April 16, 2003
Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex - Waco, Texas - Apr. 18-19, 2003
Friday, Apr. 18 Saturday, Apr. 19 Field Events: 3 p.m. Field Events: 9 a.m. Steeplechase: 8 p.m. Running Events: Noon
Participating Teams: Angelo State, Baylor, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Southwest Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Arlington, Texas Pan-American
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This Week
The Bears will compete in front of the home crowd for the final time in 2003 when they host the Michael Johnson Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex. The action begins on Friday with the pole vault at 3 p.m. and the hammer throw at 5 p.m. The 3,000-meter steeplechase also will be contested on Friday with the women running at 8 p.m. followed by the men at 8:15. Competition continues on Saturday with the field events beginning at 9 a.m. Running prelims are scheduled for noon followed by the finals, which should get underway around 6 p.m.
Wariner Garners Honors After Stellar Meet
Freshman Jeremy Wariner ran the first outdoor open 400 race of his career last weekend at the Sun Angel Classic, blowing away the competition with a nation-leading time of 45.13. In winning the race, he defeated World Champion Avard Moncur. Wariner clocked the fastest open 400 time of any Baylor athlete since Brandon Couts clocked a 44.79 in May of 2000. He came back to record a blazing split of 43.72 in the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay, leading the Bears to a second-place finish with a time of 3:04.68. Both the open time and the relay time easily exceeded the regional qualifying standards. For his outstanding performances, Wariner garnered Athlete of the Week honors from both the Big 12 and Trackshark. Barbara Petrahn was the last Bear track and field athlete to earn the conference honor, doing so last May.
Marvin Sets School Record in the Steeplechase
After a plethora of school records fell during the indoor campaign, it took four meets before a new name was added to the outdoor record book. Freshman Angela Marvin was the first Bear to accomplish the feat this spring, clocking a 10:30.56 to set a new Baylor standard in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Running the race for only the second time in her career, the cross country standout recorded the fastest time in the Big 12 so far this year.
Bears Among the Trackwire Dandy Dozen
Four individuals and the men's 4x400 relay team are among those listed in the latest Trackwire Dandy Dozen. The quartermilers lead the way for the men. With a stellar race last weekend, Jeremy Wariner has moved up to fifth in the 400. Darold Williamson is 11th in the event. Both All-Americans run on the 4x400 relay, which ranks third. On the women's side, Debbie Thornhill is listed as No. 10 in the 10,000-meters while Lakadron Ivery is 10th in the 100.
Baylor Athletes Set 18 Regional-qualifying Marks In Arizona
The list of Baylor's NCAA regional qualifiers continues to grow. The Bears had a great meet at Arizona State's Sun Angel Classic last weekend, recording 18 regional-qualifying marks. While several athletes improved their previous season bests, some athletes joined the list of qualifiers for the first time including Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson (400), Nick Devenport (1,500) and Kyle King (5,000) on the men's side and Lakadron Ivery (LJ), Jessa Vacek (steeple) and Debbie Thornhill (5,000) for the women. 18 Bears have qualified for the regional meet in 20 individual events. Two relays on the women's side and one for the men also have earned lanes at regionals. Ivery is the only athlete to qualify for multiple individual events, exceeding the standard in the 100, 200 and long jump.
Hart Leads Baylor for 40th Season
Clyde Hart begins his 40th season as the head coach of Baylor's track and field program this season. In his tenure at BU, Hart has firmly established the Bear program as one of the best in the nation. Hart has coached athletes to 24 national championships (11 individual/13 relay) and 446 All-America awards (148 individual/298 relay). Named the men's assistant coach for Team USA at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Hart has coached athletes to ten world record performances. In 1996, he was named the Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee. That year he coached Michael Johnson to gold medals in the 200-meters and 400-meters at the Games of the 26th Olympiad in Atlanta, Ga. Hart also was named the NCAA Indoor Coach of the Year in 1996 after garnering such honors in 1989. A four-time Southwest Conference Indoor Coach of the Year, Hart has established Baylor as a quarter-mile powerhouse after producing 13 4x400 relay national champions and four individual 400-meter national champions.
Willmann Shines in Heptathlon
After breaking the indoor school record in the pentathlon at the Big 12 Championships, junior Jordan Willmann has easily made the transition to the heptathlon for the outdoor campaign. At the College Station Multi Event Festival and Relays, Willmann took fourth with a provisional qualifying total of 5,102 points. In the process, she cleared a regional-qualifying height of 1.73m (5-8) in the high jump. She matched that high jump mark at the Texas relays en route to finishing second in the heptathlon, bettering her provisional mark to 5,152.
Thornhill Runs Stellar 10K at Stanford
Senior Debbie Thornhill traveled to Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field March 28 to compete in the 10,000-meter race at the Stanford Invitational. She had an incredible race clocking an automatic NCAA qualifying mark of 33:34.85. It was the second-fastest 10K time ever recorded by a Baylor female as well as being the fastest women's time clocked at a meet other than the national championships. Thornhill, who is the defending Big 12 champion in the event, ran the fastest time in the Big 12 so far this season to qualify for her first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held in Sacramento, Calif. June 11-14.
Wariner and Williamson Return to Action
All-American quartermilers Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson returned to competition during the second week of the outdoor season running in the 4x400 relay at the Tom Tellez Invitational. Wariner experienced leg cramps in the open 400 at the NCAA Indoor Championships a month ago. Williamson had been out since straining a hamstring while running the 400 at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 14.
Wariner Garners All-America Accolades
Freshman Jeremy Wariner clocked a season-best time of 46.12 to finish second in his heat and fourth in the prelims of the 400-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships at the University of Arkansas' Randall Tyson Track Center. He proceeded to the finals where he finished seventh with a time of 46.21 to earn his first career All-America honor.
Petrahn Concludes Career at Big 12 Indoor Championships
Barbara Petrahn concluded her stellar Baylor career at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. She is tied for the women's record, earning nine All-America honors. During her time with the Green and Gold, Petrahn anchored six relays to the NCAA finals as well as running third on one relay and twice earning individual All-America honors in the 400. Petrahn also was a five-time Big 12 champion, which also ties her for the Baylor women's record. The Gyor, Hungary-native clocked a provisional time of 54.24 in the 400, but it was not fast enough to qualify for another shot at All-America honors.
Outdoor Track and Field Changes to Regional Format
Instead of qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by the traditional method of automatic and provisional qualifying standards, the 2003 season will be the beginning of regional qualifying. Four two-day regionals will be held across the country with the top five individuals and the top three relays advancing to nationals. At large bids, expected to be around six for individual events and five for relays, will then be selected based on the descending order lists compiled throughout the season and the conference championships. The participants in the multi events, heptathlon and decathlon, and the 10,000-meter run will continue to be determined by the traditional format of automatic and provisional qualifying marks. The move to regional qualifying will increase the number of NCAA competitors to nearly 1,100 participants.
