The BYU Cougars men's cross country is the men's college cross country program representing Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars began competing in 1961, and have won 32 conference championships and 2 national championships (2019 and 2024). BYU competes in the Big 12 Conference.
History Cross country originated at BYU as an informal competition, technically classified as a long distance running event for the track and field team. Clarence Robison, an experienced collegiate and Olympic long distance runner, became the track and field coach in 1950. Robison's experience and interest in long distance running led to the growing popularity of cross country both in track and field and as its own sport. Competitions in cross country were often held jointly with the track and field team. In 1962, Sherald James, who had competed as part of the BYU track team, was added to the track and field coaching staff, with his primary responsibility being the cross country team. He helped cultivate the popularity of the program and cross country as an event in track and field. From 1962 to 1998, the Cougars were led by James as they completed in the Western Athletic Conference, where the Cougars won 12 conference championships, and Ed Eyestone won an individual NCAA championship in 1984 with a time of 29:28.8.Men's Cross Country National Champions Starting in 1999, the Cougars competed in the Mountain West Conference.Men's Cross Country Year By Year
In 2000, Ed Eyestone became the program's head coach. In 2006, Josh Rohatinsky won the individual NCAA title with a time of 30:44.9. Provo Daily Herald | 2006-11-21 | Page 13 Starting with the 2011 season, the Cougars switched to the West Coast Conference. In 2019, the Cougars were ranked 3rd entering NCAA championships, but defeated #1 NAU, the pre-meet favorites, 109 to 163. BYU's Conner Mantz was third overall, while Danny Carney and Jacob Heslington both earned All-American honors, finishing 17th and 21st respectively. In 2023, BYU's first season as part of the Big 12 Conference, the Cougars placed second at the Big 12 Championship,No. 3-ranked BYU cross-country teams headline NCAA regionals this weekNo. 3 Cougars Finish Second at Big 12 Championships and third at nationals, behind NAU and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. BYU's top runners were James Corrigan and Kenneth Rooks, who placed 32nd and 35th respectively.BYU men's team finishes third again in NCAA cross-country championships In 2024, #2 BYU defeated #1 Oklahoma State 41 to 52 to win their first ever men's Big 12 Conference title in any sport.Official results They went on to defeat Iowa State to claim their second national title.BYU sweeps cross country NCAA team championships
Athletes
BYU's men's cross country program has produced 39 All-Americans, including one five-time awardee (Casey Clinger) and one four-time awardee (Conner Mantz).
Three of its athletes have won individual national championships: Ed Eyestone (1984), Josh Rohatinsky (2006), and Conner Mantz (2020, 2021).
Several athletes have gone on to complete professionally, and 14 have competed in the Olympic Games, including four-time gold medalist Lasse Virén and one-time gold medalist Pekka Vasala.
Results by season +Statistics overviewYearCoachConferenceNational Sherald James (Western Athletic Conference) (1962-1998)1962Sherald James2nd—1963Sherald James6th— 1964 Sherald James 1st 5th1965Sherald James2nd12th1966Sherald James5th— 1967 Sherald James 1st 19th1968Sherald James5th—1969Sherald James2nd—1970Sherald James2nd16th 1971 Sherald James 1st — 1972 Sherald James 1st 8th1973Sherald James2nd—1974Sherald James2nd13th1975Sherald James2nd7th1976Sherald James2nd4th1977Sherald James3rd5th1978Sherald James4th—1979Sherald James3rd—1980Sherald James2nd—1981Sherald James3rd—1982Sherald James2nd—1983Sherald James2nd— 1984 Sherald James 1st — 1985 Sherald James 1st 9th1986Sherald James2nd—1987Sherald James2nd—1988Sherald James2nd— 1989 Sherald James 1st 11th 1990 Sherald James 1st —1991Sherald James2nd—1992Sherald James2nd— 1993 Sherald James 1st 2nd1994Sherald James2nd— 1995 Sherald James 1st 10th1996Sherald James2nd— 1997 Sherald James 1st — 1998 Sherald James 1st — Sherald James (Mountain West Conference) (1999) 1999 Sherald James 30th — Ed Eystone (Mountain West Conference) (2000-2010) 2000 Ed Eystone 1st 23rd 2001 Ed Eystone 1st 12th 2002 Ed Eystone 1st 16th2003Ed Eystone2nd19th 2004 Ed Eystone 1st 5th 2005 Ed Eystone 1st 13th 2006 Ed Eystone 1st 11th 2007 Ed Eystone 1st 22nd 2008 Ed Eystone 1st 9th2009Ed Eystone2nd17th2010Ed Eystone2nd18th Ed Eystone (West Coast Conference) (2011-2022) 2011 Ed Eystone 1st 4th2012Ed Eystone2nd6th 2013 Ed Eystone 1st 4th2014Ed Eystone2nd16th 2015 Ed Eystone 1st 12th 2016 Ed Eystone 1st 7th 2017 Ed Eystone 1st 3rd 2018 Ed Eystone 1st 2nd 2019 Ed Eystone 1st 1st 2020 Ed Eystone 1st 7th 2021 Ed Eystone 1st 7th 2022 Ed Eystone 1st 3rd Ed Eystone (Big 12 Conference) (2023-present) 2023 Ed Eystone 1st 3rd 2024 Ed Eystone 1st 1st2025Ed Eystone4th11th National champion Conference champion
References
External links Official website