March 20, 2009
WACO, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
BAYLOR TRACK HOSTS DR PEPPER INVITE
The Baylor men's and women's track and field teams open the outdoor track season by hosting the Dr Pepper Invitational on Saturday, March 21, at the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex. The Bears are coming off the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships held last weekend at College Station, Texas. The men finished tied for fifth overall with 25 team points. The point total ties for the highest points in Baylor history, while the fifth-place finish is third-best in Baylor history. The women scored three points to tie for 51st overall. Live results for the Live results, as well as a complete meet recap, can be found at the conclusion of the meet at www.BaylorBears.com.
LAST TIME AT THE DR PEPPER INVITATIONAL
The Baylor men's and women's track and field teams started the outdoor season in style, recording 14 NCAA Regional qualifying marks on Saturday at the Dr Pepper Invitational. In addition, the Bears won 21 events and set two new school records. Brittany Devereaux broke her own school record in the women's hammer throw with a toss of 49.58m (162-08) to finish second overall. Devereaux topped her old school mark by nearly 11 feet, and now holds four of the top 10 marks all-time at Baylor. Kaleigh Teel also set a new school mark, clearing a regional qualifying height of 3.85m (12-07 ½) on her first attempt. Teel, who previously shared the school record at 12-01 ½ with Kendra Phelps, qualified for the region meet for the first time in her career. Courtney Thomas won both the 100 and 200 meters with regional qualifying times. He opened with a 10.46 in the 100 meters, and blazed the field in the 200 meters with a time of 20.82. Justin Boyd, the third leg on Baylor's NCAA champion 4x400-meter relay, clocked a regional time of 51.09 in the 400-meter hurdles. The Lady Bears swept the top three spots in the women's 100 meters with three regional qualifying times. Brittany Carr won the event in 11.67, with Tiffany Townsend coming in second in 11.70 and Jessica Gregory in third at 11.71. Carla Grace clocked 23.66 in the 200 meters for a regional mark, while Carr tallied her second NCAA Regional mark of the day, with a time of 23.96 in the 200 meters. Lauren Hagans and Nichole Jones finished one-two in the women's 1,500 meters, with Hagans clocking 4:17.55 and Jones finishing in 4:18.50, both regional qualifying times. The times are the second- and third-best in Baylor history, trailing only Sandy Forsythe's 4:16.82 during the 1986 season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Baylor men's 4x400-meter relay continued its dominance in the 4x400-meter relay, winning its fifth-straight NCAA title on Saturday night to conclude the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Baylor clocked a season-best time of 3:05.81, edging out Florida State who finished second with a time of 3:05.91. The Bears dropped their world-leading time by nearly a full second, and now own three of the four fastest times in the world this year. Baylor tied for fifth in the overall team standings with 25 points, its third-highest finish in school history. The 1985 squad finished in third place, while the 1989 team finished in a tie for fourth overall. The 25 team points ties for the highest point total in Baylor history with the 1985 and 2006 squads. The women's team finished in a tie for 51st place with three team points. Baylor finished the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships with two NCAA titles, marking the first time since 2004 that the Bears won multiple national crowns. During the 2004 season, Baylor won the 4x400-meter relay and Jeremy Wariner claimed the open 400 meter title. The Bears also won multiple NCAA titles in 1992 (Deon Minor - 400m; 4x400-meter relay) and 1990 (Michael Johnson - 200m; 4x400-meter relay). Baylor wins its ninth indoor 4x400-meter relay title in school history. Including its 10 outdoor 4x400-meter relay titles, Baylor now owns 19 NCAA titles in the event. Baylor has now won five straight 4x400-meter relay titles, claiming both the indoor and outdoor championships in 2007 and 2008 and now adding the 2009 indoor title. The streak ties the NCAA record for consecutive national titles in the event. Baylor also holds the other five-title streak, winning five straight championships from the 1990 indoor championships through the 1992 indoor title. Trey Harts clocked a personal-best time of 20.63 to win the 200 meters, recording the second-fastest time in Baylor history behind Michael Johnson's 20.59 set at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis in 1989. He becomes the ninth Baylor athlete to win an individual national title, and the first since Jacob Norman claimed the 60 meters championship in 2006. The 200 meter title is the third in Baylor history with Johnson winning titles in 1989 and 1990.
