Track Hosts Elite Field in MJ/DP Classic
4/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Michael Johnson/Dr Pepper Classic Central
WACO, Texas - In a field that features collegiate-leading performers and world-class competition, Baylor's track and field team will host the 2011 Michael Johnson/Dr Pepper Classic on Saturday, April 23, at the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex.
The meet will serve as the lone home meet for the Bears in 2011, but is filled with a talented field and evening attractions. Those attractions include a recognition ceremony for Baylor's 12 seniors at 5:45 p.m., presentation of Baylor Legends Raymond Pierre and the 1991 women's 4x800-meter relay team at 7:25 p.m. and a special autograph session at 8:30 p.m. with current and former Olympians. The Olympians include medalists Michael Johnson, Jeremy Wariner, Sanya Richards-Ross, Darold Williamson and Reggie Witherspoon. Wariner, Richards-Ross and Williamson are all scheduled to compete in the day's events as well.
Field events will start the day at 9:30 a.m. with the women's javelin on the infield of the stadium. The afternoon session of running events begins at 12 p.m., followed by the evening invitational running events after the officials break at 6 p.m.
The field features 18 schools from all over Texas and Oklahoma, along with a spectacular group of unattached and professional runners. In the list of 18 schools, nine ranked teams will be attending the meet. Baylor makes up two of those ranked teams with its 14th-ranked women and 21st-ranked men.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M and Texas each bring in men's and women's teams ranked in the top 10. The Aggie women are the top-ranked team in the NCAA, while the Aggie men are currently ranked second. For Texas, the women hold down the No. 7 spot, while the men are ninth. Oklahoma brings in a sixth-ranked women's squad and 20th-ranked men's squad, while TCU's women are sitting 24th.
Baylor's men and women enter the weekend looked to add to an already solid list of 14 marks in the top 20 in the NCAA performance lists, including nine in the top 10. Women's freshman hurdler Tiffani McReynolds is the top-ranked Bear, holding down the No. 1 spot in the 100-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 12.74 seconds.
Also in the top five for BU is the men's 4x400-meter relay team, sprinters Tiffany Townsend and Woodrow Randall, and thrower Nick Lyons. Baylor's 4x400 relay comprised of Zwede Hewitt, Whitney Prevost, James Gilreath and Marcus Boyd turned are ranked second in the NCAA with a time of 3:01.77, their fastest in nearly two years.
Randall, meanwhile, tied Michael Johnson's school record in the 100 meters at the Texas Relays with a time of 10.13 to rank third in the NCAA. Randall also runs the third leg of Baylor's seventh-ranked men's 4x100-meter relay team that has a season-best of 39.21. He is joined by Boyd, Prevost and Hewitt in the sprint relay.
Also in the 100 meters, Townsend is sitting fifth on the women's side with her school-record time of 11.09. The senior has not competed in the 200 meters during the outdoor season, but is scheduled to run it this weekend.
In the throws, Lyons, who shattered his previous school record in the javelin with a toss of 248 feet, one inch is ranked fifth in the nation. On the women's side, Skylar White has made her mark in both the shot put and discus. She currently ranks seventh in the shot put with a school record of 56-3.75 and 12th in the discus with a throw of 176-0.
Also in the top 10 is veteran triple jumper Jessica Ubanyionwu and newcomer Gabriel El Hanbli in the 400-meter hurdles. Ubanyionwu made her way into the ninth spot with a season-best leap of 42-10.75, while El Hanbli opened the year with a career-best of 50.83 in the intermediate hurdles.
Nearly the entire Baylor squad will be competing in the home event. Live results and other meet information can be found on the MJ Central page in the track section of www.BaylorBears.com.
Players Mentioned
