Friday, February 28
Lubbock, Texas
Baylor
vs
Big 12 Indoor Championship
Women Finish Third at Big 12 Indoor Championship, Men See Podiums and Records
3/1/2025 10:03:00 PM | Track & Field
LUBBOCK, Texas – On a day when Nathaniel Ezekiel shattered his own school record in the 400 meters and anchored the winning 4x400 relay team, Alexis Brown and Tiriah Kelley recorded podium finishes to help the Baylor women finish third overall with 64 points on Saturday at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.
In second place after the opening day, the Baylor women got third-place finishes from Brown in the 60 and Kelley in the 200, tallying 34 more points to finish third behind Texas Tech (113.5) and runner-up BYU (72).
Getting 30 points combined out of the 200, 400 and 4x400 relay, the Baylor men placed ninth with 42 points, just three points behind eighth-place TCU (45). Tech also won on the men's side, racking up 130 points.
THE RUNDOWN
In the field events, the women got an eighth-place finish from freshman Iyanna Webb in the triple jump with a mark of 42 feet, 3 ½ inches, moving up one spot after getting to the nine-person finals in ninth at 41-10.
Another freshman, JL Van Rensburg, got the men's team some bonus points with a fourth-place finish in the shot put with a career-best mark of 62-6 ½.
After winning the long jump on Friday, Brown came back to place third in the 60 with a time of 7.21 seconds, with freshman Royaltee Brown finishing seventh in the finals with a time of 7.31.
Picking up eight more points, the Bears got fifth-place finishes from sophomore Serafima Lucero in the 600-yard run (1:20.85) and senior Calisha Taylor in the 400 meters with a career-best time of 53.25. Lucero was last through the first two laps before running the final 200 in 31.05.
In the 200-meter finals, Kelley took third in 22.71, with Royaltee Brown close behind in sixth place at 23.25.
The Baylor women capped off the meet with a runner-up finish in the 4x400 relay with a season-best time of 3:33.39. Lucero ran the opening leg (54.75), followed by Kelley (51.95), Taylor (53.37) and freshman Aaryonna Kinchen (53.33) on the anchor leg.
Baylor's third-place finish overall was the women's fifth podium (top-3) finish and best since winning the Big 12 title in 2017.
On the men's side, sophomore Demario Prince was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.68 seconds after qualifying with a 7.58 clocking.
Living up to Baylor's tradition as Quartermiler U., Ezekiel ran a blistering 44.72 in the open 400, breaking his own school record (44.92) that he set two weeks ago at this same venue.
Trying to pull off the rare Michael Johnson 200-400 double – the former Baylor All-American became the first male runner to sweep both at the 1996 Olympics - Demar Francis placed seventh in the 400 with a time of 46.20 and came back to finish second in the 200 at 20.61. That time could earn him a spot in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Joined by freshman Tyler Honeyman and senior Dillon Bedell, Francis and Ezekiel also ran 45-second legs on the 4x400 relay, with Ezekiel's 45.29-second anchor bringing the Bears from fourth in the heat to a winning and season-best time of 3:04.78 that should clinch their spot at nationals.
MIKE ON THE MIC
Baylor head coach Michael Ford
"Day two of the Big 12 is a wrap. It's always exciting to finish off winning the 4x4 on the men's side and getting second on the ladies' with a season's best. Nate (Ezekiel) had a tremendous meet to win the 400, break the facility record and conference record and then run a great leg on the relay. We just had a lot of people that stepped up today.
"Super proud of Demar Francis in his last Big 12 to medal in the 200 and 400 and the relay, it was special. And then, we just had the freshmen step up. Royaltee Brown, to get two medals in the 60 and the 200; JL (Van Rensburg), fourth place in the shot put; Serafima (Lucero) and Calisha (Taylor) getting fifth in the 400 and the 600. We just had a lot of people step up this weekend.
"And now, a lot of people get prepared for outdoor and the rest of them get prepared for nationals, once we find out who made the top 16. But overall, very pleased with the ladies' finish and the men. I think we'll be even better outdoors."
