No. 9/20 BYU men’s and women’s track and field posted a combined 64 entries to the NCAA West Preliminary meet when the NCAA announced the selections on Thursday.

Sixty-four combined entries gives BYU its second-best total in program history next to 69 in 2021. Thirty-six entries is an all-time high for the men. The NCAA began holding preliminary meets in 2010.

The regional meet will be held at Sacramento State’s Hornet Stadium May 24-27. Men’s events will be held May 24 and 26 and women’s events May 25 and 27.

ESPN+ will stream the meet live beginning at 6 p.m. PDT May 24-25 and at 5 p.m. PDT May 26-27.

BYU decathlete Ben Barton advanced into postseason competition as well and will begin decathlon competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 7-10 in Austin, Texas.

Here are the athletes who earned the opportunity to compete at the preliminaries:

Men’s team

Dallin Draper, 100m & 200m

Easton Bianchi, 200m

Josh Taylor, 400m

Trey Jackson, 400m

Sebastian Fernandez, 800m

Caleb Johnson, 1,500m

Lucas Bons, 1,500m

Brandon Garnica, 5,000m & 10,000m

Casey Clinger, 5,000m & 10,000m

James Corrigan, 5,000m

Creed Thompson, 10,000m

Joey Nokes, 10,000m

Christian Allen, 10,000m

Luke Grundvig, 10,000m

Jacob Stanford, 10,000m

Spencer Carlile, 400m hurdles

Jace Jensen, 400m hurdles

Treyton Anderson, 400m hurdles

Kenneth Rooks, steeplechase

Garrett Stanford, steeplechase

Zach Erikson, steeplechase

4x100m relay

4x400m relay

Jake Grimsman, high jump

Caleb Witsken, pole vault

Nathan Burnett, pole vault

Dallin Thornton, pole vault

Danny Bryant, shot put & discus throw

Dallin Shurts, discus throw

Cameron Bates, javelin throw

Brinton Paulson, javelin throw

Chase Clement, javelin throw

Women’s team

Jaslyn Gardner, 100m

Marianne Barber, 200m

Claire Seymour, 800m

Meghan Hunter, 800m

Taylor Rohatinsky, 1,500m

Carmen Alder, 1,500m

Riley Chamberlain, 1,500m

Alissa Fielding, 1,500m

Jacey Farmer, 1,500m

Heather Hanson, 1,500m

Jenna Hutchins, 5,000m

Aubrey Frentheway, 10,000m

Adaobi Tabugbo, 100m hurdles

Lexy Halladay-Lowry, steeplechase

Sadie Sargent, steeplechase

Madi Moffitt, steeplechase

Allie Warner, steeplechase

Lizzie Dildine, steeplechase

Destiny Everett, steeplechase

4x100m relay

4x400m relay

Cierra Tidwell Allphin, high jump

Cailee Faulkner, pole vault

Rebekah Ross, pole vault

Maren Garnett, pole vault

Jessica Thompson, shot put & javelin throw

Ashton Riner-Lunt, javelin throw

BYU softball rallies to beat SJSU in NISC

Two home runs after a rain delay helped BYU softball to a 5-2 win over San José State in its NISC opener at Red Rocks Field on Thursday afternoon.

The Cougars (33-16, 11-4 WCC) saw homers from first baseman Huntyr Ava and designated player Maddie Udall as they rallied from a 2-1 deficit after taking an early lead.

With the win, the Cougars advance to play Maryland on Friday, May 19 at Noon MDT.

Rooks named to Bowerman watch list

BYU men’s steeplechaser Kenneth Rooks was named to the latest prestigious Bowerman Watch List, announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Thursday. The award is the sport’s highest honor at the collegiate level, given annually to the most outstanding male and female NCAA track and field athletes.

The junior joins nine other NCAA Division I student-athletes on the watch list, including fellow newcomer Ryan Willie of Florida (sprints). Other distance runners named to the list include Tennessee’s Dylan Jacobs and Fouad Messaoudi of Oklahoma State. With the accolade, Rooks becomes the third BYU men’s track and field athlete ever named to the Bowerman Watch List since the award’s inception in 2009, joining pole vaulter Zach McWhorter (2021) and former NCAA Champion Miles Batty (2011 & 2012).

The junior continues his 2023 world-leader status in the event following a historic, all-time great race at Sound Running Track Fest on May 6. His 8:17.62 3,000-meter steeplechase time marked the event’s fastest American collegiate run in history. Across all nationalities, Rooks now ranks second in NCAA history to only Henry Rono of Washington State. Rono, a native Kenyan, ran 8:05.4 in 1978. Rooks also broke three-time Olympian Henry Marsh’s BYU school record 8:21.60 set in 1977.

Rooks faced and beat former U.S. Olympians Hillary Bor and Benard Keter in addition to professional runners from Hoka, New Balance and Under Armour.

Rooks majors in civil engineering at BYU and is just two years removed from a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rooks served in both Kampala, Uganda and, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Orem, Utah. Twenty of Rooks’ distance teammates are also returned missionaries.

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