Track & Field Heads West For NCAA Prelims

Thursday, May 23

Sacramento, Calif.

All Day

Baylor

West Preliminary Championships

Track & Field Heads West For NCAA Prelims

5/22/2019 10:58:00 AM | Track & Field

The top-12 finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships in Austin.

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Having already cleared one hurdle with Saturday's graduation, Baylor quarter-milers Wil London and Kiana Horton will try to get over another one when the NCAA West Preliminary Championships begin Thursday in Sacramento, Calif.
             The top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held June 5-8, just down the road at the University of Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
            "Now that I've graduated, all I have to worry about is track. I have no other excuses, no other distractions," said Horton, who is ranked 16^thin the West region with a season-best time of 52.63. "It gives us more time to sleep, we can get back on stricter eating habits, and really just getting your mind and body focused on one thing rather than having to worry about practice and school and finals and studying. We have one goal."
            That goal is taking that next step and getting through the preliminary rounds to make it to the NCAA Championships. Borrowing a term usually reserved for March Madness, it's all about survive and advance.
            "You just want to stay healthy, advance to the next round and go big at nationals," said London, who goes into the meet ranked No. 1 in the West regional at 44.93 after winning his fourth consecutive Big 12 outdoor title.
            "Of course, I have it in my mind what I have to do, but I'm going to go out and compete, regardless. I want to go out there and run as hard as I can, but I know when Coach (Clyde) Hart talks to me he's going to tell me to not do that as much. Just relax and have a great race and go out there and execute."
            It's a delicate balance between relaxing and just trying to advance, but also realizing that "this is the first round of the NCAA, there is no margin for error," Baylor coach Todd Harbour said.
            "You have to be focused, locked-in," Harbour said. "There will be people that come in ranked top three and don't get out. (In the field events), it's three jumps, it's three throws, so you don't have the luxury of getting six. If you're somebody that doesn't get on the board, you've got to get on the board. If you foul on your first throw . . . it puts some pressure on you, because now you only have two. You just hope that you get all yours through that are supposed to be there."
            Including all four relays, Baylor has 14 marks that rank in the top 16 in their respective events. London has the only No. 1 mark and is looking to make the 400-meter finals for the third straight year after a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
            With school behind him, London said he "go over my races a lot more, study my raes a lot and come get treatment."
            "Just stay in the training room and focus on the small things that I probably wasn't able to focus on during the school year," he said.
            One of 25 track athletes that graduated last weekend, London said it was "probably the coolest moment I've had" in his four years at Baylor.
            "Even though we've been on the track working hard, we've been working in the classroom all four years just for that one day," he said. "Usually, conference is the same week (as graduation). It was pretty cool that this year we didn't have it there. Plus, we had to take finals. Some people had to take it on the road or take them on the way back. For me to pull that out and then walk the stage freely, it was pretty cool. It was a nice experience."
            London will hopefully have some company with him in the 400, with freshman Matthew Moorer (45.97) and sophomore Howard Fields III (46.00) ranked 13^thand 14^th, respectively, in the region.
            Leadoff leg Jayson Baldridge pulled up with a hamstring injury at the Big 12 meet, but the Bears have capable fill-in replacements for the 4x400 relay with senior Caleb Dickson and football receiver Chris Platt. The Bears go in with the fourth-best mark in the region at 3:03.17.
            Junior sprinter Maxwell Willis is ranked 11^thin the 100 (10.21) and 15^thin the 200 (20.71) and is part of a 4x100 relay team that has the 10^th-best time (39.68).
            "He's not that far off," Harbour said of Willis. "I keep thinking he'll have a breakthrough, getting back into 10.0 and 20-point-low where he's an All-American. He just hasn't quite done it, but he's still got time. It' a long season, and hopefully he'll have a good one out there this weekend, because he's not that far off. He's shown glimpses of it."
            Freshman pole vaulter KC Lightfoot, who swept the Big 12 indoor and outdoor titles, is also one of Baylor's best hopes for a national championship. He's ranked third in the region with a career-best mark of 18-8 ¾, and is certainly capable of going 19 feet.
            On the women's side, Baylor's best hopes on the track are Horton in the 400, Leticia De Souza and Aaliyah Miller in the 800 and both relay teams. Sophomore triple jumper Alex Madlock is ranked second in the region with a mark of 45-3, while sophomore Tuesdi Tidwell is 11^thin the pole vault at 14-2.
            "We haven't finished the last two years," Harbour said. "We've always had the NCAA meet as our ultimate goal. So, hopefully we'll be ready for it and get as many out as we can."
            Baylor will have a full day in Thursday's opening day of the meet, starting with Megan SaxvanderWeyden in the women's javelin at 2 p.m. CDT. Live results are available at https://dt8v5llb2dwhs.cloudfront.net/West/index.htm.

