Baylor
NCAA Midwest Regional
Still Alive: 4x4 Streak to 42 Straight
5/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 30, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. - Quentin Iglehart-Summers split 44.5 seconds on the anchor leg as the Baylor men's 4x400-meter relay team came from behind to win its 42nd-straight race against collegiate competition on the final day of competition at the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional meet at John Jacob Field.
Baylor, who has not lost to an NCAA team since the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships, won its seventh-straight Midwest Region title, claiming first place in every year of the regional system's existence.
"This was about as an extreme of an emotional shift as I can remember," said head coach Todd Harbour. "I'm proud of the way we competed and this was a great way to end the meet. This is an amazing group of guys on the 4x4. They always seem to find a way to step up and win."
The Bears got out to a quick start from lane seven as Zwede Hewitt split 46.3 seconds out of the blocks to pass the baton in first place. Texas A&M outraced Baylor to the break out of the first curve, and the Aggie held a slight lead heading into the second exchange. Michael Liggins recorded a 46.1-second split to hand off in second place just behind the Aggies.
J.T. Scheuerman ran a solid third leg, as Texas Tech moved into second place on the backstretch. The junior split 45.6 seconds, making a strong move in the last 100 meters to hand off in third place, five meters behind Texas A&M and Texas Tech, setting the scene for Iglehart-Summers' heroics.
Texas A&M's Justin Oliver and Texas Tech's Gil Roberts got out quickly over the first 200 meters of the anchor leg, building as much as a 20-meter lead over the Bears. With 100 meters to go, Roberts, the nation's top 100-meter runner, held a stride's advantage over Oliver and a 15-meter lead over Iglehart-Summers. But the Baylor senior had a kick left, making up ground over the last straightaway and lunging across the line ahead of Roberts in a photo finish.
Baylor clocked a time of 3:02.72, its second-fastest time of the season, to finish just ahead of Texas Tech at 3:02.75 and Texas A&M at 3:02.87.
The women's 4x400-meter relay finished second overall with a season-best time of 3:32.78 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Katrina Taylor led off the race, splitting 53.4 seconds to hand off in first place at the first exchange. Brittany Bruce was second to the break behind Texas, but the sophomore split a personal-best 52.8 seconds to hand off in third place overall behind Texas and Texas A&M.
Tiana Hood split 53.3 seconds on the third leg, holding position just behind the Longhorns and Aggies heading into the anchor leg. Diamond Richardson quickly pass Texas A&M on the backstretch to move into second place, and the freshman held off a strong leg from TCU with a 52.8-second split to keep the Lady Bears in second place overall.
"Tiana and Brittany both ran great on the relay," said Harbour. "Tiana was a late addition to the relay when we decided not to run Tiffany Townsend, but she had an outstanding leg. Brittany Bruce was splitting 55 seconds earlier in the season and to come out here and split 52 (seconds) tonight is just amazing."
Trey Harts was the first to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish in the men's 100 meters with a time of 10.34. Harts came back to finish second in the 200 meters in 20.53, getting edged at the line by Texas A&M's Gerald Phiri by six-hundredths of a second.
Tiffany Townsend took third in the women's 200 meters in 23.26 to earn the automatic spot at the NCAA Championships. Townsend finished sixth in the women's 100 meters with a time of 11.37, just missing the automatic spot by five-hundredths of a second.
"Trey and Tiffany came out here and just did what they needed to do," said Harbour. "I know they would like to win, but they took care of business and advanced on to the NCAAs."
Chris Gowell finished fourth in the men's 800 meters, clocking a time of 1:48.78. Gowell was sitting in sixth place entering the final straightaway, but made a strong kick at the end to outlean a pair of runners at the finish to secure the automatic qualifying spot.
Erin Bedell took third in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:01.71, earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. Danielle Bradley finished eighth overall and will look to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA Championships.
"I thought Erin looked really good in the steeple," said Harbour. "Danielle had a solid race and looks to be in really good shape for an at-large berth."
The men's 4x100-meter relay, ranked fifth in the nation entering the weekend, false-started in the event finals and will not be eligible for selection into the NCAA Championships. The women's 4x100-meter relay finished fourth overall in 44.52 and will await a potential at-large berth into the NCAA Championships.
"I really hurt for the men's 4x1," said Harbour. "It is a tough way to end the season and I know they are disappointed to not advance to NCAAs, but I thought they showed a lot of class and character after the race and I am very proud of them."
Baylor returns to action on June 10-13 at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
Players Mentioned
