After a winter of record-setting performances, BYU will compete in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a competition that has evolved into perhaps the most elite in the world except for the world championships.
The BYU men’s and women’s teams both have a pair of distance and middle-distance runners who could very well win an individual national championship — Riley Chamberlain, Jane Hedengren, Carter Cutting and Tayvon Kitchen.
Chamberlain, a 5-foot-10 senior from California, set the NCAA record in the mile earlier this season with a time of 4:20.61, breaking the previous record by a whopping 2.85 seconds. Hedengren, a 6-foot freshman from Timpview High, set the NCAA record for the 5,000 with a time of 14:44.79 in early December, becoming the first to break the 14:50 mark.
“Our women’s team has a chance to be on the podium (top three),” said Ed Eyestone, BYU’s director of track and field. “Jane is amazing, and I don’t know if anyone can compete with Riley. That’s potentially 28 points right there. And the DMR should do well.”
The BYU women’s team has won the distance medley relay — which consists of a 1,200, 400, 800 and mile — at the NCAA meet three times in five years, including the last two. The team of Sami Oblad, Tessa Buswell, Chamberlain and Hedengren produced the fastest time in the nation two months ago in Provo — an altitude-adjusted 10:33:10, which is 10 seconds faster than the nearest competition.
On the men’s side, Cutting, a junior who won the Big 12 championship, set a school record in the mile of 3:52.84. That broke the record set by NCAA champion Miles Batty in 2012 (it was also the NCAA indoor record at the time). Kitchen, a true freshman from Oregon, set an indoor school record in the 3,000-meter run of 7:36.32 last month in Boston — an NCAA record for a freshman.
“Carter is running well,” said Eyestone. “So much of it is positioning. His finish has been on point lately. He’s a smart, cagey guy; he knows how to put himself in the right place (to win). He has a good feel for it.
“Tayvon is Connor Mantz 2.0 (the two-time NCAA champ and marathon American record holder),” says Eyestone. “He’s really fun. He’s got the third-fastest time in the country, and he’s still so young — 19 years old.”
All the above notwithstanding, BYU will face world-class competition in Fayetteville. As Eyestone puts it, “The NCAA is the elite system in the world right now (for track and field and cross country). It’s some of the toughest competition in the world. Many of the best in the world come to the U.S. to get an education, compete and to be paid (NIL money). It’s preparatory ground not only for U.S. athletes, but international competition. Other than the world championships, I don’t know where else you get this caliber of athletes.”
The NCAA meet will mark the end of another noteworthy indoor season for BYU. Besides the records set by Chamberlain, Hedengren, Cutting and Kitchen, three other records fell.
- Paje Rasmussen, a junior from Corner Canyon High, set school records in the 60- and 200-meter dashes, with times of 7.25 and 22.91. She placed third in both races at the Big 12 championships and ran a leg on BYU’s winning 4x400 relay.
- Sami Oblad, a senior from Stansbury Park High, broke her own indoor school record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.48. She placed second in the Big 12 championships and anchored BYU’s winning 4x400 relay by overcoming a 10-meter deficit. The NCAA meet will mark the end of her collegiate career.
The University of Utah, whose program has been trending up, also qualified several athletes for the NCAA meet. Brianna Rinn, who set a school record of 4:28.44 in the mile, is one of 16 women in Friday’s semifinals. She also will team with Emily Martin, Kyla Martin and Erin Vringer in the DMR.
Chelsea Amoah, a sophomore from Bingham High, qualified for the 200-meter dash. She placed second in the Big 12 championships with a school-record time of 22.84. Martin set school records this season in the 400 (53.50), 800 (2:05.04) and 1,000 (2:45.56). Vringer set a school record in the 3,000 with a time of 8:48.26.