Cougars bring home more records than anticipated

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The BYU track and field teams continue to shine with record-breaking performances this season, this time in the MPSF Indoor Championships. The highlight of the big conference in the West were the records broken by both the men’s and women’s distance medley relays.

The men set a new BYU record with a time of 9:29, placing themselves as the team to beat in the NCAA in two weeks. The women, although coming in fourth, broke the Dempsey Indoor Track Facility and MPSF record behind Washington, Oregon, and California at a time of 11:01.35.

“There is a group of very happy young ladies that have a great chance of becoming All-Americans,” women’s head coach Patrick Shane said of the women’s relay team.

Lacey Bleazard, Sarah Edwards, Katie Palmer and Nachelle Mackie all combined efforts to qualify for nationals and hope to become All-Americans this year in the distance medley relay.

Nachelle Mackie, who ran the 800 in the relay, also won the open 800-meter race. Already an All-American in the distance medley relay as a freshman, Mackie hopes to be an All-American  in the open 800 this year.

“My goal is to be an All-American in an individual event,” Mackie said.

Not only women, but the men proved themselves capable and ready for nationals through several record-breaking performances. The men went into the meet with the main goal of qualifying for nationals in the distance medley relay. However, they went away with many more records than they anticipated, setting a new 400, heptathlon, and 4X400 relay school records.

“Cade Lindahl, I was shocked by Cade,” men’s head coach Mark Robison said.

Lindahl ran a personal best, placing second overall in the 400, setting a new school record and becoming one of the fastest 400 runners in the nation.

“It was a great meet for us,” Robison said. “I couldn’t be happier.”

With so many great marks, the Cougars are heading toward nationals in two weeks.

“I didn’t think we’d get that many,” men’s head coach Mark Robison said of the number of records the Cougars are taking home. “Nobody is hurt, nobody is injured. … We will be a better team outdoors than we are indoors.”

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