Milestones met for BYU at Indoor Track and Field National Championship
The NCAA Indoor Track and Field season concluded this weekend by courtesy of the Track at New Balance facility in Boston, Massachusetts. BYU had a total of nine first-team All-Americans and nine second-team All-Americans across the two days of competition.
On Friday, two Cougars competed in the men’s mile: Aidan Troutner and Lucas Bons. In the prelims, Troutner placed 11th overall, with a time of 3:59.07, just missing out of the top ten.
Bons advanced past the prelims by landing in the seventh spot. In the Final, he finished in third with a time of 4:02.12. But getting third was not as simple as reaching the finish line. Bons powered through contact with other athletes—briefly stepping outside the track in the process—and regained footing to earn third place. Bons was initially disqualified due to stepping outside the track, but upon protest by BYU, the disqualification was removed.
“I think Bons ran a very intelligent race,” said Eyestone. “Let’s remember that two years ago he was pretty much sidelined with health concerns during the pandemic…now he’s one of the top milers in the country. I think it sets the stage for an amazing outdoor season and that will culminate in another All-American distinction in 1500m and set him up for Olympic Trials.”
On Saturday, four BYU runners competed in the 4x400m: Trey Jackson, Josh Taylor, Abram Schaap, and Eli Hazlett. Together, they placed 11th with a time of 3:05.56.
“It was an honor to run in such a competitive meet,” said Taylor, one of the runners in the 4x400m. “Although we feel there is more we could have done, today was a step up in our progression. We have a team of competitors and we’ll be back at it, ready to improve upon what we’ve done.”
Humans have a natural tendency to progress. The great Michael Jordan would agree that there is a considerable difference between failing to win and failing to try at all. Setting goals and working towards them is a fundamental step towards achieveing certain milestones, some of which were reached in Boston’s first year of hosting the Indoor Track and Field championships.
“I’m really proud of the 4x400m guys today,” sprints and hurdles coach Kyle Grossarth said. “To walk away from the indoor season as Second Team All-Americans is a great accomplishment.”
“We had a fantastic experience at nationals…the competition was fierce and the atmosphere was electric,” Senior Associate Athletic Director Liz Darger said. “Through it all, our student-athletes represented BYU and the Big 12 remarkably well in how they competed and how they interacted with others. They gave Cougar Nation a lot of reasons to celebrate this weekend.”
The Cougars will begin the outdoor season with a meet at Arizona’s Spring Break Fiesta next Saturday, March 16.
