PROVO -- Lead by All-Americans Niklas Arrhenius, David Pendergrass, Mindy Neeley, Amy Fowler and National Champions Josh Rohatinsky and Kassi Andersen, the BYU men's and women's teams are ready for the NCAA Track and Field National Championships in Sacramento, California. Seven athletes are ranked in the top-10 in their events.
Men's team
The men's track team is ranked No. 11 by Trackwire.com and No. 19 by the USTFCCCA. Arrhenius is ranked second in the discus, though he beat the top-ranked competitor at the West Region meet. Arrhenius was named Mountain District Men's Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA. Rohatinsky is ranked No. 2 in the 10,000 meters and will go up against Galen Rupp, who holds the third fastest time in collegiate history, to stage a Cross Country Champion against the leading distance runner in the nation.
Chandler Goodwin is ranked No. 16 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and looks to finish in the top eight to improve on his finish from last season. BYU has two athletes, Pendergrass at No. 12 and Bryce Bergen at No. 24, competing in the high jump. Matt Weirich, No. 16, will represent BYU for the second time this season on the national stage in the pole vault. Justin Palmer will head to Sacramento as the No. 7 athlete in the decathlon. He scored 7,353 points in his first decathlon in four years earlier this season to qualify him for nationals.
Women's team
The No. 20 ranked women's team, according to Trackwire.com, are lead by a strong distance squad. Distance coach Patrick Shane was named the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year by USTFCCCA for his work with the women's cross country team and distance team. Whitney McDonald is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the 10,000 meters. She has the MWC all-time record in the 10,000 meters and the all-time record in the 5,000 meters. Michelle Turner will travel back to Sacramento, where she competed last season. She is ranked No. 13 in the 800 meters. Heidi Magill, who is ranked No. 24 in the nation, took second in a tough West Region with a season best time of 4:21.14. Fowler and Andersen are teaming up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Fowler, an All-American from last season, and Andersen, a former National Champion in the event, are positioned No. 8 and No. 14, respectively.
Jennifer Grossarth took third in the West Region in the 400-meter hurdles. She is currently ranked No. 16 in the nation. Kelly Furr and Ashley McAllister will compete in the pole vault. Furr, who is the BYU school record holder in the pole vault at 13 feet 7.75 inches, is ranked No. 6. McAllister is ranked No. 15 and the reigning MWC Champion in the event. Mindy Neeley is coming off an Indoor All-American season and is ranked No. 6 in the nation. Neeley scored 13 points individually at the MWC Championships and is ranked fourth all-time in the MWC.
The Championships will be televised on CSTV on Friday from 8:30 p.m. -- 11:30 p.m. EST, and then CBS will cover the meet Saturday from 1 p.m. -- 3 p.m. EST.
Men
Name(hometown)National RankEvent
Chandler Goodwin (Orem, UT) No. 163,000-meter Steeplechase
Josh Rohatinsky (Provo, UT) No. 210,000 meters
David Pendergrass (Spokane, WA) No. 12High Jump
Bryce Bergen (Evanston, WY) No. 24High Jump
Matt Weirich(Fredericksburg, TX) No. 16Pole Vault
Niklas Arrhenius (Orem, UT) No. 2Discus
Justin Palmer (Tremonton, UT) No. 7 Decathlon
Women
Michelle Turner (Orem, UT) No. 13800 meters
Heidi Magill (Orem, UT) No. 241500 meters
Amy Fowler (Austin, TX) No. 83,000-meter Steeplechase
Kassi Andersen (Provo, UT) No. 143,000-meter Steeplechase
Whitney McDonald(Thousand Oaks CA)No. 410,000 meters
Jennifer Grossarth (Tooele, UT) No. 16400-meter Hurdles
Kelly Furr (Mechanicsburg, PA) No. 6Pole Vault
Ashley McAllister(Fair Oaks, CA) No. 15Pole Vault
Mindy Neeley (Santa Barbara, CA) No. 6Long Jump