Friday, April 10
Waco, Texas
Baylor
vs
Baylor Invitational
T&F Hosting Baylor Invitational at Clyde Hart Stadium
4/9/2026 1:28:00 PM | Track & Field
Smaller meet includes LSU, TCU, UTA and Tarleton State squads
BAYLOR INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
WACO, Texas – Coming off a big weekend that included Texas Relays, the Florida Relays and LSU's Battle on the Bayou, Baylor will host the seven-team Baylor Invitational on Friday at Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium.
Joining the Bears are regional rivals TCU, UTA and Tarleton State, along with San Jose State, Division II Lynn University and an LSU program that is ranked first in the nation for women and seventh for men.
"This meet, for me, is an opportunity for some of our kids to run at home," Baylor head coach Michael Ford said, "but then also getting some kids getting some national or regional marks. Next week's Tom Jones meet in Florida is very selective, you only get three entries per event. So, for some people, this meet is going to be critical for them if they want to go to Florida."
Other than running the leadoff leg on the 4x200 relay that won the Texas Relays title with a school-record time of 1:31.58, All-American Tiriah Kelley will make her outdoor season debut this weekend, running the 100 meters and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. She was the bronze medalist in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Baylor women are 14th nationally in the second rankings of the outdoor season, with most of the projected points coming from Molly Haywood and Tenly Kuhn in the pole vault and sophomore Janae De Gannes in the long jump.
De Gannes will skip the long jump to compete in a loaded 100-meter competition that includes Kelley, Jaemari Allen, Kaylah Braxton, Bella Copeland, Jada Edwards, Nita Koom-Dadzie and Joy Wells.
Fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Haywood has yet to lose outdoors, winning the Clyde Hart Classic with a best mark of 14-10 and last week's Texas Relays on her third and final attempt at 14-7 ¼. She is ranked first in the West and second nationally in the pole vault.
On the men's side, the Bears posted season-best times in the 4x100 (39.62) and 4x400 relays (3:07.86) and were the runners-up in the 4x200 (1:22.78) at the Texas Relays. Abbas Ali is on both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and also ranks 12th in the West region in the 200 meters with a time of 20.72 that he posted at the season-opening TCU Alumni Invitational.
"This is a big one to get some kids in that we may have question marks on," Ford said. "At the Big 12 meet, you're only allowed to bring 32 men and 32 women. But are we going to bring 32 or just bring the 20 that are ready?"
The meet begins with field events at 10 a.m., with the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase kicking off the afternoon running session at 2 p.m. Weather permitting, the event will wrap up with the 4x400 relays and end at around 5:20 p.m.
Live results for the meet will be available at Baylor Invitational.
Ticket prices at $11 for general admission, with bleacher-style seating with backrests throughout the grandstands; or $17 for individual chairback seating for the bottom half rows closest to the south (riverside) finish line.
For the latest news on Baylor track and field all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
- BaylorBears.com -
WACO, Texas – Coming off a big weekend that included Texas Relays, the Florida Relays and LSU's Battle on the Bayou, Baylor will host the seven-team Baylor Invitational on Friday at Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium.
Joining the Bears are regional rivals TCU, UTA and Tarleton State, along with San Jose State, Division II Lynn University and an LSU program that is ranked first in the nation for women and seventh for men.
"This meet, for me, is an opportunity for some of our kids to run at home," Baylor head coach Michael Ford said, "but then also getting some kids getting some national or regional marks. Next week's Tom Jones meet in Florida is very selective, you only get three entries per event. So, for some people, this meet is going to be critical for them if they want to go to Florida."
Other than running the leadoff leg on the 4x200 relay that won the Texas Relays title with a school-record time of 1:31.58, All-American Tiriah Kelley will make her outdoor season debut this weekend, running the 100 meters and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. She was the bronze medalist in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
The Baylor women are 14th nationally in the second rankings of the outdoor season, with most of the projected points coming from Molly Haywood and Tenly Kuhn in the pole vault and sophomore Janae De Gannes in the long jump.
De Gannes will skip the long jump to compete in a loaded 100-meter competition that includes Kelley, Jaemari Allen, Kaylah Braxton, Bella Copeland, Jada Edwards, Nita Koom-Dadzie and Joy Wells.
Fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Haywood has yet to lose outdoors, winning the Clyde Hart Classic with a best mark of 14-10 and last week's Texas Relays on her third and final attempt at 14-7 ¼. She is ranked first in the West and second nationally in the pole vault.
On the men's side, the Bears posted season-best times in the 4x100 (39.62) and 4x400 relays (3:07.86) and were the runners-up in the 4x200 (1:22.78) at the Texas Relays. Abbas Ali is on both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and also ranks 12th in the West region in the 200 meters with a time of 20.72 that he posted at the season-opening TCU Alumni Invitational.
"This is a big one to get some kids in that we may have question marks on," Ford said. "At the Big 12 meet, you're only allowed to bring 32 men and 32 women. But are we going to bring 32 or just bring the 20 that are ready?"
The meet begins with field events at 10 a.m., with the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase kicking off the afternoon running session at 2 p.m. Weather permitting, the event will wrap up with the 4x400 relays and end at around 5:20 p.m.
Live results for the meet will be available at Baylor Invitational.
Ticket prices at $11 for general admission, with bleacher-style seating with backrests throughout the grandstands; or $17 for individual chairback seating for the bottom half rows closest to the south (riverside) finish line.
For the latest news on Baylor track and field all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
Sprints
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Sprints
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Hurdles
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Sprints
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & FieldBaylor Track & Field: 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Recap!
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Baylor Track & Field: 2026 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships Demario Prince 60m Hurdle's Final
Tuesday, March 17
Baylor Track & Field: 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Tiriah Kelly 200m Final
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