June 20, 2007

WACO, Texas - Baylor freshmen Nichole Jones and Danielle Bradley are set to compete in the 2007 Finish Line USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Indianapolis, Ind.

Jones (Spring, Texas), an All-American in the outdoor 800 meters at the NCAA Championships, will compete in the 1,500 meters. She currently holds the second-fastest time in the field at 4:20.94, just a second off the field leader, Jessica Pixler of Seattle Pacific (4:19.81). Jones, the reigning Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Freshman of the Year, also qualified for the 800 meters at the meet with the second-fastest time in the field, but choose to scratch from that event to focus on the 1,500 meters. She finished ninth at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to earn All-America honors, the first female half-miler to accomplish the feat outdoors, and set a new school record by a full second at 2:04.69.

Bradley (West Palm Beach, Fla.) earned All-Region and All-Conference honors in the 800 meters, finishing third at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and eighth at the NCAA Midwest Regional. She currently ranks fourth in the field with a personal best of 2:06.51.

Six former Baylor athletes will participate in the AT&T USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Reggie Witherspoon (Marietta, Ga.) will compete in the men's 400 meters. Witherspoon, the 2007 Big 12 Indoor Athlete of the Year and three-time Big 12 High Point Performer, ranks 17th in the field with a season-best time of 45.56 from the preliminary rounds of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Witherspoon, a two-time national champion in the 4x400-meter relay and school record holder in the outdoor relay, ran just two open 400 meter races during the outdoor season.

Joining Witherspoon in the open 400 meters is Olympic gold medalist Darold Williamson. The former NCAA National Champion in the 400 meters and the 4x400-meter relay ranks third in the field with a season-best time of 44.68.

Jeremy Wariner, the world's top-ranked runner in the open 400 meters, will run in the 200 meters at the USA Championships. The two-time Olympic gold medalist ranks eighth in the field with a time of 20.24.

Chris Gillis will compete in the men's long jump. The former All-American ranks ninth in the competition with a leap of 8.01 meters (26-03.25). Angel Perkins ranks 16th in the women's 400 meters with a time of 52.24, and Kandace Tucker will compete in the 200 meters; her top time of 23.32 ranks 33rd in the field.

Both meets will take place June 20-24 at the Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium on the campus of IUPUI.