The Cougar track team won 15 events at the BYU Cougar Collegiate Indoor Invitational this past Friday and Saturday. The women placed first in eight events during their season opener while the men won seven.
Among BYU’s top runners was Kevin Nielsen who had the no. 3 performance all-time in BYU indoor history in the heptathlon.
“I think that puts him No. 3 in the country right now,” coach Ed Eyestone said. “He’ll probably have to improve on that but it’s a close mark to get him into the national meet.”
Tatenda Tsumba ran 34.06 in the 300m to set a new personal record. Sean Adams holds a new pr in the 500m with 1:04.04. Zachary Stetler threw 167’1.5 in the discus. Zachary Blackham hit 7’1″ in the high jump, the ninth highest jump in BYU indoor history.
The Cougars also saw success from freshman Connor Ross who finished the 800m race in 1:51.43. “It was the first time in uniform and it was a nice opener for him,” Eyestone said.
Seven female runners also placed first in their events. Alyssa Monteverde-Dalton ran an impressive 7.76 in the 60m race after running the 60-meters hurdles just an hour earlier.
Marissa Appiah set a new personal best in the high jump with a mark of 5’8″. Lauren Shubin ran 5:00.06 in the one mile. Erin Merkley also scored well in several events and placed first in the pentathlon.
Upcoming meets for the Cougars include the Texas A&M Team Invitational and the Snake Riven Open in Pocatello, Idaho next weekend.
