Tiriah Kelley sets program record in winning 200m at Corky Classic

Tiriah Kelley sets program record in winning 200m at Corky Classic

1/17/2026 8:09:00 PM | Track & Field

Freshman Landon Freeman records Bears’ first 7-foot high jump in 26 years

Corky Classic Results

LUBBOCK, Texas – In a season-opening meet that had a "mixed bag" of results, Baylor track and field got a record-setting performance from women's sprinter Tiriah Kelley and the first 7-foot high jump since 2000 in Saturday's closing day of the Corky Classic.

Kelley ran a blistering time of 22.56 seconds to win the women's 200 meters by nearly a full second, breaking her own school record, setting the meet record and posting the fastest time in the world this year.

"She told me when we had our team meeting on Wednesday that she just wanted to start her season the way she ended it last year," Baylor head coach Michael Ford said. "She ended the (2025) season running 22.70, and then she opened up with 22.56. She didn't really have a lot of people pushing her, so she just kind of pushed herself the whole race. It was just a great race."

Running in the first of 15 heats, Kelley posted a time that no one came close to catching. Texas A&M's Aysha Shaheed was second in 23.50, while Baylor freshmen Alyssa Jones (fifth, 23.87) and Jada Edwards (13^th, 24.13) and sophomore Hannah Lowe (10^th, 24.05) each won their heats and finished in the top 15 out of more than 70 competitors in the event.

Making his collegiate debut, freshman Landon Freeman cleared the high jump bar at 2.15 meters (7-0 ½) on his second attempt, becoming Baylor's first 7-foot high jumper since Marcus Swiat did it twice in 2000. Bettering his previous PR of 7-0 that he set at last year's UIL state meet, Freeman finished fifth in an elite field led by former Tech All-American Omamuyovwi Erhire at 7-4 ¼.

"He's got a lot of confidence," Ford said of Freeman. "He trusts Coach (Stacey) Smith, what he's telling him to do. Even on his last bar, I think it was 7-1 ¾, he had some really good attempts at that one, too. I think he just had a good mindset going into the meet. But that was awesome."

All total, Baylor had a dozen top-10 finishes on the second day, including impressive fifth-place performances in the 1,000 meters by Amon Malakwen (2:25.54) and Ruth Kimeli (2:49.08) that put them in the all-time top-10 list.

"One of the highlights for me was watching Ruth Kimeli drop down – she's usually a 10K, 5K runner – to drop down to do a little speed work," Ford said. "I think her time puts he in the top-10 all-time in Baylor history."

The men also got a third-place finish from Parker Brannon with a 16-6 clearance in the "B" section of the pole vault. Freshman Bailey Hashmi was first among Baylor's runners in the 200 meters, placing 24^th overall in 21.64.

Sophomores Serafima Lucero (1:21.55) and Sameena Mathew (1:23.27) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 600-yard run. Iyanna Webb tallied another fifth-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 42-6.

Baylor will be back on the road next week for the Ted Nelson Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24, in College Station. The men's 4x400-meter relay for the meet has been renamed the Clyde Hart 4x400 in honor of legendary Baylor coach Clyde Hart, who passed in November.

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

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