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EUGENE, Ore. — A pair of BYU distance runners finished in the top 10 in their respective events on the final day of the NCAA men's track and field championships at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Jacob Heslington finished 10th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final with a time of 8 minutes, 44.28 seconds. The freshman who prepped at Timpanogos High finished seventh overall with a personal-record time of 8:43.23 in Wednesday’s semifinals.
“He wasn’t someone favored to advance, but he put himself in it, finished strong and got the last qualifying spot,” BYU coach Ed Eyestone said following Wednesday’s results.
Heslington was the 36th-ranked steeplechaser in the nation prior to the West regional in Austin, Texas.
Louisville’s Edwin Kibichiy won the event with a time of 8:28.40, the top collegiate time nationally in 2017.
BYU’s Clayton Young finished 10th in 14:38.45 in the 5,000-meter final. The American Fork product surged early to lead the pack going into the final lap, but faded down the stretch as Stanford’s Grant Fisher and Syracuse’s Justyn Knight took over in the fast-paced finale.
Fisher won the event in 14:35.60.
Florida won the men's team title, edging Texas A&M with 61 1/2 points to 56 1/2. BYU was tied for 33rd with eight points.
The final day of the NCAA championships are Saturday, when BYU’s Shea Collinsworth will run in the 800-meter final and Andrea Stapleton will compete in the high jump final.
Complete results can be found at NCAA.com.
