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.[2]: 446–447 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,[3] 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.[2]: 447 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.[4] Starting in 1999, the Cougars competed in the Mountain West Conference.[5]
In 2000, Ed Eyestone became the program's head coach.[3] In 2006, Josh Rohatinsky won the individual NCAA title with a time of 30:44.9.[6] Starting with the 2011 season, the Cougars switched to the West Coast Conference.[5] 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.[4] In 2023, BYU's first season as part of the Big 12 Conference, the Cougars placed second at the Big 12 Championship,[7][8] 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.[9] 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.[10] They went on to defeat Iowa State to claim their second national title.[11]
Rivals
Since the late 2010s, NAU and BYU have been rivals in cross country. NAU defeated BYU in the 2018 Championship, and the following year BYU defeated NAU in the 2019 Championship. The rivalry has been considered "the best in a long time" and "the greatest in NCAA cross country history."[12][13][14]
