June 8, 2009
WACO, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
BAYLOR TRACK SET FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Baylor men's and women's track and field teams hit the road this weekend as the Bears travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for the 2009 NCAA NCAA Championships at John McDonnell Field. Baylor is coming off a solid performance two weeks ago at the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional in Norman, Okla. The Bears won one regional title and qualified nine individuals and three relays to the NCAA Championships. Live results for the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships can be found online at www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Complete meet recaps can be found at the conclusion of each day of competition at www.BaylorBears.com.
LAST TIME AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Baylor men's 4x400-meter relay won its fourth straight national title and the Bears added four individual and one relay All-America performance on the final day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium. Baylor clocked a season-best time of 3:00.22 dropping more than two seconds off its previous season best of 3:02.38 at the Texas Relays. The time ranks as the second-fastest in Baylor history and the fifth-fastest in NCAA history. The Baylor men scored 27 points to tie for seventh overall in the team competition. The Bears earn their highest finish since 2004 when the Bears placed seventh with 27 team points. The Lady Bears finished in a tie for 15th overall with 14 team points. The women's team ties its second-highest finish in school history as the Lady Bears took 15th with 14 points in 2000. LeJerald Betters finished third in the men's 400 meters with a personal-best time of 44.83, edging Jordan Boase of Washington by three one-thousandths of a second. Betters becomes the 10th Baylor runner in school history to break 45 seconds in the 400 meters. He is the first Baylor quartermiler to run a 44-second 400 meters since Darold Williamson clocked 44.27 at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships. His time ranks 10th on the Baylor all-time list and is the sixth-fastest time in the United States this year. The women's 4x400-meter relay clocked 3:32.67 to finish fourth overall in the event finals. The fourth-place finish is the highest for Baylor since 1998 when the Lady Bears finished second overall. Fourth place is the second-highest finish ever for Baylor at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Lauren Hagans bettered her school record in the 1,500 meters, clocking 4:15.43 to finish seventh overall. Trey Harts finished seventh in the men's 200 meters to earn his second All-America honor in the event this year. Tiffany Townsend placed eighth in the women's 200 meters to earn her second 200 meter All-America honor of the year.
LAST TIME OUT
Quentin Iglehart-Summers spit 44.5 seconds on the anchor leg as the Baylor men's 4x400-meter relay team came from behind to win its 42nd-straight race against collegiate competition on the final day of competition at the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional meet at John Jacob Field. Baylor, who has not lost to an NCAA team since the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships, won its seventh-straight Midwest Region title, claiming first place in every year of the regional system's existence. Baylor clocked a time of 3:02.72, its second-fastest time of the season, to finish just ahead of Texas Tech at 3:02.75 and Texas A&M at 3:02.87. The women's 4x400-meter relay finished second overall with a season-best time of 3:32.78 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Trey Harts was the first to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish in the men's 100 meters with a time of 10.34. Harts came back to finish second in the 200 meters in 20.53, getting edged at the line by Texas A&M's Gerald Phiri by six-hundredths of a second. Tiffany Townsend took third in the women's 200 meters in 23.26 to earn the automatic spot at the NCAA Championships. Townsend finished sixth in the women's 100 meters with a time of 11.37, just missing the automatic spot by five-hundredths of a second. Chris Gowell finished fourth in the men's 800 meters, clocking a time of 1:48.78. Gowell was sitting in sixth place entering the final straightaway, but made a strong kick at the end to outlean a pair of runners at the finish to secure the automatic qualifying spot. Erin Bedell took third in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:01.71, earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. Danielle Bradley finished eighth overall and will look to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA Championships.