WHAT'S NEXT
National qualifiers (top 16 in individual events, top 12 in relays) advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships that will be held March 14-15 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va. Baylor's outdoor track and field season opens March 22 with the Clyde Hart Classic at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium in Waco.
In second place after the opening day, the Baylor women got third-place finishes from Brown in the 60 and Kelley in the 200, tallying 34 more points to finish third behind Texas Tech (113.5) and runner-up BYU (72).
Getting 30 points combined out of the 200, 400 and 4x400 relay, the Baylor men placed ninth with 42 points, just three points behind eighth-place TCU (45). Tech also won on the men's side, racking up 130 points.
THE RUNDOWN
In the field events, the women got an eighth-place finish from freshman Iyanna Webb in the triple jump with a mark of 42 feet, 3 ½ inches, moving up one spot after getting to the nine-person finals in ninth at 41-10.
Another freshman, JL Van Rensburg, got the men's team some bonus points with a fourth-place finish in the shot put with a career-best mark of 62-6 ½.
After winning the long jump on Friday, Brown came back to place third in the 60 with a time of 7.21 seconds, with freshman Royaltee Brown finishing seventh in the finals with a time of 7.31.
Picking up eight more points, the Bears got fifth-place finishes from sophomore Serafima Lucero in the 600-yard run (1:20.85) and senior Calisha Taylor in the 400 meters with a career-best time of 53.25. Lucero was last through the first two laps before running the final 200 in 31.05.
In the 200-meter finals, Kelley took third in 22.71, with Royaltee Brown close behind in sixth place at 23.25.
The Baylor women capped off the meet with a runner-up finish in the 4x400 relay with a season-best time of 3:33.39. Lucero ran the opening leg (54.75), followed by Kelley (51.95), Taylor (53.37) and freshman Aaryonna Kinchen (53.33) on the anchor leg.
Baylor's third-place finish overall was the women's fifth podium (top-3) finish and best since winning the Big 12 title in 2017.
On the men's side, sophomore Demario Prince was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.68 seconds after qualifying with a 7.58 clocking.
Living up to Baylor's tradition as Quartermiler U., Ezekiel ran a blistering 44.72 in the open 400, breaking his own school record (44.92) that he set two weeks ago at this same venue.
Trying to pull off the rare Michael Johnson 200-400 double – the former Baylor All-American became the first male runner to sweep both at the 1996 Olympics - Demar Francis placed seventh in the 400 with a time of 46.20 and came back to finish second in the 200 at 20.61. That time could earn him a spot in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Joined by freshman Tyler Honeyman and senior Dillon Bedell, Francis and Ezekiel also ran 45-second legs on the 4x400 relay, with Ezekiel's 45.29-second anchor bringing the Bears from fourth in the heat to a winning and season-best time of 3:04.78 that should clinch their spot at nationals.
MIKE ON THE MIC
Baylor head coach Michael Ford
"Day two of the Big 12 is a wrap. It's always exciting to finish off winning the 4x4 on the men's side and getting second on the ladies' with a season's best. Nate (Ezekiel) had a tremendous meet to win the 400, break the facility record and conference record and then run a great leg on the relay. We just had a lot of people that stepped up today.
"Super proud of Demar Francis in his last Big 12 to medal in the 200 and 400 and the relay, it was special. And then, we just had the freshmen step up. Royaltee Brown, to get two medals in the 60 and the 200; JL (Van Rensburg), fourth place in the shot put; Serafima (Lucero) and Calisha (Taylor) getting fifth in the 400 and the 600. We just had a lot of people step up this weekend.
"And now, a lot of people get prepared for outdoor and the rest of them get prepared for nationals, once we find out who made the top 16. But overall, very pleased with the ladies' finish and the men. I think we'll be even better outdoors."
WHAT'S NEXT
National qualifiers (top 16 in individual events, top 12 in relays) advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships that will be held March 14-15 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va. Baylor's outdoor track and field season opens March 22 with the Clyde Hart Classic at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium in Waco.
- BaylorBears.com -
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