Distance Squad Paces Cougars at Stanford

STANFORD, Calif., (Mar. 26, 2005)--In a competition featuring more than 4,000 college and high school athletes, the BYU men's and women's distance squads received six NCAA regional qualifying marks at the Stanford Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday's action featured the Cougars' middle distance specialists in the 800 meters.

"The meet had a lot of good competition," BYU distance coach Ed Eyestone said. "The rabbits helped set a fast pace. We're just looking for opportunities to improve."

Freshman All-American Heidi Magill won the women's 800 meters with a regional qualifying mark of 2:05.97, while her counterparts on the men's team both finished in the top-10 with regional qualifying marks as well.

Lars Kjerengtroen placed seventh with a time of 1:49.33 and teammate Jason Dorais was right behind crossing the line in 1:49.51. Scott Adams also participated in the race, he placed 32nd with a time of 1:55.67.

All-American Nathan Robison added another regional qualifying mark and top-10 finish for the Cougars when he placed eighth in the 1,500 meters. He finished at 3:45.38. Teammate Dustin Trail barely missed a qualifying mark, running the race in 3:49.53.

On the women's side of the 1,500 meters on Saturday, Rena Chesser placed 14th at 4:29.41 with teammate Anne Heiner trailing at 4:38.08, placing 27th.

Also competing on Saturday were two Cougar jumpers. Lindsey Sommer placed seventh in the triple jump by clearing 38 feet 6.25 inches. High jumper Jon Willison finished 15th by leaping 6 feet 4.75 inches.

During Friday's competition, the men's team received three NCAA regional qualifying marks.

Josh McAdams and Chandler Goodwin both received qualifying marks in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. McAdams won his section of the event, with the fastest time in any of the sections. He completed the race 8:40.48. His time was the second fastest by an American this year.

"I ran a controlled race," McAdams said. "I just let it go the last 400 meters."

McAdams added that the distance squad is only going to get better during the season.

Goodwin finished third in his section, running the course in 8:57.43.

Distance star Josh Rohatinsky also received a regional qualifying mark in the 5,000 meters. Rohatinsky placed seventh in his section, completing the race in 13:47.57.

Five other Cougars ran the 5,000 meters on Friday in four different sections. David Woodbury (14:21.80), Brett Andrus (14:41.51), Nathan Ogden (14:53.41), Nick McCombs (15:02.49) and Dustin Bybee (14:42.50) all competed in the event.

The women's team, meanwhile, received eight top-10 finishes during Friday's events.

BYU-Hawaii transfer Chelsea Smith also posted a regional qualifying time in the 10,000 meters. She placed eighth with a time of 33:40.59, giving the Cougars another strong performance in the distance races.

BYU women's track coach Craig Poole said he was pleased with his team because they had a fine meet.

"We sent some people down there to gain experience," Poole said. "They all did their best."

Sprinter Challis Firl finished second in the 400 meters, with teammates Laura Hale and Christina McCracken placing sixth and 14th respectively. Firl ran the race in 56.74, while Hale crossed the line at 58.24. McCracken finished in just over a minute.

Orem native Michelle Lindsay and Laura Taylor combined for two more top-10 finishes in the 800 meters. Lindsay placed sixth at 2:12.49 and Taylor placed eighth at 2:13.28. Lorette Hansen also competed in the race, running a 2:19.36 to finish 23rd.

Other women finishing in the top-10 Friday include freshman Ann Marie Thomas (6th, 1,500 meters), Lindsey Sommer (3rd, long jump) and Taylor Law (6th, 400-meter hurdles).

For complete results, please visit www.gostanford.com.