BYU track and field celebrated its first season as a combined program by honoring several key members Thursday night in a team banquet.
The most improved and most outstanding award winners were selected by the coaching staff, while the most inspirational awards were voted on by team members. New team captains were selected by the current team captains and event group coaches.
Most Inspirational
Men: Tyrell Yardley.
Yardley, a high school phenom, had a very mediocre first few seasons at BYU. Hampered by injuries, he was unable to compete at the level he did in his prep days.
This season, Yardley has overcome injuries and qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in the 400m and the 4x400m relay. His mark of 46.95 ranks 35th in the West Region.
Women: Erin Murphy.
After trying out for the team in 2013, Murphy was cut from the roster. Undeterred, Murphy tried out again in
2014. Not only did she make the final roster, Murphy traveled with and competed for the team all season. Murphy's perseverance paid off, and she qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in the High Jump with a mark of 1.75m.
Most Improved
Men: Tanner Sork.
Sork came out of high school as the top prep 800m runner in the country. After running 1:48.74 at the Washington/Oregon Border Duel, Sork went on to take second place at the 2012 USA Junior
Championships to qualify for the World Junior Championships.
After a stellar high school senior year, he had a disappointing season as a college freshman. Due to injuries, Sork did not compete in uniform for the Cougars. He struggled with the transition from high school to college and considered giving up running completely.
In 2014 however, Sork overcame injuries and raced his way into the No. 13 position heading into the NCAA West Preliminary.
Women: Erin Murphy.
After trying out for the team in 2013, Murphy was cut from the roster. Undeterred, Murphy tried out again in 2014. Not only did she make the final roster, Murphy traveled with and competed for the team all season. Murphy's perseverance paid off, and she qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in the High Jump with a mark of 1.75m.
Most Outstanding
The most outstanding awards are given to the athlete with the highest national ranking in each event category. The following athletes received most outstanding for their respective event group.
Men's Distance: Curtis Carr (No. 2)
Women's Distance: Andrea Harrison (No. 19)
Men's Sprints: Korey Smith (No. 25)
Women's Sprints: Brenna Porter (No. 44)
Men's Jumps/Multis: Chase Dalton (No. 8)
Women's Jumps/Multis: Lexi Eaton (No. 25)
Men's Throws: Zachary Stetler (No. 56)
Women's Throws: Martha Shepard (No. 64)
Outgoing Team Captains
Jared Ward - Seven time NCAA All-American, Indoor 5,000m school record holder
Braydon Bringhurst - 2013 NCAA Indoor qualifier
Fan Fan Charles - Two-time NCAA West Preliminary qualifier
Andrea Harrison - NCAA cross country qualifier, two-time NCAA West Preliminary Qualifier
Elizabeth Wilson - Two-time NCAA West Preliminary qualifier
Martha Shepard - NCAA West Preliminary qualifier
Incoming Team Captains
Jason Witt - WCC Cross Country Individual Champion, three-time NCAA West Preliminary Qualifier
Kelsey Brown - Two-time NCAA championship qualifier
Braydon Bringhurst - 2013 NCAA Indoor qualifier
Brie Simmons - USATF Junior Qualifier in 2013
Brittany Critchfield - Redshirted 2014 season, will return as BYU's top senior thrower
Kassie Jensen - Second fastest 100m and 200m for BYU in 2014
Recent BYU Track and Field graduate Chase Dalton placed seventh at the 2014 Thorpe Cup in Marburg, Germany with 7,445 points, but team USA fell to Germany 38,094 to 37,438. Dalton had the third highest score among the American competitors. 
