Vause signs with BYU

RIO RANCHO — Rams runner Charlie Vause is heading to Brigham Young University (BYU), the cross-country star announced via his social media accounts on Monday night.

BYU boasts one of the top cross-country programs in the country. The Cougars have 18 Top-20 finishes since 2000, and in 2006, BYU runner Josh Rohatinsky brought home the National Championship title, the second in BYU's history. The first title was won by Ed Eyestone, the current BYU Cougars cross-country head coach.

The BYU program has produced six professional runners since 2000 and 23 Olympians.

Vause made the announcement shortly after returning home from the prestigious Millrose Games in New York.

He finished in ninth place in the Nike One-Mile event at the Games, and completed the run with a time of 4:11.50.

Vause is just two months out from his dark horse victory at the Nike Cross Nationals, where he got first place in what is considered the cross-country high school national championship.

Vause is officially the best male high school runner in the country, a first for New Mexico.

Despite being one of Rio Rancho’s favorite sons, Vause wasn’t the biggest New Mexico-based story to come out of the Nike One-Mile event last weekend.

The honors of “top story” goes to Corbin Coombs out of Las Cruces. The Organ Mountain runner posted a 4:02.59 in the mile run, finishing in second place overall.

Coombs also broke the New Mexico record for the one mile, previously held by Shadrack Kiptoo Biwott, with a time of 4:02.65, a record that has held since 2004.

Tommy Latham, an Atlanta runner, took first place and nearly broke the four-minute mark, posting a time of 4:00.94, a meet record.