Members of the BYU ladies’s distance medley relay (from left) Alena Ellsworth, Courtney Wayment, Claire Seymour and Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes pose with pinwheel after profitable the Championship of America race in 10:50.22 throughout the 126th Penn Relays, Friday, Apr. 29, 2022, in Philadelphia. Kirby Lee, Related Press
Persevering with its exploits within the operating world, the BYU ladies’s observe and discipline crew gained the space medley relay by a landslide final weekend on the prestigious Penn Relays, the oldest and largest observe and discipline competitors within the nation.
The DMR is a mixture of 4 distances and a great measure of the depth and flexibility of a college’s operating program. Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes obtained issues began by masking 1,200 meters in 3:18.22; she handed the baton to her sister, Alena, who ran the 400-meter leg in 53.63; she handed the baton to Claire Seymour, who ran 800 meters in 2:05.95; and Courtney Wayment, the two-time NCAA champion, ran the 1,600-meter anchor leg in a 4:32.39 (the tough equal of a 4:33 mile).
The Cougars completed with a time of 10:50.22, the third quickest time in Penn Relays historical past and 7 seconds sooner than the varsity report set 23 years in the past. They gained by greater than 5 seconds. Their closest rival was runner-up Ole Miss in 10:55.61 and Indiana in 10:59.54.
“That was an incredible second for these ladies,” mentioned BYU coach Diljeet Taylor. “They ran with such fireplace and fervour, and I used to be so pleased with the arrogance they carried from the beginning.”
The Cougars claimed their first wheel — the massive, well-known wooden and bronze trophy that's awarded to the winners. It consists of an 18-inch bronze plaque mounted inside a big picket wheel that's shut to three toes tall.
The Penn Relays, held on Philadelphia’s Franklin Area, started in 1895 and has included numerous Olympians and world report holders.
BYU additionally competed within the 4 x 800-meter relay, the place issues didn’t go as easily. The crew of Meghan Hunter, Alena Ellsworth, Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes and Claire Seymour completed third with a school-record time of 8:28.24, however they had been nonetheless left to surprise what may need been.
Initially of the third leg, Ellsworth-Barnes fell to the observe as she acquired the baton from her sister Alena and later required two stitches to restore her foot, which was spiked by one other runner. To the Cougars’ credit score they recovered sufficient to get on the rostrum.
Penn State gained the race with a time of 8:24.49, with Ohio State second in 8:25.04 and BYU third in 8:28.24 in a 12-team discipline.
The Cougars additionally positioned fifth within the 4 x 1,500-meter relay. The crew of Kate Hunter, Carmen Alder, Heather Hanson and Sadie Sargent was timed in 17:29.45.
The Cougars, who've develop into a powerhouse in middle-distance and distance operating in recent times, additionally made their mark in particular person races. Freshman Lexy Halladay gained the steeplechase with a time of 9:59.27, and Carmen Alder was third within the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:17.80 (teammate Kate Hunter was ninth in 4:21.34 and Heather Hanson twelfth in 4:22.24.
“It was an unimaginable expertise and these ladies will carry these recollections with them for a lifetime,” mentioned Taylor.
The BYU observe crew divided their ranks for the weekend. A lot of the crew traveled to Tucson for the Desert Warmth Traditional. Colten Yardley gained the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.83, making him the fifth quickest at school historical past. Yardley additionally teamed with Jared Davis, Dallin Draper and Landon Maxfield to complete second behind Arizona State within the 4 x 100 relay with a time of 39.41.
The ladies’s crew of Adaobi Tabugbo, Taye Raymond, Dolita Awala-Shaw and Annalise Hart positioned third within the 4 x 100 relay. Their time of 44.68 broke the earlier faculty report of 44.68 set in 2010.