No. 12/No. 20 T&F Hosts Michael Johnson Invitational

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            In one of its last tune-ups for next month's Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Lubbock, Baylor will host the Michael Johnson Invitational this weekend at Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium.
            Including Olympians Trayvon Bromell and Wil London actually competing, Baylor will have a reunion of former athletes that includes Felix Obi, Tiffany Townsend, Brandon Couts and Deon Minor.
            "A lot of me reached out to me the last three weeks or so, just saying they're coming back for the spring (football) game and also for the track meet," said first-year head coach Michael Ford.
            "I'm always looking forward to seeing them and their families. I think just us competing, too, because we have one more meet before Big 12s. Just making sure that we execute properly and hopefully get some wind-legal times."
            The two-day Michael Johnson meet begins at noon Friday with the women's hammer throw and pole vault. Bromell is in the final heat of Friday's 200 meters, while London will run in the final heat of the 400 meters on Saturday and will likely run a leg on Hurdle Mechanic's 4x400 relay.
            After an off week, Baylor fell out of top 20 in the rankings with the men at No 12 and the women at 20^th. Freshmen Nathaniel Ezekiel (400-meter hurdles), Chinecherem (Za-Za) Nnamdi (javelin) and Johnny Brackins (long jump) lead the nation in their respective events, with 10 other individuals and the men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays ranked in the top 25.
            "I think one of the things we've been doing really well this year is we've been really consistent across the board," Ford said. "We talked earlier about the rankings and how they fluctuate so much. If we have some better marks this week, then we'll probably go back up again. But, I've been really happy, because they've just been really consistent this year."
            The Bears have also remained healthy, with the only snags being Trey Fields missing the Texas A&M meet after getting "banged-up right after Texas Relays" and Morgan Stewart expected to return for next week's LSU Invitational.
            "I think that's always the No. 1 goal is keeping everyone healthy," Ford said. "I think the coaches have done a good job of when to back off, I guess a little bit, and also get treatment. The trainers have been doing an awesome job. The key, of course, is them going to their pre-treatment and post-treatment, and they're keeping each other accountable for doing it as well."

WACO, Texas – Baylor track and field opens Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium for the second and last time in the 2022 season with the Michael Johnson Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Action begins at noon on Friday and continues into Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Big 12 foes Kansas, Texas, TCU and Texas Tech will make the trek to Waco, along with ACU, Boston, Harvard, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, UNT, Texas A&M, Texas State, UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas.

The Bears hope to boost their resume to hop back into the USTFCCCA top-10, after men fell to No. 12 and women to No. 20 in this week's edition released on Monday afternoon by the association.

Baylor currently has 13 individual student-athletes ranked in the top-25 for their respective events, as well as both 4x400 and 4x100-meter relay squads. Nathaniel Ezekiel, Chinecherem Nnamdi Prosper and Johnny Brackins still sit atop the standings in their respective events, where they've been since Week One of the outdoor season.

Mariah Ayers (No. 7; 200m), Ackera Nugent (No. 6; 100mH) and Jayson Baldridge (No. 8; 400mH) round out student-athletes wearing the green in gold in the top-10.

Tickets can be purchased online and at the event, although Friday's hammer throw competition will not be ticketed. Live results will be managed through DeltaTiming and all up-to-date information for the Baylor Invitational can be found at www.baylorbea.rs/22HomeInfo.

For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.

No. 12/No. 20 T&F Hosts Michael Johnson Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Mariah Ayers

Jayson Baldridge

Johnny Brackins

Nathaniel Ezekiel

Ackera Nugent

Morgan Stewart

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