The Cougars have won the conference championship meet every year since BYU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2023. All 10 Cougars finished in the top 35, with the five scorers crossing the line in the top 20.

“I’m super proud of the team,” said BYU head coach Diljeet Taylor. “I love the depth that we have on the team, where on any given race day, different women step up to the line. I’m really looking forward to opening the championship part of the season, so the next few weeks, we’re going to be pretty dialed and I’m excited to see how it comes together for NCAAs.”

BYU finished just nine points ahead of No. 3 West Virginia, who was projected to take the Big 12 title by the XCRI. It was an intense matchup, as the meet was the first time this season that the Cougars and the Mountaineers went head-to-head. No. 7 Oklahoma State, the host of the meet, took third place with 116 points.

This also marks the second season in a row in which Jane Hedengren claimed the individual conference title. Crossing the finish line in 19:28.0, Hedengren beat her previous time on this course, clocked at this year’s Cowboy Jamboree, by 4.5 seconds. She was out in front during the entire race, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Oklahoma State’s second place finisher Billah Jepkirui, who currently holds the course’s record.

Courtesy BYU Athletics

“I think today was another great data point in the whole duration of the season,” said Hedengren. “It was a blast racing out there today, especially in the rain. I think a lot of us enjoyed that. We enjoyed racing with teammates and working with each other. We’re looking forward to continuing on this season and seeing where it all plays out. There were some great performances out there today, but I think we all have some solid things that we want to keep improving.”

Men’s cross country finishes second at Big 12 Championships

STILLWATER, Okla. — A big kick in the final 1,000 meters helped BYU surge to a podium finish in second place at the Big 12 Championship meet Saturday morning.

It was a back and forth battle between the Cougars and the Iowa State Cyclones through the final half of the race for the third place spot, trailing Oklahoma State and eventual champion Colorado. The Cougars and the Cyclones swapped spots every 1,000 meter mark, with Iowa State regaining a one-point lead at the 7,000 meter marker heading into the home stretch.

The Cougars were led by fifth-year senior James Corrigan, who placed 7th overall just behind a pack of runners from Oklahoma State and Colorado. Tayvon Kitchen (13th), Isaac Hedengren (21st), Dalton Mortensen (24th) and Hunter Kitchen (29th) rounded out the scoring for BYU.

But big final pushes– most notably from Hedengren, Mortensen and Hunter Kitchen– helped BYU overtake the Cyclones and finish on the podium for the first time in its 2024 Big 12 Championship. Hedengren and Mortensen both surpassed two Iowa State runners in the final 2,000 meters, helping BYU to a 91-point finish to trump the Cyclones 104.

“I saw our men get out there today,” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said after the race. “This was a really good race for us, battling with Iowa State. It was back and forth to the end, but my guys really reached down. We’re going to have to make sure all of our ducks are in a row come the national meet, but I have great faith in my men.”

Women’s soccer races past Utes, 3-1

No. 16 BYU women’s soccer used strong second-half play to beat rival Utah 3-1 on Friday, its fifth straight victory against the Utes.

“It’s a Utah game, it’s a big game,” said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. “I’ve said this before it doesn’t matter how well anyone is doing in the season, it’s just always a tough game. The conditions were a bit unfortunate tonight and we grinded it out and got an early goal, saw some people get some good minutes. The second goal really made a big difference for us.”

Coach Jennifer Rockwood’s first and last game against Utah yielded the same result, a win. She also notched her first career win at South Field against Utah in her inaugural season in 1995.

The Cougars extended their unbeaten while leading at halftime streak to 89 games.

BYU (11-3-3 overall, 7-1-2 Big 12) wraps up its regular season on Thursday, Nov. 5th, taking on Arizona State at South Field. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Women’s volleyball powers past Utah

No. 9 BYU women’s volleyball extended its winning streak to 15 matches with a 3-1 victory over Utah (25-23, 25-27, 25-13, 25-21) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday night.

In a match featuring 46 combined attack errors and 22 service errors, the Cougars found a way to win behind a double-double from Claire Little Chambers.

The senior led BYU with 12 kills and added 10 digs, an ace and two blocks. Elli Mortensen followed with 11 kills, three blocks, two aces and seven digs.

BYU (18-1 overall, 10-0 Big 12) opens a stretch of three consecutive road matches next week, beginning with Colorado on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. MDT on ESPN+.