Baylor
NCAA Championships
TF: Townsend, Men's Relay Qualify at NCAA
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
June 8, 2011
DES MOINES - With the fastest time by a Baylor squad in more than 20 years, the men's 4x100-meter relay team highlighted the first day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
"It was another typically tough day at the NCAAs," head coach Todd Harbour said. "Tiffany is running really well right now, and I am happy for her. I am ready to see what she can do on Friday, but we've got to get her ready for (the 200) tomorrow. That was a nice PR for Zwede (Hewitt) out of Lane 1, and I'm proud of Marcus for coming back after that great 4x100 race to turn in a nice race. For those guys (4x100) to run the second-best time in Baylor history is amazing, considering what those guys have been through this season."
The Baylor men's 4x100-meter relay team had their finest effort of the season, and the fastest time run by a Baylor squad since 1990. The team of Woodrow Randall, Whitney Prevost, Marcus Boyd and Zwede Hewitt didn't have perfect exchanges, but flew around the track in a time of 39.09 to qualify sixth overall for Saturday's finals. The time is the second-best ever at Baylor, behind only the 1990 Bears that turned in a 38.98.
Randall, who suffered a leg injury 12 days ago, came back in fine form, getting the Bears off to a good start with a blistering leadoff leg. Prevost ran cruised down the backstretch in his normal position, handing to Boyd, who was running the curve for just the second time. Boyd looked smooth on his leg and passed to Hewitt, who nearly won a footrace for second place in the heat.
Senior Tiffany Townsend turned in a solid race in the women's 100 meters to qualify for Friday's finals in the event. She finished second in her heat and seventh overall with a time of 11.34. On a mission to break the Baylor mark of 15 career All-America certificates, Townsend needs just one more to be the lone record-holder.
On the women's side, the Baylor 4x100-meter relay team ran its third-best time of the season, but wasn't able to make the top eight to qualify for the finals. With an 11th-place time of 43.98, the crew of Tiffani McReynolds, Townsend, Brittany Bruce and Brittany Carr would have needed to break their season-best of 43.75 by one-tenth of a second to make the finals.
Individually for the Baylor men, the Bears' two 400-meter runners narrowly missed making the finals in a fast day on the track. Hewitt, running out of Lane 1 in the first heat, knocked .13 off his career best with a time of 45.51 to finish fifth in his heat and 10th overall. Boyd, in Lane 3 of the second heat, was also fifth in his heat with a time of 45.54 and was 12th overall.
Entering the meet with marks among the nation's top 10, Baylor throwers Nick Lyons and Skylar White fell short of making the final round in their respective events. Lyons, a senior javelin thrower, suffered a heartbreaking finish. With his final throw of the prelims, Lyons launched a toss of 231 feet, nine inches, to put himself in the ninth, and final, qualifying spot. With only two throwers left that could possibly bump him out of that spot, Lyons position didn't hold and he was pushed to 10th overall. However, for his finish, Lyons earns his first-career All-America honor.
For White, it would have taken one of her best efforts to make the finals in the women's discus. The Baylor sophomore got a solid mark in on her first attempt of 166-7, but fouled each of her next two attempts to finish in 15th place overall.
Baylor will be back on the track on Thursday in the second of the four-day national championship event at Drake Stadium. Townsend and Prevost will run the women's and men's 200 meters at 5:30 p.m., followed by McReynolds in the 100-meter hurdles at 6:50 p.m. Baylor competitors will finish the night in the women's and men's 4x400-meter relay beginning at 8 p.m.
COMPLETE BAYLOR RESULTS
Women's 100 Meters - Semifinals
7. Tiffany Townsend (SR), 11.34q
Men's 400 Meters - Semifinals
10. Zwede Hewitt (JR), 45.51 (Career-best)
12. Marcus Boyd (SR), 45.54
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay - Semifinals
11. Tiffani McReynolds, Tiffany Townsend, Brittany Bruce, Brittany Carr - 43.98
Men's 4x100-Meter Relay - Semifinals
6. Woodrow Randall, Whitney Prevost, Marcus Boyd, Zwede Hewitt - 39.09q (No. 2 all-time at Baylor)
Women's Discus - Semifinals
15. Skylar White (SO), 166-7 [50.17m]
Men's Javelin - Semifinals
10. Nick Lyons (SR), 231-9 [70.64m] (Earns first-career All-America honors)
Players Mentioned
