For the second straight year, BYU Track and Field had eight athletes earn All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
It was a productive week for BYU Track and Field athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
While no Cougars managed to win national titles, eight earned All-American honors.
The first BYU athlete to All-American honors was Connor McMillan. On Wednesday, he finished 12th in the 10,000 meters, earning a spot on the second team.
Ashton Riner led off Thursday’s competition for the Cougars with an 11th place finish in the women’s javelin, joining McMillan as a second-teamer.
After barely qualifying for the championships in the Decathlon, Kevin Nielsen finished in eighth place, becoming a First Team All-American after the two-day competition.
Friday was the busiest day for the Cougars, as four athletes punched their All-American tickets. In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Matt Owens finished in sixth place and Clayson Shumway took seventh, both earning first team honors.
Rory Linkletter’s earned his second All-American finish after taking eighth place in the 5,000 meters. In the same race, Clayton Young took twelfth and earned Second Team All-American.
BYU’s last All-American performance came on Saturday. Andrea Stapleton-Johnson finished in a tie for eighth place in the high jump and earned first team honors.
This is the second straight year that the Cougars have had eight athletes named All-Americans in the outdoor championships.
And most importantly, five of BYU’s All-Americans will be back next year. The athletes’ eligibility looks like this:
- Andrea Stapleton-Johonson – Senior
- Connor McMillan – Senior
- Kevin Nielsen – Senior
- Rory Linkletter – Junior
- Clayton Young – Junior
- Matt Owens – Sophomore
- Clayson Shumway – Sophomore
- Ashton Riner – Freshman
As a team, the BYU men finished in 40th place, and the women finished in 67th.