Nine Cougars past and present scheduled to compete in elite women’s 800, mile and 3,000 events, which will crown new champions at JDL Fast Track; Huntington’s Wiley and new North Carolina State addition Tyynismaa entered in mile

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

BYU is ready to take on JDL.

After remarkable indoor performances in recent years in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Washington, several Brigham Young women’s distance runners past and present will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to compete for the first time Saturday at the 11th annual Camel City Elite showcase at the JDL Fast Track facility.

Led by mile entry and adidas professional Anna Camp-Bennett, the 2021 NCAA Division 1 outdoor 1,500-meter champion representing the Cougars, BYU women’s coach Diljeet Taylor is scheduled to have both professional and college athletes competing in the elite 800, mile and 3,000 meters, as the elite section is scheduled to begin at 2:02 p.m. EST Saturday.

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“I have never been to this track before, so I always love to race at new places, so I’m excited about that and have heard so many good things about this meet,” said Camp-Bennett, who is also representing Taylor Made Elite.

“I’m super happy to be with Coach Taylor and the BYU women because that sisterhood of support is always so strong. And it’s always so helpful to have Coach Taylor and her incredible coaching voice at meets.”

JDL Fast Track is offering $75,000 in prize money for competitors who place in the top eight of the elite races, with $6,000 awarded to winners, $4,000 for second-place finishers, $2,000 to third-place athletes and $1,000 earned by fourth-place performers. Time and record bonuses are also available as well.

Camp-Bennett is scheduled to be joined by BYU athletes Carmen Alder, Alissa Fielding and Heather Hanson in the mile, a race that is also expected to be paced by 2019 Division 1 800-meter winner Jazmine Fray of Under Armour Mission Run as well as including former Cincinnati standout and Under Armour Baltimore Distance professional Ellie Leather, who took third in last year’s elite competition is and the top returning entry this year.

Two of the most intriguing competitors in the mile field are freshman Addy Wiley of Huntington University, the NAIA runner-up in cross country who ran the fastest 1,600-meter race in U.S. prep history last year when she clocked 4:26.16, along with unattached athlete Amaris Tyynismaa, a former All-American at Alabama who recently transferred to North Carolina State.

The Atlantic Coast Conference will also be well represented with Duke teammates Dalia Frias and Amina Maatoug, North Carolina State’s Samantha Bush and Virginia Tech’s Ava Hassebrock, in addition to five-time Southern Conference champion Megan Marvin of Furman.

Shannon Rowbury set the all-time JDL Fast Track mark of 4:22.66 in 2015, with Clemson’s Grace Barnett boasting the fastest collegiate mile at the facility by clocking 4:36.10 in 2017. Virginia Tech’s Rachel Pocratsky produced the top collegiate performance in Camel City history with her 4:36.49 effort in 2019. 

The women’s elite 800 will feature a rematch of last year’s Division 1 indoor final, with runner-up Claire Seymour of BYU squaring off against reigning champion Lindsey Butler of VIrginia Tech, who was third last season at Camel City.

Seymour will be joined by teammate Alena Ellsworth, with Butler competing with fellow Hokie athletes Hannah Ballowe and Star Price.

Virginia’s Esther Seeland, a five-time Division 3 national champion at Messiah before transferring this year to the Cavaliers’ program, is also expected to compete in another race paced by Fray.

Charlene Lipsey, an Under Armour Mission Run athlete and last year’s elite runner-up, is one of two professionals in the field, along with former Wisconsin standout Brenna Detra.

Ajee’ Wilson established the facility record of 1:59.26 in 2019, with Virginia Tech’s Hanna Green setting the all-time collegiate mark at JDL Fast Track with her 2:03.31 performance at the 2017 Camel City event.

BYU and North Carolina State will both have strong representation in the elite 3,000, with the Wolfpack led by last year’s runner-up and the fastest collegiate competitor in JDL Fast Track history Kelsey Chmiel, who clocked 8:59.96 last season.

No collegiate female athlete has ever won an elite race in Camel City history and no past champions are entered in any women’s competitions this year.

Sydney Seymour, a Tennessee transfer, is also entered in the race for North Carolina State, with BYU represented by Lexy Halladay-Lowry and freshmen Riley Chamberlain and Jenna Hutchins, who is making her indoor track debut for the Cougars.

North Carolina’s Brynn Brown, Virginia’s Margot Appleton and Wake Forest’s Mackenna Curtis-Collins are also expected to compete.

A former North Carolina State All-American and Camel City elite veteran, Hannah Steelman of On Athletics, leads the professional entries, with former Duke standout Michaela Reinhart expected to pace the race.

Eilish Flanagan, an NCAA Division 2 champion at Adams State representing Finn Valley Athletic Club, is also entered along with Oregon graduate and Under Armour Baltimore Distance athlete Susan Ejore.

Jenny Simpson achieved the facility record of 8:51.49 at the 2020 Camel City Invitational.