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Competitors including former BYU runner Connor Mantz run past spectators near the Palace of Versailles during the men's marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Versailles, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)

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Competitors including former BYU runner Clayton Young run through the streets of central Paris during the men's marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)

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Athletes compete during the men's marathon competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

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BYU track and field alums Conner Mantz and Clayton Young finished eighth and ninth in the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon Saturday morning, clocking the fastest two times by Americans in Olympic marathon history.

The two former Cougars turned training partners closed out the hilly 26.2 mile course together with Mantz finishing in 2:08.12 and Young in 2:08.44. Both nearly closed in on their personal bests marks, Mantz just shy of 2:07:47 and Young close to 2:08.00, they achieved on the flat 2023 Chicago Marathon course.

“It was an amazing day,” said BYU director of track and field Ed Eyestone, who professionally coaches Mantz and Young. “There was a lot of guts shown by both of them. It’s amazing to see them finish in the single digits. To place in the top-nine in the Olympic Games is a pretty great accomplishment, when you consider the marathon and all that can go wrong. I thought they ran a really controlled race. It was a really solid day for both of them.”

Mantz said: “I’m grateful for all those who helped me today. I hoped to snag a medal and put myself in a good position heading into the hill around 29 km, but couldn’t stay with the pack. I am grateful I hung on and had a great last 10km, despite being dropped by the front pack and running it solo.”

Young said: “Proud to be in the single digits and run 2:08. I’ve been eyeing top 10 for a long time, and to be able to execute a great race and still have some in the tank. Gets me excited for the future. We thought that 2:08 would be on the podium, but it wasn’t quite enough. It was fun finding Conner out there on the course and sharing ice, bottles, and an epic high five. Feeling grateful, motivated, and inspired. Excited for LA 2028!”

Fellow former BYU track and field athlete Team Canada runner Rory Linkletter finished in 2:13:09, crossing in 47th place. Linkletter trained and competed with both Mantz and Young at BYU.

“Today was a beautiful day,” said Linkletter. “I’m so proud to have competed here and given it everything I had today. My result is one I am not ahsame of, but certainly not one I believe illustrates my capabilities. This year has been a dream, but it has also been full of mountains to climb. I’ve been here before, I’ll probably be here again.”

Eyestone said: “2:13:09 is still a solid time for (Rory). I talked to him briefly after. One of the first things he asked me was about how his former teammates had done. It’s always an opportunity to represent your country and I feel like he did that well. I was able to see him a couple times on the course and cheer for him as well. I’m definitely proud of how he did today.”

The former Cougars navigated a taxing race that is highly considered one of the most difficult marathon courses in Olympic history. The runners battled a series of hills headlined by a 600-meter stretch for the final climb with a 10.5% grade. In addition, the weather was considered hot for marathons with temperatures getting up into the high 60s with little sun protection and shade.

Mantz and Young began the race taking advantage of moving behind the front runners. Separation between the leaders and the rest of the pack began around the halfway mark, which Mantz responded to with a surge to position himself in third. The runners shifted again into two packs, then Young drove himself alone through a stretch to catch the new lead pack. After a brief high five, the former teammates remained close together through the end of the race.

The men’s marathon wrapped up competition for the Cougars at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Webber’s hat trick leads UVU women’s soccer to exhibition rout of Idaho State

Faith Webber recorded a hat trick to lead Utah Valley to a 7-2 exhibition win over Idaho State on Saturday night at Clyde Field in Orem.

Utah Valley wraps up exhibition play with a 2-0 record with wins over both BYU and Idaho State and now preps for the team’s official season opener on Aug. 15 at Michigan.

“We had some attacking sequences that resulted in goals, and obviously, we have to be proud of that at the end of the day,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. “This group won ten straight in the spring and then turned around and won two more exhibitions, so you would think we’d be on cloud nine. I know that the effort this evening isn’t good enough to get a result next Thursday. That’s the standard I’m going to continue to hold the team to. Was it all bad? No. Was it all good? Absolutely not. We’re going to fix a lot of things on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in preparation for what we know will be a really tough match on Thursday night in Ann Arbor.”

Utah Valley got things going early, scoring in the fifth minute as Nixan Jackson found Ruby Hladek inside the box. Hladek one-touched Jackson’s pass into the back of the net to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.

Manthy Brady moved the ball past a defender and advanced it to Jackson who then sent it into the box to Faith Webber in the 20th minute. Webber then fired a shot into the net to give Utah Valley a 2-0 advantage.

Webber received a ball in the box in the 29th minute and took a shot that rebounded off the ISU keeper. Webber then settled the ball and punched it across the goal line, giving UVU a 3-0 lead.

Sadie Beardall took the ball on the left side of the box and made a move around a defender and then sent a shot into the back of the net as Utah Valley took a 4-0 lead in the 40th minute.

Idaho State got one back in the 49th minute as Samantha Esparza sent a shot from the top of the box into the net to cut the UVU lead to a 4-1 advantage.

Utah Valley went up 5-1 in the 59th minute after Beardall received a ball from Quincy Bonds and broke loose from a defender and sent a shot into the goal.

The Bengals got an own goal in the 63rd minute to cut back into the UVU lead, 5-2.

Webber secured her hat trick in the 70th minute as she sent a ball into the net to give the Wolverines a 6-2 lead.

Jackson continued the scoring for the Wolverines, firing in a shot in the 77th minute to give Utah Valley a 7-2 advantage.

Utah Valley outshot Idaho State 34-10 on the night a d had an 18-4 advantage on frame. Webber led UVU with a match-high 10 shots, followed by Jackson and Beardall with four apiece.

Leah Wolf picked up the win in the box, collecting three saves in 69 minutes of action.

Utah Valley will now officially open the season on Aug. 15 at Big 10 foe Michigan in Ann Arbor. UVU’s next home game will be against Long Beach State on Aug. 31.

Four Cougar golfers to compete in U.S. Amateur

BYU men’s golfers Max Brenchley, Zac Jones, Cole Ponich and Tyson Shelley are set to play at the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., starting on Monday.

Brenchley qualified for the U.S. Am by finishing tied for first at The Country Club’s qualifiers late July, where he posted a round of 1-under 70 to clinch his ticket. The Alpine native had three top-25 finishes, two top-15 and two top-10 throughout his 2023-24 senior season.

“It was nice to play in the Korn Ferry event last week to get some high level reps in,” Brenchley said. “This is my first U.S. Amateur and I’m excited to get up there and compete with some of the best players in the world.”

Coming in as No. 76 in the latest World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), Jones got an exemption to Hazeltine. He had a successful junior season, where he won the Arizona NIT with a 18-under 198.

“I believe that playing in as many tournaments with the best competition possible is ultimately the only way to prepare to play well in a high-level tournament like the U.S. Amateur,” Jones said. “If you treat every tournament like a big one then the big ones are no different.”

Ponich automatically got an invite to the 124th edition of the tournament after winning the Utah Amateur.

Shelley is off to Hazeltine after placing third at The Country Club’s qualifiers.

“Throughout the summer, I have been competing in the Elite Amateur series,” Shelley said. “Being in these settings has really prepared me for a tournament as big as the U.S. Amateur.”

This year’s U.S. Amateur will be broadcast on Peacock and Golf Channel.