Feb. 19, 2002

WACO, Texas -

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This Week

Baylor returns to action this weekend at the sixth-annual Big 12 Conference Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Nebraska at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln.

Baylor's Big 12 Indoor Championship History

Baylor has enjoyed success in the short history of the Big 12 Conference, finishing fifth or better in all five previous meets on the men's side and three of the five previous meets on the women's side. Last season, the men's team finished fifth with 74 total points, while the women's squad placed 10th with 30 points. Former Baylor runner Brandon Couts and both the men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams won indoor conference titles at the 2001 meet, also held in Lincoln, Neb. Couts took top honors in the 400 meters (46.09), while the men's team won the 4x400 for the fifth consecutive year with a 3:06.79 mark and the women's 4x400 team claimed first place for the third straight year with a 3:41.38 clocking.

4x400 relays among the best in the nation

Both Baylor's men's and women's 4x400 relay teams are listed among the nation's top-12 according to this week's Trackwire "Dandy Dozen" rankings. At the Arkansas-hosted Tyson Invitational Feb. 1-2 both the men's and women's relay teams posted provisional qualifying times. The foursome of Zsolt Szeglet, Michael Smith, Joel Martin, and Darold Williamson turned in a season-best mark of 3:08.27, while the women's team comprised of Jasmine Esiere, Chava Demart, Tiffany Wise and Barbara Petrahn clocked a season-best 3:38.96.

Bears in the Big 12

Coming into this years Big 12 Indoor Championships Baylor has seen several athletes post top times in the conference this season. In all, 11 individuals in 12 events and six Baylor relay teams are ranked among the top-five in the conference standings. Seniors Barbara Petrahn and Lanie Millar, along with junior Ferenc Bekesi, the men's 4x400 relay team and the women's mile relay team currently own the fastest times in the Big 12 in their respective events. Petrahn has posted a time of 1:22.39 in the 600 yards, while Millar owns a 2:08.28 mark in the 800 meters and Bekesi has clocked a 4:02.95 in the mile. The men's 4x400 team holds top conference honors in the event with a 3:08.27 mark, while the women's mile relay owns the best conference mark with a time of 3:49.87. A complete list of Baylor's top-five conference performers and times can be found on page two.

Bears sitting on provisional marks

Jim Autenreith (pole vault), Ferenc Bekesi (mile), Lanie Millar (800 meters) and both the men's and women's 4x400 relay teams have all reached provisional qualifying standards this season. Bekesi's time of 4:02.95 in the mile, set at the Tyson Invitational, leads the Big 12 Conference in that event, as does Millar's mark of 2:08.28 in the 800, also set at the Tyson Invitational. Autenreith enters the indoor championship meet having cleared the fourth best height in the conference to date (17-6 1/2). Meanwhile the men's 4x400 relay team, consisting of Zsolt Szeglet, Michael Smith, Joel Martin and Darold Williamson posted a provisional qualifying time of 3:08.27 at the Tyson Invitational and the women's 4x400 team of Jasmine Esiere, Chava Demart, Tiffany Wise and Barbara Petrahn matched the men's effort at the Tyson invitational also reaching provisional standards with a time of 3:38.96.

Roessler sets school record

Senior thrower Rachal Roessler shattered Baylor's indoor weight throw record at the LSU Purple Tiger Invitational on Jan. 26, throwing for a distance of 59-9 1/2. Roessler eclipsed the previous record (51-1 9 3/4) by nearly a foot, a mark she set last season at the Big 12 Championships in Lincoln, Neb.

Hart begins 39th season at the helm

Clyde Hart begins his 39th season as the head coach of Baylor's track and field program this season. In his tenure at BU, Hart has firmly established the Bear program as one of the best in the nation. Hart has coached athletes to 23 national championships (11 individual/12 relay) and 429 All-American awards (143 individual/286 relay). Named the men's assistant coach for Team USA at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Hart has coached athletes to ten world record performances. In 1996, he was named the Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee. That year he coached Michael Johnson to gold medals in the 200 meters and the 400 meters at the Games of the 26th Olympiad in Atlanta, Ga. Hart was also named the NCAA Indoor Coach of the Year in 1996 after garnering such honors in 1989. A four-time Southwest Conference Indoor Coach of the Year, Hart has established Baylor as "Quarter Mile University," after producing 14 4x400 relay national champions and four 400 meter national champions.