Recent BYU graduate Lexy Halladay-Lowry won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday afternoon, but the Cougars made it sweep because BYU alum Kenneth Rooks triumphed in the men’s race less than a half an hour earlier.

In one of her first races as a professional, Halladay-Lowry crossed the finish line in 9:09.14, beating the second-place finisher by nearly two seconds. The Meridian, Idaho, native stayed near the front of the pack with former teammate Courtney Wayment for most of the race. Through 2,000 meters, she was in second by 0.04 seconds before pulling ahead with two laps remaining. With the victory, Halladay-Lowry earned a spot on Team USA for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, surpassing the world standard of 9:18.00.

“I’m so happy about this,” Halladay-Lowry said. “So much has led up to this point. I’ll always represent BYU in my heart. I am so grateful for all the support.”

Wayment, who placed 12th in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finished in 9:17.94 to take sixth. Fellow BYU alumna Emma Gee finished 12th in 9:52.30 after running a personal best to make the final.

Abbie Parr, AP Photo

Rooks, a 2023 BYU graduate, won his race with a time of 8:26.58, finishing less than 0.2 seconds ahead of second place. Rooks crossed the line in eleventh place at the 2,000-meter mark and then made up serious ground to take the lead at the end. This victory punched his ticket to the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo, Japan in September.

Rooks is the current school record holder in the outdoor 3000m steeplechase at BYU is now a three-time champion of the USATF qualifying meet steeplechase winning the race in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Last year at the Paris Olympics Rooks claimed a silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase running a personal best 8:06.41.

James Corrigan represented BYU in the men’s race and ran alongside former teammate Rooks. Corrigan, the 2025 NCAA Division one outdoor 3000m steeplechase champion, ran 8:21.92 in the qualifying round placing sixth.

Utah Valley’s Kelsi Oldroyd took home fourth place in the javelin on Thursday in Eugene.

Oldroyd’s best throw was her first one at 55.32 meters, putting her in third place entering the finals. She was then edged out by former Mississippi State athlete Sarah Blake in the finals for third, whose best throw went 55.80 meters. Evie Bliss of Bucknell took the title and Madison Wiltrout, a graduate of North Carolina, took second.

Oldroyd improved upon a 14th-place finish at last year’s Olympic Trials, where she became the program’s first-ever athlete to compete there during their collegiate career. Oldroyd capped her illustrious career as a Wolverine earlier this summer, earning first team All-America honors with an 8th place finish at the NCAA Championships in June.