June 9, 2007
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -
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Baylor's 4x400-meter relay claimed the national championship in record fashion, and Reggie Witherspoon and LeJerald Betters earned individual All-America honors on the final day of competition at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex.
Baylor, who won the 2007 Indoor National Championship, blew past the competition to its second title of the season, winning in a school record time of 3:00.04.
The Bears broke the previous school record of 3:00.60 set in 1995 in the preliminaries of the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. That relay squad included current assistant coach Michael Ford on leadoff, and featured 400 meter legends Raoul Howard, Corey Williams, and Deon Minor. The quartet went on to win the event finals in 1995 with a time of 3:01.57.
The mile relay time ranks as the second-fastest in the world this year. Earlier this spring, Team USA, anchored by former Baylor great Darold Williamson, clocked 2:59.18 at Penn Relays.
Baylor's time of 3:00.04 ranks as the fourth-fastest in NCAA history, trailing only LSU (2:59.59) who set the collegiate record last season, UCLA (2:59.91) in 1988, and Georgia Tech (2:59.95) in 1992.
"This is a great way to end the season," said head coach Todd Harbour. "We have been through so much this year with injuries and some tough luck. These guys never gave up, and they battled and worked hard all year. It was tough for Reggie (Witherspoon) and LeJerald (Betters) coming back so quickly from other races with the way the schedule was for television. They worked really hard and they deserve it.
"To set the school record in the mile relay at Baylor is no small feat, especially when you look back at all the great quarter-milers we have had from Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson, for these guys to run faster than all those other guys is a great accomplishment.
"It was also good to have so many former Baylor 400 meter runners in the crowd at the meet today. With Michael Ford and Deon Minor there to see their record fall, but then to have Darold Williamson and Tony Miller and Brandon Couts in the crowd was really special too."
Baylor wins its ninth outdoor 4x400-meter relay title in history, and has been in the final heat the past 27 years. Including its seven indoor 4x400-meter relay titles, Baylor has 16 total national championships in the event. The Bears finished in the top-three in the event finals for the 22nd time in outdoor history, and the 38th time overall (including both indoor and outdoor seasons).
Baylor ran the mile relay under 3:01 for just the 22nd time in NCAA history. Baylor is responsible for nine of those times (40.9%), while UCLA ranks second with three such races (13.6%). The Bears clocked a time under 3:02 for the second time this season, a feat that has been accomplished only 75 times in NCAA history. Baylor relays have recorded 31 of those times (41.3%), while Arizona State is second in collegiate history with six such occurrences (8%). Additionally, 207 4x400-meter relay teams have run under 3:03 in NCAA history, with Baylor responsible for 67 of those times (32.4%). LSU ranks second with 14 all-time races (6.7%) under 3:03.
This season, Baylor clocked four races faster than 3:03 in the mile relay. On two occasions the Bears broke 3:02, and today's race marks the first time for Baylor under 3:01 this season.
Reggie Witherspoon (Marietta, Ga.) led off the relay for the Bears, running 45.2 out of the blocks despite running the 200 meter finals less than 40 minutes earlier. Witherspoon handed off to LeJerald Betters (Waco, Texas) even with Texas A&M and LSU at the first exchange.
"We knew coming in that we would have the target on our back," said Witherspoon. "We knew that they were all going to give us their best shot, so we had to go out there and take care of business."
Betters, who ran in the finals of the 400 meters less than an hour earlier, struggled on the opening curve, allowing the Aggies and Tigers to gain the early advantage through the first 200 meters. The freshman came on at the 200 meter mark, overtaking LSU on the final curve, and blowing past Texas A&M down the final straightaway, putting Kevin Mutai (Round Rock, Texas) in the lead by ten meters with a 44.2 split.
"I could really feel my legs were heavy through the first 200 meters after running the quarter earlier in the day," said Betters. "When I saw how fast Texas A&M and LSU went out, my adrenaline kicked in. I saw that we were losing, and I knew I had to go get the lead."
Mutai held his ground on the competition through the first 200 meters, and was able to hold his lead of ten meters coming into the final exchange, splitting 45.2 to hand off to Quentin Iglehart-Summers (San Antonio, Texas).
