Ezekiel Highlights TF's Week at Big 12 Outdoor Championships

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

WACO, Texas - Nathaniel Ezekiel jumped so high when the 47.97-second time flashed on the scoreboard at the end of his record-setting 400-meter hurdles Saturday night at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, maybe he should try the high jump as well.

"I couldn't control myself, so I jumped up. I was so happy," the Baylor junior said.

Corrected to an official time of 48.00, it was still a Big 12, Baylor and Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium record and ranks second nationally behind defending NCAA champion Chris Robinson of Alabama.

"I'm going to run it very soon, hopefully," Ezekiel said of breaking into the 47s for the first time.

Ezekiel's blistering race was one of four event titles for the Bears on the day and six for the three-day Big 12 Championships. Finishing higher than expected, the Baylor women tied Oklahoma for sixth place with 51 points, while the men were seventh with 63 points.

"I'm so proud of the group overall," Baylor coach Michael Ford said. "From field to the running, I thought we did just an amazing job. You can't control the weather, but I was so happy."

For the third-straight day, the meet was slowed by a lightning delay, but at least it was a shorter two-hour stoppage after four- and five-hour delays on Thursday and Friday. Technically, it was already Saturday when Alexis Brown popped a Baylor and stadium record with a winning leap of 22 feet, 5 inches at around 1 a.m. at the end of a long day on Friday.

"The goal was to come out and win on my home field," said Brown, the second-year transfer from Florida. "Even though there were delays, I was in (assistant coach Stacey Smith's) office the whole night. We were like, we just have to stay locked in. And whatever happens, happens. We were all dealing with the circumstances. It was definitely a mental thing."

Brown, whose previous career best was 21-11 ½, had already clinched it at 21-4 when triple jump champion and national leader Ackelia Smith of Texas fouled on her last attempt and Iowa State's Sydney Willits went 21-3 ¼.

Ford was surprised when Brown didn't pass on her final attempt after "catching a cramp in her calf" on her previous jump. But she went for it and got it.

"Oh my goodness, to do it on my last jump at 1 a.m., it was everything and more," she said. "I've been so close to (22 feet), a half an inch away. And finally, I did it."

As soon as she landed in the long jump it, Brown knew it.

"I looked back and said, 'That's the farthest I've ever been in the pit,''' she said. "So, I knew it was a PR. Then, I saw Coach Stacey's reaction. She was like, 'That was it! That was 22 (feet)!' When the number came up, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, 22-5! That's insane!'''

While Brown ended the Friday night/Saturday morning session with a win in the long jump, freshman Molly Haywood opened the final day with a win in the pole vault. She outdueled reigning Big 12 champion Olivia Lueking, both going 14-5 ½, but Haywood winning on fewer misses.

"We've been putting in a ton of work all season," said Haywood, who set her PR with a mark of 14-7 ½ at the Michael Johnson Invitational, "so to be able to go out here and jump how we know I can, I'm so grateful."

Lueking had cleared on her final attempt at 14-1 ¾ and 14-3 ½, but wasn't able to do it again on her third try at 14-7 ½.

"That's a tough thing is making sure you're staying focused on what you're doing and not letting what other people are doing affect you," Haywood said. "But I have competed with Olivia for multiple years now. I jumped with her in high school. She's such an amazing jumper. Anyone can go out there and clear any bar, so you've just got to stay ready and go for every bar in as few attempts as possible."

Haywood's win completed a rare sweep in the pole vault. Fellow freshman Alencia Lentz, who wasn't able to go on Saturday, won the Big 12 indoor title.

"I don't know if it's ever been done when you had a freshman win indoors and then another freshman win outdoors," Ford said. "But they've worked really well together. I was really proud of Molly because she's been winning a lot outdoors. So, for me, it wasn't a big surprise. She didn't miss until her last bar, so that was impressive."

With the focus shifting from the field to the track, Baylor got off to a fast start in the 4x100-meter relays. The men's team of Ricquan Graham, Laurenz Colbert, Kamden Jackson and De'montray Callis ran a school-record time of 38.86 in finishing second behind Houston's stadium-record time of 38.44.

The women's relay of Tiriah Kelley, Kayla Hunt, Brown and Michaela Francois clipped around the track with a stadium-record time of 43.16 that ranks fifth nationally.

"When I got (the baton), I was like, 'Just run,''' Brown said. "My legs were hurting today; I got like four hours of sleep. But I'm going to go out here and give it all I can in this 4x1. When I handed it to (Francois), I was like, 'We have it. We just have to finish.' . . . We've been having issues with handoffs, but we knew once we got the handoffs together, we'd be fine and we'd drop the time."

Senior sprinter Demar Francis got Baylor's next win. In a timed 400-meter final, the fourth heat actually produced the top five times, with Francis edging Oklahoma's Richard Johnson by one hundredth of a second with a PR time of 45.44 that puts him in the top 20 in the nation.

"I didn't really surprise myself," Francis said, "because the week before, we were working on some finishing and also tryng to find a sweet spot on the first 200. I guess today was like a perfect day. I did everything kind of perfectly, but there is some stuff we can work on so we can run faster in the future."

Completely exhausted by the end of the day, Francis was also third in the 200 meters with a career-best time of 20.38 and ran the second leg on the 4x400 relay that finished second behind Texas Tech with a season-best time of 3:03.49 that ranks in the top 15 nationally.

"I feel like doing so many events in one day kind of caught up with me," Francis said. "But I ran well, I ran a 44.7-second (split). I was just trying to bring my team through."

Anchoring that relay was Ezekiel, who came from more than 20 meters back to nearly catch Tech anchor Oskar Edlund.

"I think that was too much room," said Ezekiel, who ran a 44.4-second final leg. "I kicked, but I just couldn't catch him. . . . . Probably at regionals, we're going to do better, I promise."

Next up for the Bears is the NCAA West Prelims May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Ark., with the top 12 in each event advancing to the NCAA Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.

- BaylorBears.com -

Ezekiel Highlights TF's Week at Big 12 Outdoor Championships

Players Mentioned

Alexis Brown

De'montray Callis

Laurenz Colbert

Nathaniel Ezekiel

Demar Francis

Michaela Francois

Ricquan Graham

Molly Haywood

Kayla Hunt

Kamden Jackson

Tiriah Kelley

Alencia Lentz

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