Cougars head to Texas for first-ever Big 12 Championship

BYU track and field will head to Lubbock, Texas to compete for the program's first Big 12 Conference championship Friday and Saturday.

Author Mayci Taylor
Big 12 meet weekBig 12 meet week

PROVO, Utah - The BYU track and field team will head to Lubbock, Texas to compete for the program's first Big 12 Conference championship Friday and Saturday.

MEET INFORMATION 

Host: Texas Tech University

Sports Performance Center / Lubbock, Texas

Dates: Feb. 23-24

Schedule 

Live Results / PTTiming

Live Stream / Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Friday action will kick off at 9 a.m. MST with the women's pentathlon 60-meter hurdles and run through the men's DMR at 7 p.m. 

Saturday will begin at 10 a.m. with the men's heptathlon 60m hurdles and run through the men's 4x400m relay at 4:55 p.m.

Big 12 Rankings 

NCAA Rankings

"We are going into our initial Big 12 Championships full of enthusiasm. It's been a long time since we've been in a conference championship other than the MPSF, so we are excited about the new opportunity to compete. The Big 12 has some of the best athletes in the nation. I think we can battle and have some great performances."

Ed EyestoneDirector of Track & Field

Men's Preview

BYU men’s track and field will be represented by 26 men competing throughout the weekend, comprising 10 freshmen, two sophomores, 11 juniors and three seniors. Seven of the men competing have achieved top-10 program marks this season. 

Aidan Troutner and Lucas Bons each currently rank within the top-25 nationally in the mile. Troutner stands at No. 13, having run 3:59.2 (3:54.51 with altitude conversion) at the 2024 Cougar Invitational on Jan. 11. Bons is No. 18, having run 3:54.82 in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic on Jan. 26. Troutner ranks first among Big 12 athletes in the national rankings with Bons in second.

Eli Hazlett clocked a No. 3 all-time BYU race of 46.43 (46.32 with altitude conversion) in the 400-meter at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational on Feb. 9. Hazlett currently ranks 28th nationally and seventh out of Big 12 competition. 

"We are excited for the opportunity to compete at the Big 12 Championships," said sprints/hurdles coach Kyle Grossarth. "My athletes are ready to run well. They are prepared and we expect great things to happen."

 

Women's Preview

The BYU women enter the Big 12 Championships with three No. 1 conference rankings, three No. 2 rankings and three No. 3 rankings. 

Sami Oblad ranks No. 1 in the conference in the 600-yard entering the weekend. Oblad's seed time is 1:17.59 (converted from her 600-meter time of 1:26.89). Meghan Hunter also ranks No. 1 in the 800m as she ran 2:02.17 at the Husky Classic. The DMR squad that broke BYU's school record last weekend also ranks No. 1 in the conference with a 10:44.67 time. 

Cierra Tidwell Allphin ranks No. 2 in the high jump with her BYU record-setting clearance of 1.89m/6-2.5 set at the 2023 BYU December Invitational. Jenna Hutchins ranks No. 2 in the 5,000m with her personal-best of 15:30.99 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston. Rounding out the No. 2 rankings is Lexy Halladay-Lowry in the 3,000m. Halladay-Lowry's personal best in the event is a 8:51.00 time at the Husky Classic. 

Riley Chamberlain ranks third in both the mile and the 3,000m. Chamberlain's personal-best times in the events are 4:30.26 and 8:51.21, respectively. Halladay-Lowry also ranks third in the 5,000m with her personal-best outing of 15:31.03 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.

 

Following the Big 12 Conference Championship, the Cougars will prepare for NCAA Indoor Nationals March 8-9 in Boston.