Track and Field Qualifies Six to NCAA Finals

Track & Field 6/12/2008 12:00:00 AM

June 12, 2008

DES MOINES, Iowa -

The Baylor men's and women's track and field teams qualified six more athletes to the NCAA finals and Lauren Hagans set a school record on the second day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium.

Hagans set a new school record, clocking 4:15.69 in the women's 1,500 meters to finish second in her preliminary heat. Hagans held the previous school record of 4:16.16 set at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational earlier this season. Hagans advances to the event finals with the third-fastest time of the semifinals. Nichole Jones ran 4:22.17 to finish 18^th overall.

Baylor qualified both of its 4x400-meter relays for Saturday's event finals. The women's team clocked a season-best time of 3:31.93 to finish second in its heat and fifth overall. Katrina Taylor led off for the Lady Bears with a 53.4 seconds split to hand off in second place behind Penn State. Brittany Carr closed the gap with a 53.2 seconds split, exchanging just behind the Nittany Lions.

Tiffany Townsend clocked a 52.0 seconds split, making a strong move in the last 100 meters to take the lead for Baylor and hand off with a five-meter advantage. Carla Grace clocked 52.8 seconds on the anchor leg, but could not hold off Shana Cox, the NCAA leader in the 400 meters, as the Lady Bears finished less than one second behind the NCAA leaders in the event.

The men's team won its heat with a time of 3:04.54 to qualify with the third-fastest time of the preliminaries. Marcus Boyd led off for the Bears with a 46.0 seconds split out of the blocks to hand off in first place. J.T. Scheuerman split 46.3 seconds and held off a strong charge from the pack to hand off with a slight advantage.

Justin Boyd carried third for the Bears, settling in behind the Kentucky runner who made a strong push in the first 100 meters. Boyd kicked down the home straightaway to regain the lead, handing off in first place with a 46.4 seconds split. Quentin Iglehart-Summers got out quickly, but was soon passed down the backstretch by Kentucky. Iglehart-Summers made a move in the last 150 meters, splitting 45.4 seconds to give Baylor the win.

Baylor placed two runners in the finals of the 200 meters set for Saturday afternoon. Tiffany Townsend finished 11^th in the first round, with the fastest time of the non-automatic qualifiers at 23.40. She came back in the semifinals at 23.20, to place seventh overall. Carla Grace finished 20^th in the first round in 23.84.

Trey Harts ran 20.87 in the first round to place 11^th overall and qualify for the semifinals. Later in the afternoon, Harts clocked 20.72 to capture the final qualifying spot for Saturday's finals.

Robert Griffin qualified for Friday's finals in the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.46 to finish second in his heat. The time was also the second-fastest of the semifinals. Justin Boyd finished fifth in his heat and ninth overall with a time of 50.33, missing the event finals by one spot. Boyd still earns All-America honors as one of the eight fastest American-born competitors.

Baylor returns to action on Friday afternoon on the third day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium. Live results can be found at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.

THURSDAY RESULTS

Women's Events

200 Meters - First Round

1. Porscha Lucas (Texas A&M) - 22.91

11. Tiffany Townsend (Baylor) - 23.40

20. Carla Grace (Baylor) - 23.84

200 Meters - Semifinals

1. Nickesha Anderson (Kansas) - 22.76

7. Tiffany Townsend (Baylor) - 23.20

1,500 Meters - Semifinals

1. Brie Felnagle (North Carolina) - 4:15.56

3. Lauren Hagans (Baylor) - 4:15.69