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Eight BYU Track and Field athletes earn All-American honors

By Shaun Gordon

SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 15: Kathryn Andersen of the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars competes in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase during the U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials on July 15, 2004 at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - JULY 15: Kathryn Andersen of the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars competes in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase during the U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials on July 15, 2004 at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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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.

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