April 24, 2010

Quotes | Men's Results | Women's Results

DES MOINES, Iowa - Baylor's men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams dodged the rain to cap off a spectacular Drake Relays with victories to give the Bears five titles on the weekend at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The five titles give Baylor 21 at Drake over the last four seasons.

"This was just a great overall meet for us," head coach Todd Harbour said. "One of the most outstanding things is that we entered 10 relays and finished third or higher in all of them. We just ran consistently in every relay, and put ourselves in position in every race."

With just two races remaining, the men's and women's 4x400-meter relays, a lightning storm that brought a flood of rain, caused a one-hour, 10-minute rain delay after a relatively calm day. But, the delay didn't stop the Baylor men and women.

"It was a special ending, probably the most special ending we have ever had here, and we have won a lot of 4x4 races," Harbour said. "For these athletes to overcome the rain delay and remain focused after sitting under the stadium for 45 minutes is amazing."

First, the women came out blazing, getting a 54.9 carry from Tiana Hood, then a 53.0 leg from Brittany Bruce to stay within striking distance. Tiffany Townsend, running in her first 4x400 of the outdoor season, turned in a 52.8 split to put the Lady Bears in second for anchor leg Diamond Richardson. Richardson, who ran a personal best last week, flew around leader Illinois with a split of 52.1 for the win. The crew ran a time of 3:33.32, seven seconds better than their previous season best, ran during the prelims on Friday.

"It's always nice to run your season best, but to drop seven seconds in one day, from prelims to finals, is really unbelievable," Harbour said. "The women looked great. It was great to see Tiffany back and running the way she is capable."

Entering as the five-time defending champions in the event, Baylor's men took it upon themselves to complete the event sweep. Michael Liggins got out of the blocks with a 46.2 split to put the Bears in front. Trey Harts and Zwede Hewitt then widened the gap with legs of 45.5 and 45.7. Anchor leg Marcus Boyd left no doubt for the Bears' victory with a 45.5 finish for a time of 3:03.29. The Bears have now won 20 of the last 26 Drake Relays titles in the event.

"I think the women winning got the guys fired up a little bit," Harbour said. "It was great for those guys to get a win and run a really good time."

In the men's 4x100-meter relay, Baylor got back to its winning ways after entering last season as the two-time defending champs and coming up empty. The quartet of Boyd, Whitney Prevost, Courtney Thomas and Harts, who also won the 4x200-meter relay on Friday, made the most of their opportunity in the 4x100 on Saturday. Boyd, Prevost, and Thomas got the baton to Harts in position, and the senior anchor took care of the rest. Harts cruised past anchor legs from UTEP and Alabama for the victory in a time of 39.58. The win was the ninth all-time for BU at Drake and the third in the last four seasons.

Junior 10-time All-American Townsend took another big stride on her way back from injury, claiming the women's 100-meter dash title. Townsend and Ole Miss' LaJada Baldwin pulled away from the field, with Townsend edging Baldwin at the tape by .02 seconds for the win with a time of 11.60. Townsend is the fourth Baylor woman to win the event at Drake, and the first since 2005.

Townsend also helped the women's 4x100-meter relay to a near-victory and second-place finish. She teamed with DeAna Carson, Tiana Hood, and Brittany Carr for a season-best time of 44.78, shaving .20 seconds off of their preliminary time on Friday.

Also for the men in the relays, the Baylor distance medley relay team of Gavyn Nero, J.T. Scheuerman, James Gilreath, and Chris Gowell raced to a third-place finish against a tough field. The Bears stayed in the top three the whole race, falling just short of victory with a time of 9:40.39, the fifth best time in Baylor history.

Individually, Carson had the top finish on the day, recording a season-best in the long jump on her way to a third-place finish. The senior finished just nine inches short of her career best with a leap of 20-07. Fellow jumper Jessica Ubanyionwu also set a season-best with a leap of 41-3.25 to place eighth overall. Freshman Christina Holland was 18th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.94.

"It was good to see DeAna getting back to where she wants to be," Harbour said. "She is starting to compete back at a high level."

For the men, freshman Chance Casey, who also doubles on the Baylor football team, and Thaddeus Gordon, each competed in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Casey turned in the top time of the season for Baylor, placing 10th at 51.76, while Gordon crossed in 17th overall at 53.13.

Former Baylor All-American Lauren Hagans, competing for ASICS, won the women's special invitational 1,500 meters for the second year in a row. Hagans led the first two laps, then dropped back in the pack, before racing around the field on the backstretch on her way to a 1.3-second win in a time of 4:14.28.

Baylor will be back in action next Saturday, May 1, at the Texas Invitational in Austin, Texas. Field events are set to begin at 11:30 a.m., while events on the track will kick off at 4 p.m.