BYU finishes 2nd in NCAA track regional

PROVO — The BYU men's track and field team got some powerful performances Saturday on the second and final day of the NCAA Regional meet en route to a second-place finish, the best in school history at the meet.

The Cougars jumped three spots in the final three events and finished with 86.5 points, behind meet winner USC (123 points) and ahead of Arizona (75).

Utah State finished 12th (16) and Southern Utah was tied for 26th (0.33).

"We're excited," BYU coach Mark Robison said. "We were hoping to be a little closer to USC, but they had a phenomenal meet — we didn't score as many as we thought we would, but I think advancing wise, we did about as well as we could." In the buildup leading into this weekend's meet, talk centered on BYU's runner-friendly track, a soft surface that promised to provide an extra edge to runners out for record-breaking performances.

And while the track didn't disappoint — the meet saw five new region records and two new stadium records set — no athletes left the meet with a more profound appreciation for the soft track than the competitors in the men's 1,500 meters, a brutally physical race that saw four runners hit the deck.

But the 1,500 proved beneficial for BYU, which picked up 11 points to jump-start the team on the second day of competition. Freshman Kyle Perry led the way, pushing from eighth place into second place over the final 200 meters.

Teammates Jacob Gustaffson and Miles Batty finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the event.

"It was crazy, it was the most aggressive race I've ever been in," Perry said. "It wasn't all that fast, but I was surprised at how physical it was."

There were so many people fighting for position that we just got really crowded." BYU picked up more steam in the high jump, where junior David Pendergrass tied for second and freshman Trevor Heiner took fifth. Freshman Chris Reno provided a welcome surprise by finishing fourth in the javelin, while another freshman, Chris Carter, took second in the 400-meter hurdles.

Senior Josh McAdams was BYU's lone champion of the day, capturing the title in the steeplechase by 30 meters. Sophomore teammate Chandler Goodwin finished fifth, giving BYU the edge it needed to pass Arizona and move into second place.

Like many of the in-state distance runners who found success at the meet, McAdams and Goodwin said altitude was a big factor.

"The plan was to sit back for two laps and we were hoping the altitude would hurt some of the guys and take them out of the race,' McAdams said.