April 3, 2002
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Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
Mike A. Myers Stadium - Austin, Texas
Schedule*
Wednesday: noon (Heptathlon/Decathlon only)
Thursday: 11 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
* A complete meet schedule can be found on the University of Texas Athletics website at www.TexasSports.com.
Ranked Teams Participating:
Men: (2) LSU, (3) SMU, (4) Arkansas, (5) Mississippi State, (t6) Oregon, (8) UTEP, (t11) Baylor, (t14) TCU, (t14) Auburn, (t19) Kansas, (t19) Idaho, (22) BYU and (24) Nebraska.
Women: (2) LSU, (5) Rice, (6) Kansas State, (7) Nebraska, (8) Washington State, (t9) Indiana, (t9) BYU, (t14th) Texas, (16) Illinois and (19) Arkansas.
Bears travel to Austin for Texas Relays
The Baylor track and field team returns to action this week at the 75th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas-hosted event will begin Wednesday with first-day action of the women's heptathlon and the men's decathlon. Competition will continue Thursday through Saturday evening. A complete schedule of events and times can be found at www.TexasSports.com.
Baylor to face the nation's best
Considered one of the premier track meets in the nation, the Texas Relays will again play host to many of the nation's elite collegiate teams. 13 men's teams and 10 women's teams listed among the April 2 Trackwire Top 25 will be in attendance this weekend. Top-ten teams on the men's side include (2) LSU, (3) SMU, (4) Arkansas, (5) Mississippi State, (t6) Oregon and (8) UTEP, while the women will boost seven of the nation's top-ten in (2) LSU, (5) Rice, (6) Kansas State, (7) Nebraska, (8) Washington State, (t9) Indiana and (t9) BYU.
Hart begins 39th season at the helm
Clyde Hart is in his 39th season as the head coach of Baylor's track and field program. 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 24 national championships (11 individual/13 relay) and 431 All-American awards (144 individual/287 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 13 4x400 relay national champions and four 400 meter national champions.
Last Year at the Texas Relays
All-American Brandon Couts held off LSU anchor Alleyne Francique to give Baylor first place in the men's 4x400-meter relay at the 74th annual Texas Relays. However, despite also winning the men's 4x800-meter relay, finishing third in the men's sprint medley relay, and taking first and second in the men's 400-meter hurdles, the then eighth-ranked Baylor men did not pick up the meet's most outstanding team award. Instead, the hardwood went to the Texas Christian men's team, which took first in the 4x100, sprint medley relay and the open 100. The men's 4x400 team of Zsolt Szeglet, Bayano Kamani, Floyd Thompson and Couts turned in a time of 3:02.54 to claim its second-straight Texas Relays 4x400 title and its 16th all-time. On the women's side, Barbara Petrahn anchored the 4x400 relay team of Tiffany Wise, Chava Demart and Keisa Brown that ran to a second-place finish with a mark of 3:35.34. Demart later added a 1:00.53-time, seventh-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, while Smith placed sixth in the 110-meter hurdles with a mark of 14.06. In addition, Kamani and Smith finished first and second, respectively, in the 400-meter hurdles. Baylor also finished fourth in the men's 4x1500-meter relay. Ferenc Bekesi, Jon Capron, Matt Chance and Nick Devenport combined for a school-record time of 15:40.08, some nine seconds faster than the previous mark. The sprint medley team of Szeglet, Joel Martin, Thompson and Davis finished third with a time of 3:19.27. Meanwhile, Capron, Martin, Barrett Hall and Bekesi combined to clock a sixth-place time of 9:58.71 in the distance medley relay. On the field, Jim Autenreith tied for seventh in section A of the pole vault competition, clearing an NCAA provisional height of 17-4 ?. The Baylor women finished in the top-eight in several events, including a second-place finish by Kara Newton in the 5,000 meters (17:10.66). Ssereta Lafayette, Tamara Johnson, Wise and Lanie Millar teamed up for a 3:51.64 clocking in the sprint medley relay to place fourth, while Kerry O'Bric reached NCAA provisional qualifying standards in the invitational heptathlon, finishing sixth with 5,364 points, the third-best total in school history.
