Bryan Clay Invitational Preview

With 11 meet records, including a collegiate all-time mark in the women’s 10,000 meters, achieved at the Bryan Clay Invitational last year, it will be a tough act to follow for the competitors Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Azusa Pacific University’s Cougar Stadium.

But the remarkable depth, especially in the elite sections of the distance events, remains among the best of any meet in the country this spring showcasing collegiate and professional athletes.

Michaela Rose, a senior at LSU, produced one of those meet records last season by running 1:58.37 in the women’s 800 meters, which still ranks as the No. 2 performance in collegiate outdoor history.

Rose, making her fourth career appearance at Bryan Clay, has been the top collegiate competitor each of the past two years at the meet, only being edged in 2023 by American professional athlete Nikki Hiltz by a 1:59.03 to 1:59.08 margin.

Rose has also doubled the past two years in the 800 and 1,500 at Bryan Clay, and she is entered in both events again Thursday and Friday.

Juliette Whittaker, a U.S. Olympian and Stanford junior, is also entered in both the 800 and 1,500.

Whittaker is No. 8 in collegiate outdoor 800 history with a 1:59.61 effort to win the NCAA Division 1 title last year, but has also run 1:57.76 in Paris during the Olympic semifinals.

Chloe Foerster, a Washington junior, is also scheduled to compete in the 800 and 1,500 following her 2:00.52 and 4:07.32 double March 28-29 at the 50th Stanford Invitational, which elevated her into the top 20 in collegiate outdoor history for both distances.

Meghan Hunter, a BYU senior, is also expected to race in the 800, boasting an indoor-best 2:00.21 and a top outdoor mark of 2:01.53.

Hilda Olemomoi, a junior at Florida representing Kenya, set the meet record last season in the 5,000 by clocking 15:06.42 representing Alabama.

Olemomoi, who ranks No. 3 in the 5,000 in collegiate outdoor history, is scheduled to return Thursday to Cougar Stadium, facing a potential challenge from fellow Kenyan and New Mexico freshman standout Pamela Kosgei, who has already elevated to the No. 2 all-time NCAA competitor in both the 3,000 steeplechase (9:15.93) and 10,000 (31:02.73) this season.

Kosgei has run 15:00.36 in the indoor 5,000, but hasn't competed in the outdoor 5,000 since 2022.

Lexy Halladay-Lowry, a senior at Brigham Young, produced the meet record of 9:26.55 last year in the 3,000 steeplechase – making her the No. 9 all-time collegiate competitor – but is scheduled to compete Thursday in the 5,000, along with Cougars’ teammates Vanessa Alder and Riley Chamberlain.

With Kosgei and Olemomoi also expected to compete, Halladay-Lowry has the potential to eclipse the BYU program record of 15:12.91 set in 2021 by Whittni Morgan.

Jane Hedengren, a BYU-bound senior from Timpview High in Utah, is looking to continue her momentum after setting the 2-mile national high school record with a 9:34.12 effort April 12 at the 57th Arcadia Invitational, racing unattached in the invitational field.

Hedengren produced the American Under-20 all-time mark of 15:13.26 to win the 5,000 title March 13 at Nike Indoor Nationals at The Armory in New York.

The fastest outdoor 5,000 performance by an American U-20 athlete is 15:25.27 achieved last year by Elizabeth Leachman of Boerne Champion in Texas. Hedengren could be the first 18-year-old female athlete ever to eclipse the 15-minute barrier at a meet in California and only the third competitor her age to achieve the feat on American soil.

Abby Nichols, representing HOKA Northern Arizona Elite, is also entered and boasts a lifetime-best 15:03.17 from last year, with teammate Katie Wasserman also part of the field featuring a personal-best 15:13.81.

Georgetown’s Chloe Scrimgeour also expected to race, looking to improve on her outdoor personal-best 15:29.87 after running 15:14.07 in March at the NCAA Division 1 indoor final in Virginia Beach.

Benard Keter, representing the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, achieved the men’s 3,000 steeplechase meet record of 8:24.86 last year and is scheduled to compete again Wednesday.

Keter, 32, boasts a personal-best 8:17.19 from 2023, with fellow U.S. Army WCAP competitor Anthony Rotich – who ran a lifetime-best 8:13.74 two years ago – also expected to be in the field, in addition to former Washington standout and adidas athlete Joe Waskom, who ran 8:35.71 in 2021.

Louisville freshman Geoffrey Kirwa, a Kenyan athlete who achieved an 8:22.54 performance in 2023, is also scheduled to compete, in addition to Canadian professional Kevin Robertson of Saint-Laurent Select and his lifetime-best 8:24.37 effort, as well as Furman’s Carson Williams, who has clocked 8:27.14.

With Halladay-Lowry not pursuing a repeat in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase Wednesday, Northern Arizona sophomore Karrie Baloga – who holds the American Under-20 record at 9:42.22 from last year’s NCAA Division 1 championship race – is among the top entries in the field, in addition to Kenyan competitor and Oklahoma freshman Leah Jeruto, who has a hand-timed mark of 9:32.8 from 2021 in Nairobi.

Jeruto ran 10:01.10 in her first collegiate steeplechase race April 4 in Norman.

Indian athlete Ankita Dhyani has run 9:44.05 and LSU freshman Edna Chepkemoi, also representing Kenya, has clocked 9:44.21 in the steeplechase, with BYU sophomore Taylor Lovell looking to improve on her 9:48.39 performance from last year’s NCAA Division 1 final.

Jenna Hutchins of BYU is the top returning competitor from last year’s historic 10,000 race, placing second in 32:52.01, trailing only Parker Valby, as the former Florida star produced the collegiate record by running 30:50.43.