WACO, Texas – Baylor track & field is set to take 22 individual athletes and four relay teams to the NCAA West Preliminary Championships Thursday-Saturday (May 23-25) in Sacramento, Calif.

"This is the first round of the NCAA. There's no margin for error," head coach Todd Harbour said. "You've got to be on it, so you have to approach it as this is the NCAA meet and this is the first round. And you have to be focused, locked-in."

With the top-12 finishers in each event advancing to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Baylor has 14 athletes ranked in the West region's top-16 based on marks this outdoor season and several others looking to make a statement by punching their ticket this weekend.

Wil London comes in ranked No. 1 in the West with his time of 44.93 in the 400 meters. Matthew Moorer is ranked 13^th, while Howard Fields III is No. 14. The Bears' 4x400-meter relay is ranked No. 4 with London, Fields, Moorer, Caleb Dickson, Chris Platt, Antwuan Musgrove, and Maxwell Willis as options to run in Sacramento.

Willis has also proven to be within striking distance in the 100 meters (10.21) and 200 meters (20.71), ranking 11^th and 15^th, respectively.

In the women's triple jump, Alex Madlock goes to regionals ranked No. 2 in the West with a mark of 13.79m. Jalen Seals is also in the hunt in the men's triple jump, coming in at No. 16 (15.69m).

Freshman KC Lightfoot looks to make his first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, coming in at No. 3 in the West Region pole vault rankings (5.71m). On the women's side, Tuesdi Tidwell is ranked No. 11 in the pole vault (4.32m).

Kiana Horton is looking for one final All-America run as she enters the 400 meters ranked No. 16 in the West (52.63). She along with Aaliyah Miller, Victoria Powell, Sydney Washington, Morgan Stewart and Leticia De Souza are ranked No. 8 and will look to advance in the 4x400-meter relay, as well.

Both the men's and women's 4x100-meter relay teams are ranked in the top 10 coming into the weekend. Musgrove, Willis, Isaiah Cunningham, and Mark Milton will compete for the 10^th-ranked men's team, while a combination of Horton, Washington, Raven Grant, Demitra Carter, Jhane' King, and Caira Pettway will run for the No. 9-ranked women's team.

Live results for the NCAA West Preliminary Championships can be found at https://dt8v5llb2dwhs.cloudfront.net/West/index.htm.

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

BAYLOR WEST PRELIMINARY DECLARATIONS
Men
100m
11. Maxwell Willis: 10.21
42. Isaiah Cunningham: 10.42

200m
15. Maxwell Willis: 20.71
31. Isaiah Cunningham: 20.93

400m
1. Wil London: 44.93
13. Matthew Moorer: 45.97
14. Howard Fields III: 46.00

400mh
40. Antwuan Musgrove: 51.86

4x100m Relay
10. Baylor: 39.68

4x400m Relay
4. Baylor: 3:03.17

Pole Vault
3. KC Lightfoot: 5.71m

Long Jump
42. Jalen Seals: 7.47m

Triple Jump
16. Jalen Seals: 15.69m

Shot Put
28. Cole Hardan: 18.34m

Women
100m
22. Demitra Carter: 11.46
33. Sydney Washington: 11.58

200m
47. Sydney Washington: 23.81

400m
16. Kiana Horton: 52.63
24. Victoria Powell: 52.87

800m
19. Leticia De Souza: 2:05.50
27. Aaliyah Miller: 2:06.35
28. Morgan Stewart: 2:06.41

100mh
29. Kennedy Bailey: 13.44

400mh
32. Sarah Yocum: 59.40

4x100m Relay
9. Baylor: 44.35

4x400m Relay
8. Baylor: 3:32.63

High Jump
30. Alyssa Miller: 1.76m

Pole Vault
11. Tuesdi Tidwell: 4.32m

Triple Jump
2. Alex Madlock: 13.79m

Javelin
20. Megan SaxvanderWeyden: 50.21m