Athletes to compete at Texas Relays
Men: Jim Autenreith (pole vault), Ron Beauford (javelin), Ferenc Bekesi (relays), Jon Capron (relays), Matt Chance (relays), Chris Gillis (100HH/long jump), Sherman Harness (high jump), Kyle King (relays), Joel Martin (relays), Robert Quiroga (relays), Dwight Ruff (400IH/relay), Michael Smith (400IH/relays), Charles Sterling (relays), Darold Williamson (relays).
Women: Stephanie Bennett (steeplechase), Candice Carroll (100HH), Chava Demart (400IH/relays), Katherine Duncan (relays), Eboni Hammond (discus), April Holliness (long jump/triple jump/relays), Alisha Hooker (100HH), Lakadron Ivery (100/long jump/relays), Candice Kolb (5,000), Leah Marbach (steeplechase), Lanie Millar (relays), Danielle Myricks (400IH/relays), Kara Newton (5,000), Barbara Petrahn (relays), Debbie Thornhill (5,000), Rachel Tibbs (relays), Jessa Vacek (steeplechase), Jordan Willmann (heptathlon), Elizabeth Wilson (100/relays), Tiffany Wise (relays).
Bears post five provisional marks, four meet records at Tom Tellez Invitational
In all, Baylor athletes set five NCAA provisional marks and four meet records at the Tom Tellez Invitational last weekend. On the women's side seniors Barbara Petrahn and Chava Demart posted provisional marks in the 400 and the 400-meter hurdles, respectively. Petrahn's mark of 53.29 was an impressive showing in her first 400-meter race of the year and Demart's meet-record time of 58.82 in the 400-meter hurdles was nearly four seconds faster then her previous season-best mark in the event. Petrahn and Demart combined with sophomore Tiffany Wise and freshman Danielle Myricks to set another meet record while also provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 4x400-meter relay with a season-best 3:36.59 clocking. Freshman April Holliness had a fantastic weekend in the field events provisionally qualifying for the long jump with a distance of 20-5 and later setting a meet record and taking top honors in the triple jump with a PR mark of 41-11 1/4, just missing provisional standards by three-quarters of an inch. Junior Erin Dixon set a meet record of her own in the 5,000 meters with a season-best time of 17:57.56. The Bears' final provisional mark came on the men's side as freshman Darold Williamson recorded a PR time of 45.74 in the 400 meters.
Lady Bears watch school records fall
During the 2002 indoor season Baylor's women's team saw four of its school records fall by the wayside. Senior Rachal Roessler started off the year breaking her own school record mark in the weight throw recording a distance of 52-9 1/2 at the LSU Purple Tiger Invitational. Her distance was nearly a full foot better then the previous mark (51-9 3/4) she set at the 2001 Big 12 Championships. Sophomore Katherine Duncan then went on to set a school record in the 1,000 meters at this year's indoor conference meet. Duncan's time of 2:54.96 was over a second faster then the previous mark (2:55.99) set by Janet Dollins in 1992. In Ames, Iowa two more records fell as senior Lanie Millar shattered the indoor 800 meter record and freshman April Holliness topped the long jump mark. Millar's time of 2:06.34 in the 800 earned her an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships and broke the previous school record mark (2:07.42) held by Jill Chertudi since 1994. Holliness' jump of 20-6 3/4 bested the previous distance of 20-5 set by Yulanda Nelson in 1997.
Baylor men ranked 11th in Trackwire poll
Baylor's men's team is currently tied for 11th with South Carolina in the latest Trackwire Top 25 poll. The Bears' 11th-place ranking is its highest of the season as they snuck into the poll just prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships at the No. 25 spot. The Bears maintained the 25th-place ranking through conclusion of the indoor season.
Men's 4x400, Millar and Williamson included in "Dandy Dozen"
Baylor's men's 4x400 relay team as well as senior Lanie Millar and freshman Darold Williamson are listed among the nation's top-12 in their respective events according to the latest Trackwire "Dandy Dozen" rankings. The men's 4x400 relay team, consisting of Zsolt Szeglet, Michael Smith, Charles Sterling and Darold Williamson concluded the indoor season winning the national title with a season-best time of 3:05.54. Baylor's national championship in the 4x400 relay marked its fourth in the last five years as Baylor won the indoor title in 1998 and 2002 and the outdoor crown in 2000 and 2001. Anchor-leg Williamson is also ranked among the best in the nation in the open 400 meters. The freshman from San Antonio, Texas won the Big 12 Indoor Championship (47.01) in the event before placing 11th at the national championships with a time of 46.61. Senior Lanie Millar is the lone Lady Bear listed among the nation's elite, garnering honors in the 800 meters. Millar won the Big 12 indoor title with a meet record time of 2:07.83 and set a school record in the event, posting a time of 2:06.63 at the Last Chance Meet in Ames, Iowa.