"When I saw LeJerald making his kick, I knew that I had to hold my position at the line, and try to pull him through," said Mutai. "I heard Coach Harbour on the curve yelling that LeJerald had just split 44.2, so I knew that I had to get out and run too.
"We have really been working hard for this all year. With all the races that we ran today and the injuries that we have had, we knew that we weren't 100% coming into the race. It is just a blessing to be able to win the title."
Iglehart-Summers, slowed in the past two weeks with an ankle sprain suffered at the Midwest Regional meet, held on to the lead from a charging Justin Oliver of Texas A&M. The Baylor lead was two strides after 200 meters, but Iglehart-Summers kicked at the halfway mark and quickly got away from the Aggies, winning the race by more than one second.
"First of all, we want to give all the glory to God, and thank our coaches for preparing us for the race," said Iglehart-Summers. "I knew coming into the anchor leg that I couldn't let the team down. We worked hard all year to try and get to this point.
"Mutai and I knew that LeJerald and Reggie would both be a little tired after their races earlier. We knew coming in that we would both have to run well to pull them through and get the win. We knew all season long that we were capable of getting the record; the more we practiced together we knew that we were good enough to get it. Now we get bragging rights over Coach Ford."
Baylor won both the indoor and outdoor national titles in the 4x400-meter relay for just the fourth time in school history. Baylor last accomplished the feat in 2004, with Olympic Champions Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson. The Bears won four straight mile relay championships during the 1990 and 1991 seasons, winning the 4x400-meter relay at the indoor and outdoor national meet.
The feat of winning both indoor and outdoor mile relay championships in the same season has only happened ten times in the 43-year history of running both indoor and outdoor national meets, with Baylor responsible for four of those occurrences. Remarkably, four of the ten repeat winners have come in the past five years as Baylor pull off the feat in 2004 and 2007, and LSU matched the Bears in 2003 and 2006.
The victory in the 4x400-meter relay is the 13th straight victory against collegiate competition in finals of the event, dating back to the beginning of the 2007 indoor season. Baylor has now won 15 of its last 16 races overall against NCAA teams, dropping its lone race this season to Texas A&M in the preliminaries of the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Thursday.
"I am happier that the guys won their second national championship," said assistant coach Ford. "It is really good for them that they got the record; they have been working toward that goal all year long and they are the best now."
"But," continued Ford, "none of our relays ever lost to Texas A&M."
Betters opened the competition on the final day in the event finals of the open 400 meters. The Big 12 Outdoor Freshman of the Year ran 45.66 out of lane one, recording his third-fastest time of the season to finish in sixth place. At the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, Betters clocked 45.62 in the preliminaries, and followed with a personal best 45.33 to win the Big 12 title.
Witherspoon, running out of lane two, set a time of 21.03 in the event finals of the men's 200 meters to place sixth overall. Witherspoon, the Big 12 Outdoor Champion, clocked his first time over 21 seconds in his last six races. In the preliminaries at the Big 12 Championships, the senior clocked a personal best time of 20.32, his first career time under 21 seconds, to rank second all-time at Baylor behind world record holder Michael Johnson.
Baylor recorded 16 total points to finish in a tie for 15th place, its fourth straight top-20 finish at the outdoor meet. Florida State won the team championship for the second straight season with 54 total points. Arizona State followed up its women's indoor national championship with the outdoor title after earning 60 team points.
The NCAA Championships marks the end of the season for the 2007 Baylor track and field teams. Nine athletes earned 12 All-America honors during the indoor season, while five runners acquired seven All-America citations at the outdoor championships.
For the year, Baylor competitors set or tied 12 school records, including two each for Kaleigh Teel (Friendswood, Texas) and Chris Cardwell (Abilene, Texas). Brittany Devereaux (Denton, Texas) set three school records on the year, while Nichole Jones (Spring, Texas) set two individual and two relay school records.
Saturday Results
Men's Events
400 Meters
1. Ricardo Chambers, FSU - 44.66
6. LeJerald Betters, BU - 45.66
200 Meters
1. Walter Dix, FSU - 20.32
6. Reggie Witherspoon, BU - 21.03
4x400-Meter Relay
1. Baylor - 3:00.04