Hutchins went on to finish sixth in the 10,000 at the NCAA Division 1 final last season in 32:44.05, and is coming off a victory March 28 in the 5,000 with her 15:16.95 effort at the 50th Stanford Invitational.

Aubrey Frentheway set the BYU program 10,000 record of 32:28.85 in 2023.

Eva Jess of Texas is also expected to return after finishing fourth at Bryan Clay last year in 32:54.06, in addition to Kenyan athlete Brenda Tuwei from Alabama, who secured sixth last season in 33:00.66.

Juliana Sakat, an Iowa Western Community College athlete representing Ghana, has the potential to eclipse the National Junior College all-time mark of 34:42.65 achieved in 2021 by another former Iowa Western standout Faith Linga.

The meet record of 27:51.26 achieved in the men’s 10,000 last year by Alex Phillip of North Carolina could be challenged by multiple athletes Wednesday, including returning runner-up and Kenyan athlete Ernest Cheruiyot of Texas Tech, as well as competitors from both BYU and Iowa State.

Cheruiyot ran 27:52.13 last season, with West Texas A&M standout William Amponsah clocking 28:00.09, as the Ghanaian standout elevated to No. 2 in NCAA Division 2 history.

Amponsah is looking to take down the Division 2 all-time mark of 27:48.06 set in 2008 by Scott Bauhs of Chico State.

Sanele Masondo, who finished ninth last year at Bryan Clay in 28:35.16, as well as Said Mechaal and Robin Kwemoi Bera are entered from Iowa State, with BYU featuring Joey Nokes, Creed Thompson, Luke Grundvig and Berkley Nance.

Furman’s Dylan Schubert and Alabama freshman Dismus Lokira, representing Kenya, are expected to race, in addition to Awet Beraki from Adams State, who ranks No. 8 in Division 2 history at 28:12.10.

A potential showdown in the men’s 5,000 awaits Thursday involving New Mexico teammates Ishmael Kipkurui of Kenya and Habtom Samuel from Eritrea, who produced the two fastest 10,000 performances in collegiate history March 29 at The Ten, presented by Sound Running, at JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano.

Kipkurui edged Samuel by a 26:50.21 to 26:51.06 margin in the 10,000, with both athletes capable of challenging the 5,000 meet record of 13:13.29 set last season by Brian Musau of Oklahoma State, which ranks No. 6 in collegiate outdoor history.

Samuel was second last season at Bryan Clay in 13:13.34, elevating him to the No. 7 all-time NCAA outdoor 5,000 competitor, with Kipkurui running 13:05.47 in 2023 in Norway, before arriving in Albuquerque.

Mathew Kosgei, another New Mexico freshman representing Kenya, ran 8:22.13 in the 3,000 steeplechase March 28 at the 50th Stanford Invitational and has the potential to join Kipkurui and Samuel among the leading 5,000 contenders.

Solomon Kipchoge, a 28-year-old freshman at Texas Tech representing Kenya, is also scheduled to compete Friday in the 5,000, in addition to former Arkansas standout Patrick Kiprop, who boasts an indoor personal-best 13:11.67, plus fellow Kenyan athlete Evans Kurui of Washington State and Stanford teammates Cole Spout and Lex Young.

The collegiate outdoor 5,000 record is 13:06.32, set in 2022 by Abdihamid Nur of Northern Arizona.

Woody Kincaid, a Nike professional athlete who has produced personal-best performances of 12:51.61 in the indoor 5,000 as well as 12:54.40 outdoors, is also scheduled to compete in the invitational section.

Georgetown senior Melissa Riggins, who took third last year at Bryan Clay in 4:07.96, is the top returning competitor Friday in the women’s elite 1,500, with Foerster producing the same time last season to finish fourth.

Sophie O’Sullivan of Washington, an Irish competitor who has run 4:00.23, is also entered in the 1,500, in addition to Northern Arizona senior Maggi Congdon – who ran a lifetime-best 4:02.79 at the U.S. Olympic Trials – and Saucony athlete Skylyn Webb (4:06.73), plus Nichols and her personal-best effort of 4:07.47.

The women’s 1,500 meet record of 4:06.07 achieved by Shelby Houlihan has stood since 2018.

Eliud Kipsang of Alabama set both meet and collegiate all-time marks in 2022 in the men’s 1,500 by running 3:33.74.

Only the meet record still stands, after three athletes improved on the performance March 27 at the Raleigh Relays, led by Villanova senior Liam Murphy at 3:33.02.

Nathan Green, a junior at Washington, is the top returning athlete in the field after placing second last year at Bryan Clay in 3:34.79, making him the No. 8 competitor in collegiate history.

Abel Teffra, a Georgetown senior, finished ninth last season in 3:38.25 and is also expected to compete.

Waskom, who has clocked 3:33.74, is also entered in the 1,500 field.

Reece Sharman-Newell, a British athlete and junior at Colorado State-Pueblo, boasts a personal-best 1:45.12 in the men’s 800.

Sharman-Newell, who ranks No. 2 in NCAA Division 2 history, ran 1:45.56 to secure second at Bryan Clay in 2022 and finished seventh last year in 1:46.98.

Sebastian Fernandez, a senior at BYU, boasts a lifetime-best 1:46.32 and finished seventh in 2023 at Bryan Clay.

Jesus Tonatiu Lopez, the Mexican national record holder, produced the fastest 800 performance in meet history by running 1:45.14 last year.

In addition to the distance races, men’s and women’s hammer throw competitions, as well as the women’s discus event, are scheduled for Thursday at Citrus College.

All other track and field events will be held on Friday at Cougar Stadium.

– Erik Boal