Youth, who needs it? Baylor does!
Baylor has seen tremendous success from its freshman athletes during the 2001-02 season. Leading the way is quarter-miler Darold Williamson who has emerged as the Bears' top 400 runner finishing no lower then third in all but one 400 meter race (NCAA Indoor Championships) this season. He won the Big 12 title (47.01) in Lincoln, Neb. and followed that performance with a indoor season-best showing of 46.46 at the Last Chance Meet in Ames, Iowa. This past weekend Williamson recently set a PR, while also provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 400 with a time of 45.74 at the Tom Tellez Invitational. His time finished second only to defending national champion and current collegiate record holder Alleyne Francique (45.61) of LSU. In all, Williamson has already won four meets (Big 12 Indoor Championships, LSU Purple Tiger Invitational, Houston Invitational, Dr Pepper Invitational) and placed second in four additional races (Tyson Invitational, Last Chance Meet, Oklahoma All-Comers, Tom Tellez Invitational) in his short career at Baylor.
For the women, freshman April Holliness has been setting the standard. A Duncanville, Texas native, Holliness has already set a school record and earned All-American honors in the long jump in just her freshman campaign. Holliness' distance of 20-6 3/4 at the Last Chance Meet in Ames, Iowa eclipsed the school record mark by nearly two inches and marks her best effort of the season to date. Holliness went on to earn All-American status in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships finish eighth overall with a jump of 20-5. In addition, Holliness has garnered first-place accolades in both triple jump competitions she has entered during the outdoor season, taking first at the Dr Pepper Invitational (41-0 1/4) and the Tom Tellez Invitational with a PR distance of 41-11 1/4.
Bears capture fifth indoor 4x400-meter relay national title
Baylor's men's 4x400-meter relay team captured its fifth indoor national title March 9 at the 2002 NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. The gold-medal winning team comprised of seniors Zsolt Szeglet and Michael Smith along with junior Charles Sterling and freshman Darold Williamson combined for a season-best time of 3:05.54, a mark that ranks as the second-fastest indoor time in the nation this year. The Bears' win capped off a three-meet winning streak that included first-place finishes at the Big 12 Championships (3:08.15), the Last Chance Meet in Ames, Iowa (3:05.77) and the NCAA Indoor Championships (3:05.54).
Petrahn ties Baylor conference title record
Winning both the 200 meters and the 600 yards at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, senior Barbara Petrahn is now tied with three other Baylor athletes for the women's school record for most overall conference titles (5). Four of Petrahn's conference titles have come in individual events (200 meters - 2002, 400 meters - 2000, 2001, 600 yards - 200 meters), while the fifth came as a member of the 2000 4x400 meter relay team. Her four individual event conference titles tie her with two former BU athletes (current Baylor assistant coach Stacey Bowers and Lisa Stone) for second all-time on Baylor's individual event conference titles list.
Szeglet's career concludes at NCAA Indoor Championships
Running out of eligibility, senior Zsolt Szeglet concluded his phenomenal career at Baylor at the 2002 NCAA Indoor Championships. Szeglet went out in style running the lead-leg on the Bears' national championship 4x400 relay team. In all, Szeglet earned All-American honors four times, all of which were achieved as a part of Baylor's 4x400 relay teams. Szeglet was also a member of two Big 12 4x400 championship relay teams (2000 indoor and 2001 indoor) and was the 2001 Big 12 Conference champion in the 400 meters.
Bears finish tied for 25th in Trackwire poll
Baylor's men's team concluded the indoor season tied for 25th with five other teams (Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Notre Dame, SMU) in the Trackwire Top 25 poll. Despite the ranking the Bears finished tied for 15th at the indoor national championships, earning ten points for their first-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay.
