EUGENE, Ore. – Senior Kyle Baker finished 23rd in the javelin throw on Saturday to wrap up BYU’s track and field season at the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
After faults on his first two attempts, Baker made a throw of 59.89 meters on his final attempt.
“I think the season overall was an amazing season with all the qualifiers we had in the regionals,” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. “I’m proud of our staff and athletes for all the hard work they put in. Next year we need to take the next step and take more of those qualifiers to nationals. I think that is doable.”
Baker was the sixth BYU athlete to compete in the championship round. Three Cougars completed their seasons on Wednesday. Shea Martinez placed 17th in the 800-meter run and Andrea Harrison finished 19th in the steeplechase for the women's team. On the men's side, Jason Witt took 12th in the in the 10,000-meter run. Chase Dalton moved up nine spots on Thursday to finish ninth in the decathlon, while teammate Joshua Weirich finished 19th for BYU.
Baker, Dalton, Weirich and Harrison wrapped up their senior seasons in the NCAA Championships this year. Witt and Martinez will both return next season and look to improve on their top 20 finishes. Of the 42 athletes BYU qualified for the Western Preliminaries this season, 11 women and 17 men will return and compete on next year’s team.