Kenneth Rooks and Lexy Halladay, two former BYU athletes, will attempt to defend their national titles at this week’s USA national track and field championships in New York City.
Rooks, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist in the steeplechase, is seeking his fourth consecutive national title. Halladay, another steeplechaser, will attempt to win her second championship.
The meet will run from July 23-26 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City.
Rooks has struggled to regain his form this year, but that might be a good sign. He had three consecutive forgettable races against international competition leading up to the 2025 U.S. championships and pulled it together to win another national title. In three races against elite fields this year, it has been much the same — Rooks has finished sixth, 18th and seventh, respectively, and his best time is 8:28.54 — well short of the 8:06.41 he produced in the Olympic final.
Coach Ed Eyestone noted that Rooks “had been feeling off” in May and June, “but he had a great 2K time trial (in early July) … so I think he is rounding into shape at the right time.”
He also noted that Rooks and his wife Taylor had a baby recently, “so he hasn’t been sleeping much. … I am hopeful he will pull a rabbit out of his hat. He’s done that before.”
In her second year as a professional, Halladay is the second-fastest American, with a time of 9:13.33. Only Gabrielle Jennings has run faster, with a time of 9:11.72.
Several other members of Eyestone’s training group will compete in the USA championships, including Olympian James Corrigan, Olympic silver medalist Courtney Frerichs, BYU All-Americans Carlee Hansen and Lexi Goff, world championships finalist Dan Michalski, and NCAA indoor mile champion Carter Cutting.
Corrigan, another 2024 Olympic steeplechaser and the 2025 NCAA champion, has struggled this year, along with Rooks, his training partner. Dogged by illness and injury, he finished ninth in the Big 12 championships and 20th in the prelims at the NCAA region meet, failing to qualify for the NCAA championships. He ran his best race earlier this month when he finished fourth against pro runners, recording a season-best time of 8:22.35.
“(It) was a nice show of fitness and a sign that he is closing back into fitness preparing for the USATF meet,” says Eyestone. “ … He actually looks really good now … I think he will be in the top five at USAs.”
Frerichs, the American record-holder and Olympic silver medalist in the steeplechase, sought out Eyestone to help her return from a devastating knee injury that kept her out of the 2024 Olympic trials. She will run the 5,000 instead of the steeplechase at the USA meet. Two weeks ago, she ran her first steeplechase in three years after having practiced only a handful of water jumps and finished fifth in 9:40.95.
“No panic attacks and no leg pain,” says Eyestone. “It’s been a long process. We will give her a couple more weeks and then she will run one or two more (steeplechases).”
Cutting, who just completed his junior season at BYU, will try to put an exclamation point on a brilliant season, one in which he won the mile at the NCAA indoor championships and set BYU school records in the mile and 1,500. Running in a pro meet in Los Angeles two weeks ago, he finished second and lowered his own school record to 3:34.34 — the rough equivalent of a 3:51 mile.
Courtney Wayment, a 2024 Olympian, will compete in the national championships but her buildup to the meet has not gone well. She hasn’t broken 9:20 and her best finish in a handful of international races is 12th. The caliber of her U.S. competition has improved. She ranks behind six other Americans so far this year, but one of them, Angelina Napoleon, has said she won’t compete in New York. Olympic medalist and former world champion Emma Coburn, now 35, has returned after a long absence due to injury. She has clocked 9:15.97 this year.
Meghan Hunter, the former BYU All-American and school record holder from Provo, has covered 800 meters in 1:58.43 this year — close to her personal record. Only a couple of years ago that would have put her in contention for a podium finish, but the quality of 800-meter running has skyrocketed. She ranks only ninth among Americans and likely will have to run deep in the 1:57 range to medal.
Jane Hedengren, BYU’s All-American freshman, will not compete this week, according to BYU director of track and field Ed Eyestone. Hedengren was ill and exhausted at the NCAA outdoor championships in June, where she ran her sixth and seventh races in a month. She faded to third in the 10,000 meters and ninth in the 5,000.
