Anna Bennett, the former BYU star from Fillmore, missed qualifying for the finals of the 1,500-meter run by one place — or .26 of a second — in Friday night’s semifinals at the U.S. track and field trials.
The top five in each of the two heats automatically advanced to the final, plus the next two fastest times. Bennett finished eighth in her heat with a time of 4:05.62 and was 13th overall. Christina Aragon claimed the 12th and final spot in the finals based on her time of 4:05.36.
Bennett, who turned professional after winning the 2021 NCAA championship in the 1,500, faced a loaded field Friday, one that included five former and current national champions and three Olympic finalists.
Nikki Hiltz won the race with a time of 4:01.40.
Meanwhile, Abraham Alvarado, a 28 year-old who competed for BYU in 2017 and 2018, advanced to Sunday’s final of the 800-meter run by finishing third in his semifinal heat and fourth overall with a time of 1:44.44, one second faster than his personal record.
Kelsi Oldroyd, a junior at Utah Valley, placed 14th in the first round of the javelin with a throw of 168 feet. The top 12 advance to the final. It took a throw of 169 feet, 6 inches to claim the 12th qualifying spot.
BYU’s Alysa Keller was 23rd with a throw of 156-7.
Only two more athletes with Utah ties remain to compete in the trials, which conclude Sunday. There’s Alvarado, and then there’s Dallin Shurts, a BYU All-American, who advanced to the finals of the discus on Sunday.
James Corrigan, the BYU sophomore who finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase finals Sunday, will race in Philadelphia Saturday night in an 11th-hour bid to achieve the Olympic qualifying time of 8:15.00.
His best time is 8:21.22.