BOSTON — BYU women’s distance medley relay (DMR) won a national championship on Day 1 at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday night at the TRACK at New Balance.

Sadie Sargent opened up the race running the 1200-meter leg in 3:20.65, then Sami Oblad split 55.50 for the Cougars’ 400m leg. Carlee Hansen followed that up with a 2:07.50 in the 800m and Riley Chamberlain anchored the squad to victory, running 4:27.78 for her 1600m leg.

“We put our heads down and worked” Sargent said. “Coach told us to believe in ourselves and in each other. That is exactly what we did today.”

The Cougars’ time of 10:51.42 is the third fastest DMR ever run at the indoor championships and marks BYU’s second DMR national title in four seasons. Courtney Wayment, Olivia Hoj-Simister, Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes and Alena Ellsworth carried the baton to a title in 2021.

In addition to a national title, Sargent, Oblad, Hansen and Chamberlain were named First Team All-Americans.

Women’s Recap

On Day 1, Lexy Halladay-Lowry was named a First Team All-American as she placed fifth in the 5000-meter final with a personal-best time of 15:20.73. She now moves up to No. 2 all-time on the BYU indoor record board. Halladay-Lowry will compete in the 3000m tomorrow at 6 p.m. MST.

Jenna Hutchins and Aubrey Frentheway were named Second Team All-Americans in the 5000m as they took ninth and 11th, respectively. Hutchins clocked 15:31.42 while Frentheway crossed close behind in 15:37.30.

On the second day, the Cougars earned a third-place performances from Meghan Hunter while women’s track and field placed seventh overall.

“Obviously, we came here knowing we could do some great stuff on the women’s side,” said director of track and field Ed Eyestone. “To finish seventh as a team is a testament to the women’s squad. Winning the women’s distance medley relay is a huge accomplishment and helps solidify us as the distance powerhouse we are. I’m proud of contribution of all the athletes through the weekend.”

Meghan Hunter took third in the final heat of the women’s 800m, surging from the middle of the pack to cross the line at 2:02.15. The performance earned Hunter a new personal best in the event, improving her No. 3 spot on the BYU top-10 board by two hundredths of a second.

“I was so excited to have made the final, and wanted to keep that energy going into it,” said Hunter. “I’m feeling so grateful.”

The women’s 3000m saw Lexy Halladay-Lowry take fourth overall in the 3000m, running 8:53.08 across the line. Riley Chamberlain took sixth with a time of 8:56.89 while Sadie Sargent finished at ninth in 9:02.9.

Men’s Recap

Lucas Bons placed third in the final heat of the men’s mile with a time of 4:02.02. Through a contentious eight laps, Bons powered through to the finish after getting contacted by other athletes. The junior from Dublin, Ohio was disqualified after the completion of the race due to stepping outside the track during the scuffle. Upon protest by BYU, the disqualification was removed and Bons was awarded third place.

“I think Bons ran a very intelligent race,” said Eyestone. “He was very strategic. He was intelligent and made a powerful move at the end to finish in third. Let’s remember that two years ago he was pretty much sidelined with health concerns during the pandemic. I think this is a continuation of his strength that he showed in the cross country season. Now he’s one of the top milers in the country. I think it sets the stage for an amazing outdoor season and that will culminate in another All American distinction in 1500m and set him up for the Olympic Trials.”

The men’s 4x400m Relay team combined to finish in 3:05.56. Cierra Tidwell Allphin also competed in the women’s high jump.

The Cougars will prepare to compete at Arizona’s Spring Break Fiesta next Saturday, March 16 for the first meet of the outdoor season. Live results can be found on finishedresults.com.

BYU men’s volleyball loses to Stanford, splits weekend set

No. 6 BYU men’s volleyball fell 3-0 against No. 7 Stanford in a conference matchup on Saturday evening in Maples Pavilion, splitting games with the Cardinal this weekend after defeating them 3-2 on Friday evening.

BYU’s defense showed out with 33 digs compared to Stanford’s 22, but the Cardinal offense conquered all with a season-high 12 aces while holding BYU to just two. Five players from Stanford recorded atleast two aces, including Will Rottman and Nathan Lietzke with three each.

Miks Ramanis led all players in kills with a season-high 16 on a .444 hitting percentage, including a match-high six digs. Jon Stanley had a career-high five kills off the bench.

Next weekend, the Cougars return to Provo for a bye-week and then will travel to Pepperdine for a pair of matches, starting on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. PST.

Dramatic grand slam propels Cougar softball to first Big 12 win

Maddie Udall’s sixth-inning grand slam led BYU to its first Big 12 win on Saturday afternoon, claiming the last of a three-game series at Gail Miller Field, 10-8.

In a strong bounce back effort, the Cougars (15-6, 1-2 Big 12) ignited their offense in front of a crowd of 582, tallying 12 total hits and 10 RBI with two long bombs, including Udall’s grand slam.

With the game tied at 6-6, leadoff batter Maddie Bejarano was hit by a pitch, Violet Zavodnik walked and Lily Owens laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance runners into scoring position. Huntyr Ava then walked to load the bases.

Udall capitalized with a powerful slam to left center on the ninth pitch of her at-bat for the Cougars’ fourth grand slam of the year to make it 10-6.

The Red Raiders cut the deficit to two at 10-8 and loaded the bases with two outs, but Kate Dahle held strong on the mound to force a foul out down the line to earn a save and seal the victory.

In a quick turnaround, BYU will host Utah Valley on Monday, Mar. 11 at 4 p.m. at Gail Miller Field. Live stats will be available.

BYU women’s tennis gets wins, but team falls to top-ranked Oklahoma State

No. 37 BYU women’s tennis fell to No. 1 Oklahoma State 5-2 on Saturday, for its first loss in Big 12 play to start the season. Emilee Astle and Kendall Kovick secured a doubles upset for the Cougars by defeating the nationally ranked No. 5 team of Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru, 6-2.

The loss snapped the Cougars’ seven-match win streak and was just their second defeat of the season, moving them to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play.

Astle and Kovick improved their season doubles record to 6-2 with their victory.

Tina Li and Kara Wheatley continued their dominance in doubles play, remaining unbeaten with a record of 10-0.

Junior Kovick notched her seventh singles victory of the year by defeating No. 54 Lucia Peyre.

No. 74 Bobo Huang suffered her first singles match loss of the season to No. 7 Anastasiya Komar, dropping to 10-1 for the year.

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