The No. 9 BYU men's cross country team secured a victory at the Utah Valley Invitational on Friday morning, according to a September 4 report. The Cougars finished with 17 points, marking the sixth consecutive year the program has won its opening meet.
Sophomore Tayvon Kitchen led the Cougars with a finish of 13:21.4, which was an unofficial course record and 30 seconds faster than the next finisher. Head coach Ed Eyestone noted that Kitchen acted as the team's low stick, maintaining a high pace throughout the race.
Junior Dalton Mortensen achieved his highest-ever collegiate finish by placing second with a time of 13:51.6. Mortensen, who served as the team's second scorer, stated that the team aimed to stay packed through the first mile and a half before increasing their pace for the final half of the race.
BYU runners Noah Jenkins and Hunter Kitchen rounded out the top four, finishing with times of 13:58.7 and 14:01.4, respectively. Both runners finished ahead of Utah Valley University's Sila Kiplagat, who had led for much of the race.
Junior Jefferson McMullin contributed to the team score in his collegiate cross country debut, finishing seventh with a time of 14:17.8. This performance made McMullin the fifth and final scorer for the Cougars.
The Cougars are scheduled to travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, to compete in the John McNichols Invitational on Sept. 19.
