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BYU's Kenneth Rooks poses with his trophy after winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Track Championships in Austin, Texas, on Friday, June 9, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Kenneth Rooks crosses the finish line in first place of the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the NCAA Track Championships in Austin, Texas, on Friday, June 9, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Kenneth Rooks, left, talks to reporters after winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Track Championships in Austin, Texas on Friday, June 9, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Dallin Shurts competes in the discus during the NCAA Track Championships in Austin, Texas on Friday, June 9, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Four BYU women's track All-Americans pose for a photo with coach Diljeet Taylor at the NCAA Track Championships in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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AUSTIN, Texas – No. 14 BYU men’s track and field wrapped up its 2023 outdoor season in style as Kenneth Rooks was crowned an NCAA champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, launching the team to a 10th overall finish.

Rooks finished in 8:26.17 to become the fourth BYU steeplechaser to win an individual championship, joining the elite group of Kyle Perry (2009), Josh McAdams (2006) and Bob Richards (1966). He is also the first BYU men’s athlete to claim an individual title since Clayton Young in 2019.

The Walla Walla, Washington native maintained a steady pace navigating near the middle of the pack until the final few laps, surpassing Montana State’s Duncan Hamilton on the penultimate lap. The two remained close in the final 400 meters, but Rooks cruised ahead and separated before the final water jump to handily seize his first-ever national title at 8:26.17. Hamilton finished as runner-up at over six seconds behind Rooks (8:32.18).

“I wanted to put myself in the middle or close to the front, be patient and ready when people started to push at the mile,” said Rooks. “When that happened, I was ready to respond. With 600 meters to go, I got lots of speed to go for it at that point.”

The junior is now a three-time steeplechase All-American, claiming back-to-back First Team honors after his sixth-place performance at nationals last season. No Cougar has ever run the steeplechase faster than Rooks in the final round of the NCAA Championships – Rooks’ own 8:22.56, sixth-place finish at last year’s championships stands at the top, followed by his 8:26.17 title run Friday.

Earlier this season on May 6, Rooks became the fastest American collegiate athlete to run the steeplechase at 8:17.62. At NCAA West Preliminaries on May 26, Montana State’s Hamilton surpassed the time at 8:16.23.

“I respect Duncan Hamilton,” Rooks said. “Him breaking the record (at NCAA West Preliminaries) got me excited to race against him here at nationals. He’s really good. Thankfully today was my day.”

Embracing Rooks near the finish line was BYU director of track and field Ed Eyestone, someone who knows firsthand what it takes to win a national title in Austin, Texas as the 1985 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter NCAA champion.

“Kenneth rose up to the challenge,” said Eyestone. “Near the end, he was bold and used his momentum to get the lead. The faster Kenneth went over the barriers, the more smooth his performance was. He hit that last barrier perfect before the last water jump put it away. To see him put it all together and then execute that plan to perfection really is rewarding.”

With Rooks’ title, BYU is the first school in NCAA Division I history to win back-to-back men’s and women’s steeplechase titles as Courtney Wayment captured the event’s individual championship last year.

Senior Dallin Shurts became the final BYU men’s First Team All-American on the week, bringing the team total to six with a 61.27m/201-0 throw for seventh in the discus. The performance netted him his second All-American honors and first career First Team award. He joins Leif Arrhenius (2011) as the second Cougar to be awarded a First Team All-American discus thrower since the NCAA began distinguishing between First Team, Second Team, and Honorable Mention honors in 2011.

Fresh off a podium finish Wednesday at third in the 10,000-meters, Casey Clinger added another All-American award to his collection, this time earning Second Team honors after a 14:12.54 finish in the 5,000-meters. Clinger earned his sixth and seventh All-American honors this week, spread across five outdoor and two indoor.

The senior is also a four-time All-American in cross country.

For the first time since 2019 and fifth in the last 32 years, No. 14 BYU men’s track and field has achieved a top-10 placement at NCAA Outdoor Nationals. At 22.5 points, the program has proven it is ready to take on competition in the Big 12 conference next season as only Texas Tech (sixth, 34.5 points) placed ahead of the Cougars among teams in the conference.

“It turned out really well all-around for the entire men’s team,” Eyestone said. “I’m proud of the way everybody’s stepped up as the majority of guys will go home First Team All-Americans. This is certainly one of the times when it’s been a real team effort.”

Friday’s finish became the 25th BYU men’s track and field placement among the top-10 schools dating back to 1928.

Women add four more First Team All-Americans

The women’s track team completed its run at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. Claire Seymour and Meghan Hunter took First Team All-American in the 800-meters, Lexy Halladay-Lowry did so in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Cierra Tidwell Allphin added another in the high jump.

Seymour ran 2:00.55 and Hunter 2:04.05 as the Cougar mid-distance tandem finished third and eighth, respectively, in the 800m. Michaela Rose of LSU and Stanford’s Roisin Willis took the race out fast, with Rose going on to win. Seymour and Oklahoma State’s Gabija Galvydyte closed late to cross second and third.

“I felt great,” Seymour said. “It was a little windy on the backstretch. The hard thing about the 800 meters is that it’s deep. There’s so many talented and incredible women out in that field. Honestly, it’s an honor to race with them.”

Seymour’s time was good for a career-best across both indoor and outdoor nationals. The senior from Modesto, California’s bronze medal finish is BYU’s best since Shea Martinez Collinsworth did so in 2016. With First Team honors on Saturday, Seymour joins Martinez Collinsworth as the only other BYU woman to record three or more career 800m outdoor All-American honors.

Seymour also joins Whittni Orton (2017-21), Martinez Collinsworth (2014-17) and Maria Betioli Zanandrea (1979-82) as the only four BYU women to collect seven or more career track and field All-American honors.

Hunter takes home her first-career All-American honor in an individual event and does so just four years removed from suffering shattered neck vertebrae in a car accident prior to her freshman season.

Halladay-Lowry ran a personal-best 9:41.85 to finish fourth in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final. Collegiate leader Greta Karinauskaite of Cal Baptist took the race out fast, separating herself early with Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich close behind. Halladay-Lowry headed up a tightly packed group vying for bronze running stride for stride with Kaylee Mitchell and Grace Fetherstonhaugh of Oregon State, Ceili McCabe of West Virginia and New Mexico’s Elise Thorner.

While McCabe pulled ahead of Halladay-Lowry for third, the BYU steeplechaser surged past Thorner and the Oregon State duo to cross fourth. The Irish’s Markezich won the title at 9:25.03 with Karinauskaite in second.

With her performance on Saturday, Halladay-Lowry seized her first-career outdoor First Team All-American honors. A season ago, Halladay-Lowry finished 23rd in the 3,000m steeplechase at 10:31.38. The 2022-23 season also saw the junior from Boise, Idaho garner cross country All-American honors along with a Second Team spot in the indoor 3,000m.

Tidwell Allphin recorded a career-best nationals’ performance in her third appearance with a height of 1.84-meters/6-0.5 and a seventh-place finish. The junior from Gilbert, Arizona held on to First Team All-American position over three jumpers who recorded personal bests on Saturday, including Taylor Beard of Cincinnati and Grace Campbell of Arizona State.

Tidwell Allphin now has five-career All-American citations and posted BYU’s best women’s outdoor high jump national finish since Ada Robinson took fifth in 2009.

As a team, the Cougars scored 14 points to finish the meet and season tied for 17th with Virginia and Ball State. Stanford, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Auburn and Alabama are among the teams that follow BYU in rounding out the final top-25.

The Cougars have now posted four-consecutive top-25 finishes at outdoor nationals and five since 2012.

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