Cougars surpass own previous record of five decathletes at 1975 Division 1 final, with New Mexico taking top two spots in women’s 10,000; Nevada heptathlete Ader adds long jump and high jump to already busy schedule at nationals

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Brigham Young already boasted the record for most male qualifiers in a single event at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships, but the Cougars took that achievement to another level Thursday at the West Regionals with six athletes qualifying in the 10,000 meters in Sacramento, Calif.

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On a day when Nevada sophomore Nicola Ader – already a heptathlon qualifier for the June 5-8 national finals in Austin, Texas – demonstrated her range by also advancing in the long jump and high jump, BYU capped the evening schedule with one of the most impressive showcases of depth in collegiate history.

Rory Linkletter won the race in 28 minutes, 59.43 seconds, with Connor McMillan (29:00.49) and Conner Mantz (29:00.50) finishing fourth and fifth, Clayton Young (29:00.77) taking eighth, and Dallin Farnsworth (29:01.08) and Connor Weaver (29:02.15) placing 10th and 11th for the Cougars, who held the previous record for individuals advancing in one event when five decathletes placed in the top seven in 1975. UCLA junior Robert Brandt (29:00.43) and Northern Arizona junior Tyler Day (29:00.55), both returning All-America first-team honorees, placed second and sixth, respectively.

Florida is the only other program to have as many as five finalists in one event at a championship meet when the Gators qualified a quintet in the weight throw at the 2003 indoor finals.

New Mexico began its pursuit of the first podium finish for the women’s track and field team in program history with Weini Kelati and Ednah Kurgat taking the top two spots in the 10,000.

Kelati prevailed in 33:15.21, including a 15:50 second half of the race, with Kurgat clocking 33:40.59.

Ader took the easy path to qualifying in the high jump, clearing all three heights on her first attempt, including 5-10.50 (1.80m) that tied her for first place with eight other athletes.

The long jump wound up being more dramatic, with Ader coming up clutch on her final attempt to elevate to seventh place with a 20-5.75 (6.24m) effort, earning the opportunity to compete in the June 6 final, before the heptathlon begins the following day.

UC Santa Barbara senior Hope Bender, also a national heptathlon qualifier, advanced along with Ader following an 11th-place result with a leap of 20-1.50 (6.13m).

Texas junior Steffin McCarter earned the opportunity to contend for a long jump national championship at home after winning with a second-round wind-aided effort of 25-11.50 (7.91m).

The Longhorns haven’t crowned an outdoor long jump national champion since Marquise Goodwin in 2012.

Texas A&M sophomore Deborah Acquah prevailed in the women’s long jump with a first-round effort of 21-1.50 (6.44m). USC senior Margaux Jones, down to the potential final jump of her collegiate career following two fouls, ascended to second with a leap of 21 feet (6.40m).

Cal sophomore Camryn Rogers, who missed qualifying for nationals by one spot last season in the women’s hammer throw, left no doubt with her second-round effort of 220-6 (67.22m) to win the competition.

Kansas junior Gleb Dudarev produced the best mark in the men’s hammer throw for the third year in a row in regional competition, delivering a third-round effort of 243-5 (74.20m).

Stanford and Nebraska became the third and fourth women’s teams in Division 1 history to qualify three athletes each in the javelin throw, joining Texas A&M in 2016 and Oklahoma in 2014.

Jenna Gray, last year’s national runner-up, won the event with a third-round mark of 180-10 (55.11m), with defending champion Mackenzie Little placing fourth at 178-2 (54.32m) and sophomore Virginia Miller qualifying ninth in 162-4 (49.49m).

Nebraska had seniors Chase Wolinski and Brittni Wolczyk place second and eighth, respectively, at 179-9 (54.79m) and 163-7 (49.87m), with sophomore Sydney Otto qualifying 10th at 161-8 (49.27m).

Eight athletes cleared 17-7 (5.36m) in the men’s pole vault, including reigning Division 1 outdoor champion Chris Nilsen of South Dakota. Freshmen Zach Bradford of Kansas, KC Lightfoot of Baylor and Sondre Guttormsen of UCLA also qualified.