SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Baylor track and field closed out the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary Rounds at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium on a beautiful Saturday night.
 
The Bears added five entries to their complete total of 14 to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas.
 
THE RUNDOWN
It was the fastest 4x100-meter relay a Baylor women's team has ever seen, as Mariah Ayers, Imaobong Uko, Bria Bullard and Michaela Francois qualified to June's NCAA Championship in Austin. The team finished third in the west region and fifth overall when compared to the marks from the east region in Jacksonville, Fla.
 
The four-day meet ended with a big Q for the women's 4x400 squad, as Ayers, Uko, Gontse Morake and Mariah Ayers ran a 3:29.20, the sixth-fastest mark in program history for sixth in the west regionals, highlighted by Ayers 50.02 split on the anchor leg.
 
Ayers finished off the hat trick for NCAA qualifications in the 200 meters, running her best time of the season at 22.45 seconds.
 
Morake has her second-straight ticket punched to the NCAA Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. Her time of 56.64 ranked eighth overall and led Jasmine Gryne, who crossed 23^rd in 59.44 seconds.
 
Koi Johnson was down to her last attempt, but with the help from the crowd and the public address announcer, she leaped out to a season-best mark of 43-7 ¾ for 12^th place and a ticket to the championship meet.
 
Uko was 13^th and the first person out in the 400 meters after running her best 400 of the season in just 51.51 seconds. She was just two-hundredths of a second behind Arkansas' Joanne Reid in 12^th place.
 
Redshirt freshman Makayla Long's season came to an end in the ring on Saturday, as she finished 33^rd with a 162-10 fling in the discus. Also in the field, Aïcha Moumin jumped for 34^th place in the high jump, clearing two bars to 5-7 ¾.
 
QUOTABLE
Head coach Michael Ford
On Saturday's competition…
"I think the ladies had a great meet. The 4x100-meter relay started today off strong with a school record, and we ended the meet with a solid run in the 4x400. Koi [Johnson] also had her last-minute season best to find a spot in Austin. Gontse [Morake] also did a great job in the hurdles for a Q. Now it's time to rest up and prepare for the NCAA semifinal and final rounds. Overall, I am very proud of both teams advancing to Austin."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The 14 BU entries that ended the meet with a q next to their name head to Austin, Texas, for the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held June 6-10.