BYU’s Courtney Wayment Sets Record In 3000 Meter Steeplechase Final

SALT LAKE CITY – BYU track and field athlete Courtney Wayment won her second individual national championship with a 3000-meter steeplechase victory.

The 2022 NCAA outdoor track and field championships were held June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon.

DOMINANT performance from @BYUTFXC!

Courtney Wayment runs 9:16.00 in the women’s steeplechase to take over 8 seconds off the collegiate record and post the 5th fastest U.S. time ever run! 🤯#NCAATF
📸: @lhanndowns pic.twitter.com/Q3w2FSyuoZ

— TrackTown USA (@TrackTownUSA) June 11, 2022

After taking an early lead, Wayment wnet back and forth with Auburn’s Joyce Kimeli before taking the lead and not relinquishing it during the fourth of seven and half total laps. Yale’s Kayley Delay (9:25.08) finished second with West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe (9:31.14) finished in third place.

Wayment’s 9:16.00 time bested the previous national championship record of 9:24.41 set by New Mexico Lobo Courtney Frerichs six years prior. The time also broke her own school record and was the fifth fastest time ever by a U.S. runner. She is the fourth women’s steeplechase champion in BYU track and field history.

“Winning is the best one of all of them,” Wayment told ESPN after her race. “In 2017, I had a really good freshman year and didn’t do well at regionals. My parents and I drove here; we sat right over in the stands over there. I remember in the final, I just sobbed, because I wanted so badly to be on that track.” She continued, “Today was to inspire all the people, the young women out there, that were once me in 2017. You can do it, and you just have to give it a shot.”

Resume's looking pretty nice for @CourtsASport20

» 6x All-American
» 2022 3000m Steeplechase Champion
» 2022 Indoor 5000m Champion
» 2021 Indoor 3000m Champion
» 2021 DMR Champion#BYUTF x #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/7b8dcBkWDc

— BYU Track & Field/Cross Country (@BYUTFXC) June 12, 2022

She joined javelin thrower Ashton Riner as the only two BYU women’s athletes to capture individual titles in 2022. It is the first time the a pair of BYU athletes have won individual titles in a single Nationals appearance since Robison Pratt and Rodrigo Mendes

Wayment finishes her college career as a six-time All-American with three individual national championships and a 2021 distance medley title.

The No. 14 BYU Cougars finished the women’s track and field championships over the weekend in ninth place.

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