No. 23 BYU men’s golf (280-282-286-290-1138) finished play at 18-over par to tie Baylor for seventh.

“The Big 12 Championship at Prairie Dunes was again a great event,” head coach Bruce Brockbank said. “The course is fabulous, and the cold and windy weather made it so difficult. Our team played some really nice golf at times. We just played two or three holes out there the last two days that kept us out of contention. A course like Prairie Dunes can surely do that to you.”

“Prairie Dunes was an exceptional venue for a conference championship, and the Big 12 staff did a great job,” director of golf  Todd Miller  said. “It was exciting to be near the lead after the first round, but it hurts to slip further from the leaders each round and finish where we did.”

Akina’s runner-up placement was the best finish any Cougar has had in a conference tournament since  Zac Jones took home the WCC title in 2023. The no. 7-ranked golfer earned the highest finish by a BYU freshman since Peter Kuest won the 2017 WCC Championship. Akina’s 1-over-par final round flashed four birdies on the back nine, along with an eagle on hole 7, a par-5.

“It was a great experience and a great learning lesson for me to be in that position in one of the biggest tournaments I’ve played in,” Akina said. “I let a few shots slip coming down the last nine, but still gave myself a chance to win. My game is in a good spot, and I’m excited to see where we get called for Regionals.”

“Kihei continues to play outstanding golf,” Brockbank said. “Finishing runner-up in the Big 12 is impressive for a freshman. Fun to watch a kid that plays golf at the level he is playing the last 5 events.”

“Kihei played some amazing golf and deserves all the honors he will receive,” Miller said. “He played tough down the stretch and just came up short.”

Oklahoma State (279-267-275-289-1110) captured its 13th Big 12 title with a score of 10-under par. Cowboys golfer Preston Stout took home the individual title, the third conference victory of his career. Arizona (281-272-277-288-1118) had two players finish in the top-10 to lead it to second place at 2-under par. One stroke behind the Wildcats in third was TCU (281-280-278-280-1119), followed by Texas Tech (282-277-282-288-1129) at 9-over par, then Kansas (289-286-268-287-1130) at 10-over par to round out the top-5.

Tyson Shelley (72-70-77-71-290) and Simon Kwon (72-72-72-76-292) wrapped up their final conference tournament at BYU. Shelley tied for 46th by recording a 10-over-par 72-hole total, while Kwon finished tied for 54th at 12-over par.

Peter Kim (75-72-72-72-291) earned a share of 51st at 11-over par after his third consecutive 2-over-par round on Wednesday.

Jackson Mauss (73-69-75-79-296) finished his first Big 12 tournament tied for 63rd at 16-over par.

“We need to continue working on our short games as we prepare for the NCAA Regional,” Brockbank said.

The Cougars will anxiously await their selection to one of six sites for the NCAA Regionals to be played on May 18-20.

5000-meter record falls at Robison Invitational

Creed Thompson set the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field 5000-meter facility record by more than 11 seconds on the first day of Robison Invitational Wednesday.

The redshirt senior finished the 12 and a half lap race in 13:48.07 breaking the record set at the Robison Invitational in 2025 by former BYU athlete Aidan Troutner. Thompson currently holds the No. 9 all-time record at BYU in the event with his 13:29.22 performance during the 2025 season.

The Lehi, Utah product finished just ahead of his twin brother  Davin Thompson  who took second in 13:59.91, clocking in just 0.04 seconds ahead of the previous facility record by Troutner. Jacob Stanford took third in 14:13.98. The Thompson twins and Stanford are set to be honored on Thursday as graduating seniors.

Garrett Copelin set his second top 10 all-time BYU mark with his 50.53 performance in the 400-meter hurdles placing him at No. 9 on the list. The sophomore also holds the No. 5 all-time BYU record in the 110-meter hurdles, an event that he took first place in the preliminary round of at the meet Wednesday, clocking in at 13.92 seconds. With the performance the Tallahassee, Florida native advanced to the finals set for Thursday alongside teammates Jayden Jessee and Treyton Anderson who took second and fourth respectively.

Logan Hubler finished just behind Copelin in the 400m hurdles taking second in 50.58 seconds with Anderson and Jessee taking third and fourth each.

Graduating senior Josh Taylor took first in the 400-meter dash clocking in at 46.25 seconds. The All-American holds the No. 3 all-time BYU record in the event and the school record in the indoor 400m. Taylor was joined by Jonah Heimuli who took second in 47.04 seconds and Ty Oustrich who took third in 47.95 seconds.

Silas Zimmerman won the pole vault clearing a height of 5.01m/16-5.25. The freshman was joined by teammate Dallin Thornton who vaulted 4.85m/15-11.25 to finish fourth overall.

Ben Barton and Kaden Passey finished the first five events of the decathlon Wednesday with Barton taking first in the 100-meter dash in 10.65 seconds and Passey finishing fifth in 11.30 seconds. Passey also took sixth in the long jump with a jump of 6.41m/21-0.75, second in the shot put with a throw of 14.21m/46-7.75, seventh in the high jump with a height of 1.75m/5-9.25 and fourth in the 400m coming across the line in 49.95 seconds.

UVU men’s golf finishes fifth at WAC Championships

McKINNEY, Texas — Colby Hutchens and Isaiah Ellis each recorded top-10 finishes to lead the Utah Valley University men’s golf team to a fifth-place finish at the 2026 WAC Men’s Golf Championship, which concluded Wednesday at the Dye Course at the Clubs of Stonebridge Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

Utah Valley finished fifth in the seven-team field with a three-round score of 25-over-par 889 (303-294-292), finishing ahead of in-state programs Utah Tech and Southern Utah. Tarleton State captured the team title at 12-over-par 876, edging UT Arlington (877) and Abilene Christian (880).

Hutchens led the Wolverines with a 2-over-par 218 (73-69-76) to tie for sixth on the individual leaderboard, while Ellis finished tied for ninth at 5-over-par 221 (76-71-74).

Ty Brady delivered the Wolverines’ top round on Wednesday, carding a 2-under-par 70, the only under-par round by a UVU golfer in the final round, to climb into a tie for 11th at 6-over-par 222 (75-77-70). Paxton Maxwell placed tied for 21st with a 13-over-par 229 (80-77-72), and Andrew Hawk finished 29th at 18-over-par 234 (79-79-76).

UT Arlington’s Arth Sinha earned medalist honors with a 7-under-par 209.

“We’re a really young group, and this week was another step forward for us,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Curran. “To have multiple guys in the top 10 and see the way we competed down the stretch says a lot about where we’re headed. The future is bright for this program as we get ready to move into the Big West Conference.”

The WAC Championship marks the conclusion of the 2025-26 season for the Wolverines.