Hutchins places 6th; BYU claims Big 12 women’s cross country title

BYU’s Jenna Hutchins during the Pre-Nationals NCAA cross country meet in Earlysville, Va. Oct. 14, 2023. Johnson City, Tenn. native Hutchins finished fifth overall to help the Cougars to a team title. (Photo: Tom Connelly)

by: Jeff Keeling, Nick Dugan

Posted: Oct 28, 2023 / 10:22 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 28, 2023 / 10:22 PM EDT

AMES, IA (WJHL) – Former Science Hill cross country standout Jenna Hutchins played a key role in helping fourth-ranked BYU edge No. 6 Oklahoma State at Saturday’s Big 12 Championship meet in Ames, Iowa.

Hutchins finished sixth overall and broke 20 minutes for a second straight meet in the 6,000-meter race.

Her time of 19:54 was second best for the Cougars (35 pts), which finished four points ahead of OSU (39 pts) despite the Cowboys having the first, second and fifth place finishers.

The first five runners from each team count toward the team total and the Cougars top five athletes crossed the finish line fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth.

The Cougars next test comes at the Mountain Regional, Nov. 10 in Lubbock, Texas. The top three teams at that meet advance to nationals.

Hutchins has finished among the top four on the team in each meet during her debut season as a redshirt-freshman.