T&F: 4x4s Highlight Final Big 12 Tune-Up

Friday, February 8

Fayetteville, Ark.

All Day

Baylor

Tyson Invitational

T&F: 4x4s Highlight Final Big 12 Tune-Up

2/9/2019 6:37:00 PM | Track & Field

Tyson Invitational Final Results Iowa State Classic Final Results Day One Recap

Alex Madlock and Jalen Seals had breakout performances in the triple jump.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Wil London and Kiana Horton had strong finishes as the 4x400-meter anchor legs, while Alex Madlock and Jalen Seals had breakout performances in the triple jump to lead Baylor track & field on the final day of the Tyson Invitational.

London, one of the top-3 runners in the country in the 400, ran a 44.71 anchor leg to lead the Bears' 4x400-meter relay to a runner-up finish at 3:04.49.

"The guys ran well," associate men's head coach Michael Ford said. "Our next big challenge will be going to conference in the 4x4, but I thought the guys competed really well. When Wil London runs 44.7 on an anchor leg and can't make up a lot of ground… I think Florida put a really good relay out there. I was really happy with the guys. Going to conference and into nationals, they're in a good spot right now."

In one of the stronger performances of the afternoon, Horton nearly ran down the top spot in the Bears' 4x400-meter relay heat with an anchor leg of 51.81, 1.52 seconds better than LSU but .04 seconds short of the victory. Baylor finished sixth overall in the 4x4 with a time of 3:35.54.

"The women's 4x4 ran really well today," associate women's head coach Stacey Smith said. "I think all of the ladies stepped up. We have a little work we need to do, but I think those ladies will fix that and will get back on in a couple weeks."

It was a big day for Baylor in the triple jump, as Alex Madlock took home the victory in the women's competition and Jalen Seals finished as runner-up on the men's side.

With a personal-best triple jump of 42-11 (13.08m), Madlock improved upon her mark as the No. 4 indoor performer in school history and moved into the top-16 in the NCAA en route to the win.

"Alex had a big jump, a big PR," Smith said. "That was her best jump ever. She was excited to go over 13 meters today. Hopefully she'll go forward with that and keep moving. We're definitely looking forward to the next couple weeks with her."

Seals made his season debut in the triple jump, and made the most of it with a mark of 50-10.25 (15.50m) to take second place.

"Jalen did well, his first time triple jumping this year," Ford said. "I was very pleased with that. To get second in the college division, he did well. Coach (Stacey) Smith is happy with his performance. Now we just have to get ready for Big 12s."

At the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, freshman Kayla Windemuller stood out in the mile with a personal-best time of 4:50.48 and a 15^th-place finish.

"We had some tough races on the 800 side," head coach Todd Harbour said of the Bears' performance in Ames. "Kayla had a very nice race in the mile, getting a PB."

With the final tune-ups before the conference meet in the books, the Bears have two weeks to get ready for the big stage.

"One thing I was very pleased with is we got everybody through healthy," Ford said. "Everybody is mentally prepared to get ready for conference, and we'll go from there. We have about two weeks to get ready for it."

"I thought the ladies competed well today," Smith added. "We had a lot of them step up, and a lot of them moved up nationally. I think that helped us out a little bit going into conference and getting ready for the national meet. I think everybody today maintained. We're all healthy going into the next couple weeks, so that's always a blessing."

The 2019 Big 12 Indoor Championships will take place February 22-23 in Lubbock, Texas, hosted by Texas Tech. For continued updates on the Baylor Track & Field team, follow the team's social media accounts all season long: @BaylorTrack.