BYU’s Clayton Young Wins 10,000 Meter National Championship

Jun 6, 2019, 9:29 AM | Updated: 9:32 am

(Photo Courtesy of BYU)

KSL Sports

AUSTIN, Texas – Senior All-American distance runner Clayton Young won the men’s 10,000 meter national championship at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Young beat Alabama’s Gilbert Kigen on the last lap of the race to cross the finish line with a time of 29:16.60 to win the individual title. He is the first Cougar men’s outdoor National Champion since Kyle Perry in the men’s steeplechase in 2009.

“I’m waiting for my alarm to go off,” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said. “Things could not have gone better in a dream than they did today. Talem advanced in the 1500m, all four steeplechasers advanced, Brian had a solid day in the decathlon and then we had an awesome finish in the 10,000m.”

National Champion 🏆#BYUTF #GoCougs #NCAATF pic.twitter.com/68fw3eTCn2

— BYU Track and Field (@BYUTFXC) June 6, 2019

Fellow BYU All-Americans Connor McMillian and Conner Mantz both finished in the top five with McMillan taking third place and Mantz in fourth. With that performance from the trio, the Cougars score 21 points as a team to put them in second place at the end of the first day.

“I feel a lot of gratitude for my coach, for my teammates and my family,” Young said. “It took a whole family and team for me to do this. I feel really blessed to represent BYU.”

BYU had three other runners competing in the National Championship with Rory Linkletter ending the race in 15th place, Dallin Farnsworth in 21st and Connor Weaver in 23rd.