Jan. 23, 2003
WACO, Texas - Head coach Clyde Hart and his Baylor track and field teams are scheduled to compete this weekend at the Red Raider Open hosted by Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Bears opened the 2003 indoor competition season on Saturday at the Leonard Hilton Memorial Track and Field Meet in Houston with a solid start. Sophomore, Darold Williamson finished second in the 400-meters and provisionally qualified for the NCAA's with a time of 47.63. Junior, Nick Devenport recorded a meet record of 4:25.04 in the 1600-meter event, and Kyle King also ran a meet record of 8:20.42 in the 3000-meter event. On the women's side, sophomore April Holliness finished second in the long jump. Field events begin at 11 a.m. with running events slated to begin at 12:30 at the Athletic Training Center.
Big 12 foe Texas Tech will host the event for the Bears and ten other schools including; UTEP, Abilene Christian, Adams State, Juarez, McMurray, New Mexico State, Odessa, Ranger, UTSA, and Waylen. Other junior college and club teams will also be competing.
The Baylor men are tied for 22nd in the latest Trackwire 25 rankings. The squad returns three of the four 4x400 relay members from the ream that took second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season. All-Americans Joel Martin, Robbie Quiroga and Darold Williamson are part of the 4x400 group ranked third in the nation according to the Trackwire Dandy Dozen. Williamson also garnered an individual ranking of fifth in the 400-meters. Also returning for the Bears is distance runner Kyle King, who earned a trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships during the fall. Along with the rest of the talented returnees, a tremendous cast of newcomers hope to contribute to the team's success.
After a stellar freshman campaign, sophomore All-American April Holliness enters the season ranked eighth in the long jump. She is joined by returning All-America honorees Barbara Petrahn, Tiffany Wise and Danielle Myricks. All three athletes focus on sprints and relays. Also returning for the Bears is 2002 Big 12 10,000-meter champion Debbie Thornhill. The reigning Big 12 cross country Newcomer of the Year will compete in the distance races. The prized cast of returning women will also be aided by the talents of the newcomers.
The meet in Lubbock will kick off with the field events first, starting at 11:00am, and the running events to begin shortly after at around 12:30pm.
