Track & Field Treks to Oregon for NCAA Championships

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
EUGENE, Ore. - While the men missed out on a couple spots, the Baylor women's track and field team is taking arguably its strongest contingent to the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2009, when the women matched their best-ever finish.
            Qualifying the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and individuals in six other events, the women moved from 32^ndto 15^th in the latest USTFCCCA rankings going into the NCAA Championships that begin Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
            "I think that was one of the biggest jumps anybody made in the polls," Baylor coach Todd Harbour said. "They took out all the ones that didn't make it to nationals, so that bumped us up pretty good. But, we've got another shot at being top-10. That would be a great year for the ladies after a ninth-place finish indoors."
            In 2009, a team led by Tiffany Townsend tied for 10^th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with 21 points, the second-most ever by Baylor in the outdoor meet. This year's team placed ninth at the NCAA Indoor Championships with 24 points, including 10 apiece by national champions Ackera Nugent in the 60-meter hurdles and Aaliyah Miller in the 800.
            "I feel like individually, we're very solid," said Miller, one of the favorites again after capturing the indoor title with a school- and meet-record time of 2:00.69. "Nobody expected what we did at indoors. And I feel like once one of us competes well, it's like a chain effect to everybody. When Tuesdi (Tidwell) pops it off and Ackera runs and Alex (Madlock) is jumping, I have a good, positive atmosphere. I feel like we're all connected."
            With national leader Nastassja Campbell from Arkansas not making it through the NCAA West meet, only five qualifiers have gone higher than Tidwell (14-5 ½) in the pole vault. Coming back from a COVID pause, Tidwell was perfect at the regional meet and was one of just three vaulters who cleared the bar at 14-0.
            Madlock was one of the biggest surprises at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, making it out in the long jump (20 feet, 11 ¾ inches) and triple jump (44-2 ¾) with season-best marks.
            "To see her come on in the long jump like that, you just kind of had a feeling that the triple jump was going to be even better the next day," Harbour said. "The triple jump is such a technical event, so much more than the long jump, and she got some little things worked out. I think she's going to pop a big one up there."
            Nugent also qualified in two events, advancing to the semifinals in both the 100-meter hurdles (12.76) and 100 meters (11.15). She won the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships with an U20 world-record time of 7.92 seconds.
            "I hadn't run a 100 in two years, literally, and my personal best at that time was 11.4," Nugent said. "The first time I started the 100, I went 11.3, and then BOOM, a week break and I'm back at 11.0. I don't even train for this, so I was like, 'What if I actually trained for it?'''
            While Harbour said nothing Miller has done this year has been a surprise, she has to approach the outdoor meet like winning the indoor title was "yesterday."
            "I think she's still hungry," Harbour said of Miller, who ran an outdoor-best time of 2:00.87 at the Michael Johnson Invitational. "As an athlete, you've always got to put that big one behind you. . . . She's worked her tail off this spring and she's ready to go. It will be a little different for her, because she won't be quite such an underdog or somebody they're not looking at. But, that doesn't really matter. She's as hungry as anybody in the field."
            Baylor won't be among the favorites in either the 4x100 or 4x400 relay, but the 4x4 group of Miller and freshmen Arria Minor, Kavia Francis and Mariah Ayers expects to make the finals after a runner-up finish at the Big 12 meet.
            While the women won't begin until Thursday, the men will take center stage on Wednesday with freshman Kamden Jackson running in the 100-meter semifinals at 8:16 p.m. CDT, followed by Howard Fields III in the 400 at 8:30 and the 4x400 relay at 10:18.
            The 4x100 relay will kick things off at 5:32 p.m. Thursday on a busy day for the Baylor women.
            With the U.S. Olympic Trials beginning in nine days at Hayward Field, Miller said the NCAA meet will "be a very good test to see how fast the track is and be back in that environment."
            "I feel like it's going to be a good baseline just to see how the Trials are going to be," Miller said. "I haven't been to an Olympic Trials meet, so I know that's going to obviously be a very different atmosphere, but it's going to have that same drive, that same excitement and atmosphere up there."

EUGENE, Ore. – Baylor track & field is set to conclude its season on the biggest stage at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships Wednesday through Saturday at the newly renovated Hayward Field.

"It's a very talented, young group," head coach Todd Harbour said. "They're battle-tested right now. Some of them last year didn't get to compete, but it's a great group. I think they're ready to go, and we should see some great things."

The men's team will take the stage first as Kamden Jackson (100 meters), Howard Fields III (400 meters) and the 4x400-meter relay lead things off Wednesday night with track semifinals. Those who qualify for finals will advance to compete again on Friday night for national championships.

"Those guys have had a great season, and they're all just great young people," Harbour said. "More than just talented athletes, they're really, really good people. So, just excited for the future of the program as to where it's going to be at in the next couple of years."

The women's team, ranked 15^th in the nation heading into the meet, will begin on Thursday. The 4x100-meter relay, Ackera Nugent (100-meter hurdles and 100 meters), Aaliyah Miller (800 meters) and the 4x400-meter relay will have semifinals on the track, while Tuesdi Tidwell (pole vault) and Alex Madlock (long jump) compete in finals. Track finals, along with Madlock competing in the triple jump, will finish things up on Saturday.

"The ladies are primed," Harbour said. "We've got a very good national team, and I just hope we can move up and represent not only Baylor but the Big 12 very well at the NCAA meet."

The championships will be televised live on ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN3, and live results can be found at https://dt8v5llb2dwhs.cloudfront.net/Outdoor/2021/index.htm.

For continued updates on the Baylor track & field team, follow the team's social media accounts all season long: @BaylorTrack.

2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Wednesday, June 9 (Men)
8:16 p.m. CT: 100 meters (semifinal) – Kamden Jackson
8:30 p.m. CT: 400 meters (semifinal) – Howard Fields III
10:18 p.m. CT: 4x400-meter relay (semifinal)

Thursday, June 10 (Women)
5:32 pm. CT: 4x100-meter relay (semifinal)
6:00 p.m. CT: Pole Vault (FINAL) – Tuesdi Tidwell
6:32 p.m. CT: 100-meter hurdles (semifinal) – Ackera Nugent
6:46 p.m. CT: 100 meters (semifinal) – Ackera Nugent
7:00 p.m. CT: Long Jump (FINAL) – Alex Madlock
7:14 p.m. CT: 800 meters (semifinal) – Aaliyah Miller
8:48 p.m. CT: 4x400-meter relay (semifinal)

Friday, June 11 (Men)
7:52 p.m. CT: 100 meters (FINAL) – Kamden Jackson
8:02 p.m. CT: 400 meters (FINAL) – Howard Fields III
9:21 p.m. CT: 4x400-meter relay (FINAL)

Saturday, June 12 (Women)
5:02 pm. CT: 4x100-meter relay (FINAL)
5:20 p.m. CT: Triple Jump (FINAL) – Alex Madlock
5:42 p.m. CT: 100-meter hurdles (FINAL) – Ackera Nugent
5:52 p.m. CT: 100 meters (FINAL) – Ackera Nugent
6:14 p.m. CT: 800 meters (FINAL) – Aaliyah Miller
7:21 p.m. CT: 4x400-meter relay (FINAL)

Track & Field Treks to Oregon for NCAA Championships

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Players Mentioned

Mariah Ayers

Howard Fields III

Kavia Francis

Kamden Jackson

Alex Madlock

Aaliyah Miller

Arria Minor

Ackera Nugent

Tuesdi Tidwell

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