Track & Field Set for NCAA West Prelims

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Bouncing back from disappointing conference finishes, Baylor men's and women's track and field produced a trio of individual national champions and a pair of top-20 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
            Todd Harbour is hoping for more of the same with a total of 24 individuals and four relays competing in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds that begin Wednesday at Texas A&M's E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station. The top 12 finishers in each event advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore.
            "What's exciting about the regional competition is that we've got some that are obviously way up at the top and we're expecting them to make it," Harbour said. "But, we've got some others that maybe you weren't counting on them about a month ago, and they're starting to really look pretty solid right now. . . . Our goal this year has been to finish strong."
            On the obvious end are indoor national champions Aaliyah Miller and Ackera Nugent. With collegiate record-holder Athing Mu (1:57.73) of A&M opting for the 400 meters instead of the 800, as she did at the indoor meet, Miller (2:00.87) is one of just three runners that have gone under 2:01 and will be one of the favorites at the NCAA Championships.
            After winning the 60-meter hurdles at the indoor meet, freshman Ackera Nugent is ranked sixth in the West region in the 100-meter hurdles (12.87) and 10^th in the 100 (11.31).
            "You have some athletes that just rise to the level of the competition," Harbour said. "I think Ackera is like that. She rises to the moment."
            Junior pole vaulter Tuesdi Tidwell missed the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago because of COVID issues, but she goes into the West Regional ranked fourth with a mark of 14-5 ½.
            "She's been doing some short runs but jumping over 14 foot," Harbour said of Tidwell. "The first practice she had coming back, she was back over 14. Tuesdi is capable of winning the NCAAs. The week at LSU, she jumped bars against the top girl in the country (Arkansas' Nastassja Campbell) and almost cleared two times, had two good jumps at 14-10."
            Other top hopefuls on the women's side include sophomore Mariah Ayers in the 200 meters (12^th, 23.08) and Kavia Francis in the 200 (16^th, 23.14) and 400 (17^th, 52.65), along with the 4x100 (12^th, 44.36) and 4x400 relays (6^th, 3:31.34).
            "This season, I've been very consistent and kind of at a standstill with my times," said Ayers, who popped her career-best time in the 200 meters in the Big 12 prelims. "It was overwhelming, honestly, but it was perfect timing, in my eyes. . . . I'm just trying to get to the next round, try to get to nationals and see what I can do there."
            Harbour also believes that senior Alex Madlock has the potential to "pop a big jump" in the triple jump after finishing seventh in the long jump at the Big 12 meet with a personal-best jump of 20-8. With a season best of 41-8 ½, she's a long shot in the triple jump, but matching her career-best of 44-0 ¾ would put her in the top 12.
            "I think she's got some things figured out," Harbour said. "She had a big long jump, which I think should translate to a big triple jump for her. We're still waiting for her to pop a big jump."
            Including the men's 4x100 (5^th, 39.11) and 4x400 (3^rd, 3:02.19), Harbour believes all four relays have a shot to not only get through the West Preliminary Rounds, "all four of them have a chance to make the finals at NCAAs."
            "If we can do that and get a bunch of individuals out with them, our goal this year has been to finish strong," Harbour said. "We're hoping to do that on both sides, men and women, but we've got to take care of business down there at A&M first."
            With reigning indoor national champion pole vaulter KC Lightfoot choosing to turn pro early, the men don't have as many top-12 region marks. Other than the relays, junior Howard Fields III is sixth in the 400 with a time of 45.37 and is coming off a Big 12 title.
            Ranked just outside the top 12, sophomore Deshaun Jones and freshman Kamden Jackson are threats in the 110 hurdles and 200 meters, respectively. A midyear transfer from Barton Community College, Jones won the Big 12 Outdoor title in a career-best time of 13.70 seconds after winning the 60-meter hurdles indoors.
            "I was fifth in the conference (going in). If you had asked a person to go off just what's on paper, they would never pick me to win," Jones said. "When you go out there chasing a time, that's when you fail to focus on the task at hand. That's executing your race to the best of your ability. Of course, you have to run fast. At these meets, it's either you run fast or you don't move on."
            Jackson, who's 15^th in the 200 (20.65) and 23^rd in the 100 (10.26), was held out of the 200-meter finals at the Big 12 meet, "but I think he's ready to go," Harbour said.
            The men's 4x100 should also get a boost with the healthy return of fifth-year senior Maxwell Willis, who missed the conference meet with an injury.
            "They were in the thick of it to win it, and just couldn't quite hold on," Harbour said of the runner-up finish at the Big 12 meet with a makeshift crew that included 400-meter hurdler Jayson Baldridge as the anchor. "I think our men are ready to drop a big (time). Maxwell looks good, he's had some good workouts. I think holding him out was a really smart thing."
            Wednesday's schedule begins with the men's hammer throw and javelin at 1:30 p.m., followed by the long jump and pole vault at 3 p.m. and the shot put at 6. The men's first-round running events start at 6 p.m. with the 110 hurdles, with Thursday's schedule shifting to the women.
            "We have a really good group that's still here competing," Harbour said, "and hopefully we can just get them all through and have a big group going to Eugene in two weeks."

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Baylor track & field will compete at the 2021 NCAA West Regional Preliminary Rounds Wednesday through Sunday at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University.

"We haven't been to regionals in two years, so you're kind of having to remember what it's like and what it's all about," head coach Todd Harbour said. "I think what's exciting about the regional competition is that we've got some that are obviously way up at the top and we're expecting them to make it, but we've got some others that maybe you weren't counting on them about a month ago, and they're starting to really look pretty solid right now. Our goal this year has been to finish strong."

The women's team will have 12 individuals competing in 10 different events along with both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays, while the men's team will be represented by 12 individuals in seven events as well as both relays.

The top-12 finishers in each event will qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Aaliyah Miller (1st - 800 meters), Tuesdi Tidwell (4th - pole vault), Ackera Nugent (6th - 100-meter hurdles/10^th – 100 meters), Mariah Ayers (12^th – 200 meters), the 4x400-meter relay (6th) and the 4x100-meter relay (12^th) rank in the top 12 on the women's side, while Howard Fields III (6th - 400 meters), the 4x400-meter relay (3rd) and the 4x100-meter relay (5th) are ranked in the top 12 on the men's side.

Action from College Station will be televised on the SEC Network+, and live results can be found at NCAA Preliminary West Round.

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

Track & Field Set for NCAA West Prelims

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mariah Ayers

Jayson Baldridge

Howard Fields III

Kavia Francis

Kamden Jackson

Deshaun Jones

KC Lightfoot

Alex Madlock

Aaliyah Miller

Ackera Nugent

Tuesdi Tidwell

Maxwell Willis

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