Cierra Allphin, who recently finished her senior year at BYU, advanced to the finals of the high jump in the Olympic track and field trials Saturday evening in Eugene, Oregon.
Allphin tied for 11th place with a leap of 5-foot, 10 inches to become one of 12 jumpers to advance to Monday’s finals. The top three qualify for the team that will represent the U.S. in the Paris Olympic Games.
The first 10 placers in Saturday’s first round cleared 6 feet.
Allphin, who set the BYU indoor school record of 6-foot-2 ¼ last winter, cleared 6-0 ½ to place seventh in the NCAA championships two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, BYU junior Lucas Bons failed to advance to the finals of the 1,500-meter run, finishing 14th overall in Saturday’s semifinals with a time of 3:38.40.
Several athletes with Utah connections will compete in the trials on Sunday. Chari Hawkins, a former Utah State All-American, will begin competition in the two-day heptathlon.
Hawkins, who is coached by former BYU coach Craig Poole in San Diego, qualified for U.S. World Championships teams in 2019 and 2023.
She finished sixth in the 2021 Olympic trials.
Four BYU athletes will be in action on Sunday — Meghan Hunter in the 800-meter semifinals, Cameron Bates in the finals of the javelin and James Corrigan and Kenneth Rooks in the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase.