (37th).
• Jacey Farmer, BYU, 4:18.37 (48th).

5,000 meters

• Sadie Sargent, BYU, 15:34.18 (7th).
• Jenna Hutchins, BYU, 15:34.65 (9th).
• Caila Odekirk, UVU, 15:59.78 (44th).
• Katarzyna Nowakowska, Utah.

10,000 meters

• Jenna Hutchins, BYU, 32:52.01 (5th).
• Morgan Nokes, UVU, 33:08.53 (13th).
• Emma Thornley, USU, 33:34.62(25th).
• Clara Mayfield, Utah, 33;38.65 (26th).
• Destiny Everett, BYU, 33:56.96 (41st).

100 hurdles

• Abbey Bryant, USU, 13.36 (33rd).

400 hurdles

• Annalise Hart, BYU, 57.07 (15th).
• Maddie Edwards, USU, 57.22 (16th).
• Harley Daniel, Utah, 58.21 (30th).
• Ally Gomm, Utah, 58.63 (38th).
• Paige Young, UVU, 58.78 (42nd).

3,000 steeplechase

• Taylor Lovell, BYU, 9:51.57 (3rd).
• Elizabeth Dildine, BYU, 10:08.86 (17th).
• Allie Warner, BYU, 10:10.67 (19th).
• Shelby Jensen, USU, 10:11.58 (20th).
• Madi Moffitt, BYU, 10:17.76 (25th).
• Raygan Peterson, BYU, 10:20.39 (28th).
• Saga Hagelin, Weber St., 10:21.41 (30th).
• Oakley Olson, UVU, 10:22.36 (31st).
• Abby Jensen, USU, 10:23.62 (35th).
• Sammi Lee, USU, 10:26.32 (41st)..
• Bailey Brinkerhoff, USU, 10:27.14 (42nd).

4 x 100 relay

4 x 400 relay

• Utah, 3:32.81 (17th).
• BYU, 3:34.43 (24th).

High jump

• Cierra Allphin, BYU 6-0 ¾ (10th).
• Maci Taylor, BYU 5-9 ¼ (38th).

Pole vault

• Rebekah Erikson, BYU, 14-1 ¾ (12th).
• Maren Garnett, BYU, 13-5 ¾ (39th).

Shot put

• Gretchen Hoekstre, BYU, 51-11 ¾ (38th).
• Dawson Rohthenbuhler, Weber St., 51-11 ¼ (39th).

Discus

• Gretchen Hoekstre, BYU, 184-8 (20th).
• Lia Katoa, BYU, 170-9 (46th).

Hammer

• Rebecca Hazelet, SUU, 199-10 (27th).

Javelin

• Kelsi Oldroyd, UVU, 178-3 (10th).
• Alysa Keller, BYU, 170-2 (20th).
• Elizabeth Parkinson, BYU, 167-1 (23rd).
• Djamilliah Paepke-chile, USU, 157-8 (42nd).
• Nicole Freestone, BYU, 156-9 (44th).

Heptathlon

• Mayci Taylor, BYU, 5530 (16th).