March 4, 2010
WACO, Texas - Baylor's track and field team will travel members to both Arkansas and Notre Dame for one last chance to improve their standing on NCAA qualifying lists on Friday and Saturday.
The University of Arkansas will host the Arkansas Final Qualifier in the Randal Tyson Track Center, while Notre Dame will host the Alex Wilson Invitational in the Loftus Sports Center.
Three men's sprinters make up the small contingent headed to Arkansas. Defending 200-meter national champion Trey Harts and current automatic qualifier Whitney Prevost will each run the 200, while provisionally qualified Marcus Boyd will run the 400 meters. Harts is currently ranked 19th in the event with a time of 21.00, while Prevost is eighth at 20.81. Boyd is ranked 19th in the 400 meters with a time of 46.80.
Head coach Todd Harbour will take a slightly larger crew, including both men's and women's distance medley relay squads, to the oversized track at Notre Dame. Baylor's men's DMR includes Gavyn Nero, Michael Liggins, James Gilreath and Chris Gowell, while the women's team consists of Kathryn Benvegnu, Diamond Richardson, Stephanie Morgan, and Erin Bedell.
Gowell and Gilreath, ranked eighth and 19th in the 800 meters, will be in that field as well. Also for the men, Ben Haby (mile) and Robbie Knorr (3,000) will each look to qualify in their respective events, while Liggins will try to improve on his 26th-place ranking in the men's 400 meters.
For the women, Morgan, ranking 37th in the 800, and Richardson, ranked 45th in the 400, will each have a shot at improving their current rankings. Sophomore Cate Westenhover is scheduled to run the mile as well.
Currently, the Bears have automatic qualifiers in two events, Prevost's 200 and the men's 4x400-meter relay. Baylor's 4x400-meter relay, which stands as the defending indoor national champions, is ranked second in the nation behind Big 12 rival Texas A&M with a time of 3:05.37.
At Arkansas' one-day meet, throwing events will start at noon with the men's high jump, while running events will kick off at 6 p.m. with the men's 60-meter hurdles.
At Notre Dame's two-day meet, events get underway Friday at 5:00 p.m. with the women's weight throw. The evening's two running events, the men's and women's 5,000 meters and distance medley relays, begin at 7:00 p.m. Saturday's events kick off at 11:00 a.m. with the men's triple jump and women's shot put and women's 60-meter hurdles.
