Track & Field Finishes With Six Event Wins in College Station

Friday, January 11

College Station, Texas

All Day

Baylor

Ted Nelson Invitational

Track & Field Finishes With Six Event Wins in College Station

1/12/2019 6:45:00 PM | Track & Field

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KC Lightfoot became the No. 2 indoor pole vault performer in school history.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Freshman KC Lightfoot pushed the indoor pole vault school record to the limit, while four Bears recorded victories to highlight Baylor track & field's day Saturday at the Ted Nelson Invitational.

"We had a lot of really good days," head coach Todd Harbour said. "It was a good day for us. We didn't get nicked up too bad. We came out of it pretty healthy, and that was our main objective. Overall we were pleased. It was a good start to the season."

Lightfoot (runner-up today) became the No. 2 indoor pole vault performer in school history with a jump of 5.53m (18-1¾), trailing only Bill Payne in the Baylor record books. Payne bettered that mark five times, including the school record of 18-4.75 set in 1991.

"KC, what can you say," Harbour said. "A freshman to come in here and jump. He had some really good attempts today at 18-5 (would-be school record). He took some shots at it, and he was disappointed he didn't get it. But I said ok 'we have a little time.' He's going to be fun to watch."

Kennedy Bailey was the first winner of the day for Baylor, winning the women's 60-meter hurdles with a personal-best 8.44. The sophomore from Cypress, Texas, moved into fifth in school history in indoor performers.

"Kennedy didn't have the freshman campaign that she wanted to last year," Harbour said. "But I thought she's back in a huge way. That was a big day for her."

Maxwell Willis picked up his first win in the 60 meters since 2017 with a time of 6.72. The junior from Upper Marlboro, Md., came up .01 short of the 60m/200m double, finishing second in the 200 with a time of 21.05.

"Maxwell had a great day in both the 60 and the 200," Harbour said. "Super day for him. I thought that was a big one."

Reigning Big 12 Indoor Female Newcomer of the Year Morgan Stewart had another impressive showing, winning the women's 800 meters with a time of 2:10.15.

"Morgan winning the 800 was a big deal," Harbour said. "Another one of the many great performances we had today."

Danny Leland made it a sweep for the Bears in the 800 meters, winning the men's race with a time of 1:52.55.

"Danny has toiled for four years," Harbour said. "Watching him have some success today after a good 800 yesterday, I thought it was a big day for Danny."

Freshman Alyssa Miller also made her mark in the school record books, finishing as runner-up in the women's high jump at 1.69m (5-6½) to become the No. 7 women's indoor high jump performer in Baylor history. The McKinney, Texas native finished behind only the defending NCAA Outdoor Champion Alexus Henry of UTSA.

Sydney Washington came ever-so-close to winning the women's 60 meters, placing second in a photo finish. The sophomore from Round Rock, Texas, clocked a time of 7.469, .003 behind the winning time of 7.466.

Returning All-Big 12 performer Alex Madlock opened the season with a third-place finish in the women's long jump, posting a mark of 5.85m (19-2½).

In the women's triple jump, Abena Ofori came away with an impressive performance, finishing in third place at 12.06m (39-6¾).

To close the day out, the Baylor women's 4x400-meter relay team posted a third-place finish with a time of 3:40.90, and the men's 4x400-meter relay finished just short of the victory, runner-up by .04 (3:08.12).

"The 4x4s ended on a great note," Harbour said. "I thought both of them ran well. We didn't have everybody on the ladies' side, but they did good. Sydney Washington stepped up and filled in. She did a good job."

The Bears finished with six event victories this week, including Connor Laktasic and Sarah Antrich winning their respective 5K runs on Friday. The men's team placed second overall with 83 points, and the women's team finished third with 86 points.

Baylor returns to action next Friday and Saturday (Jan. 18-19) at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa.

"It's going to be a short turnaround," Harbour said. "We roll out on Thursday, so we have to get ready to go."

For continued updates on the Baylor Track & Field team, follow the team's social media accounts all season long: @BaylorTrack.