EUGENE, Ore. — Sending 14 athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is a little above average for the BYU Cougars.
What makes this year's national competition different, however, is the number of BYU's qualifiers who actually have a legitimate chance of a high finish — basically, all of them — when the four-day championships get under way today at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.
"Some years we've had athletes who qualified but really didn't have a shot at earning All-American," BYU men's track coach Mark Robison said. "This year all of our athletes, if they perform well, should place high, get an All-American finish and score a lot of points. That's really exciting for us."
The top eight finishers in each event earn All-American honors, and the top 12 score points. The Cougars, ranked 12th, are hoping to score enough points in the 21 events to get a top-10 team finish.
"That's really our overall goal," Robison said.
The Cougars are especially strong in the field events, with three qualifiers in the javelin. Blaine Baker, Chris Reno and Sean Richardson each have the potential for a top-five finish. Leif Arrhenius is a favorite in both the discus and shot put. Chris Little could finish high in the pole vault, as could Oliver Whaley in the hammer.
The regional in which BYU competed was strong in field events, which should aid the Cougars and give them confidence to perform well at nationals.
"We'll have a different mentality now. Instead of just trying to qualify, we know what we have to do to place high, and know we can do it," Robison said.
Perhaps BYU's top athlete is Richard Nelson, who should challenge for the national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Ryan Waite is among the nation's best in the 800 meters.
The Cougars also have a strong women's squad on hand in Eugene, led by distance runners Nachelle Stewart, Lacey Cramer and Angela Wagner in the 800. Mindy McClurkin qualified in both the long jump and 200 meters, while Kari Clark will compete in the pole vault and Ada Robinson in the high jump.
Utah State and Weber State have two athletes each representing their universities at the nationals. The Aggies have Nick Karren competing in the 400-meter hurdles and Clint Silcock looking to place well in the high jump. The Wildcats have two men in the 3,00-meter steeplechase — Jace Nye and Brett Hales.
Utah and Southern Utah each have one woman athlete at this week's competition. For the Utes, Lucy Yates — who holds the school record in the 800 — will run in Eugene. The Thunderbirds are being represented by Kristi Koplin, who qualified in the hammer throw.
Utah Valley University competed in Division I track and field for the first time this year, but the Wolverines failed to qualify any athletes for nationals. Sprinter Allah Laryea-Akrong finished 15th at the regionals in the 200 and missed qualifying by three spots.
Overall, 20 track and field athletes from Utah's six D-1 schools are competing this week.
e-mail: jimr@desnews.com