Wednesday, June 8
Eugene, Ore.
All Day
Baylor
vs
NCAA Outdoor Championships
No. 11/8 Baylor T&F Set for NCAA Championships in Eugene
6/7/2022 1:33:00 PM | Track & Field
Men’s semifinal rounds begin Wednesday evening
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
While Aaliyah Miller tries to wrap a bow around a career that includes eight Big 12 championships and the 2021 NCAA Indoor title in the 800, Baylor has a trio of freshmen that are legitimate threats to bring home gold medals when the NCAA Outdoor Championships begin Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
First-year head coach Michael Ford takes a balanced squad that includes five athletes in field events, four hurdlers, six other runners and the men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
"I think all of them have a realistic shot," said Ford, when asked to narrow down the list of national championship contenders.
"Especially with this group, everyone has a good shot to make it through to the finals if they run right. Sometimes, you say, you don't have to have the perfect race. They'll have to have the perfect race, the perfect jump or perfect throw to get on the podium."
With the men taking the stage first, Wednesday could be a huge day for an eighth-ranked Baylor team that has three freshmen ranked in the top two in their respective events – Johnny Brackins in the long jump (26-9 ¾), Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi ("Zaza") in the javelin (266-0 feet) and Nathaniel Ezekiel in the 400-meter hurdles (48.42).
Having already broken Nick Lyons' previous school record (257-2) multiple times, Zaza said two months ago that "the work is not done."
"I'm just getting started," said Nnamdi, who is ranked second nationally behind Virginia's Ethan Dabbs (272-0). "We'll see what I can do at the end of the season. Maybe if I believe, I'll win at nationals."
Making his second trip to an NCAA national meet, Brackins was seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March with a mark of 24 feet, 11 ¼ inches. North Carolina A&T's Brandon Hicklin, who was ninth indoors, is ranked No. 1 outdoors at 26-10, a quarter-inch farther than Brackins.
"I don't think anybody in the country can jump as well as he's jumping right now," Baylor assistant coach Stacey Smith said. "Johnny is just that far above everybody."
The Bears could rack up as many as 20 points in the two field events, with Nnamdi in the javelin at 7:45 p.m. and Brackins in the long jump at 8 p.m.
Ezekiel is also a big scoring threat, but will have to first get through Wednesday's semifinal at 8:30 p.m., with the top nine advancing to Friday's final. The Bears' only No. 1-ranked athlete, "Zeke" will face stiff competition from Oklahoma's Isaiah Levingston (48.82), Texas A&M's Moitalel MPoke (48.84) and defending national champion Sean Burrell from LSU.
"I just have to put in the work and hope for the best," said Ezekiel, who ran his school-record time of 48.42 in winning the Big 12 Championship title.
Baylor's 4x400 relay is also a podium threat, with Ezekiel joining some combination of Jayson Baldridge, Hasani Barr, Dillon Bedell and Trey Fields, who hasn't run on the relay since the Michael Johnson Invitational. The men's 4x400 relay semifinal at 9:48 p.m. CDT wraps up the first day of competition.
"Hopefully, we get Trey back, he's been looking better," Ford said. "We'll probably make that call five minutes before they have to go. Everybody else is back and healthy, so we're looking forward to watching them compete."
Although the 4x100 relay of Laurenz Colbert, Isaiah Cunningham, Kamden Jackson and De'montray Callis is more of a long shot, Cunningham says "all we really have to do is get the stick around." They broke the school record with a fifth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships (38.96) and then lowered it again at the NCAA West Preliminaries with a time of 38.87.
"I feel like we've got that connection going on," said Cunningham, who will also run in the 100-meter semifinals on Wednesday, "so we have really good chance of at least getting top three (in the heat) and getting into the finals."
Rounding out Baylor's first-day hopefuls are Elijah Morris and Brackins in the 110-meter hurdles at 7:32 p.m. and Cunningham in the 100 at 7:46.
"This is my first year making it to Eugene, so I'm inexperienced, but it's a blessing," said Cunningham, the Big 12 runner-up with a time of 9.97. "I'm going into this meet like I've been doing all year. Nothing's changed, I'm still in the 100, still running straight, everything's the same."
Ranked sixth nationally in the 800 with an adjusted time of 2:01.95 that she ran in elevation at the Big 12 meet in Lubbock, Miller is probably the best threat for the 11th-ranked Baylor women. Miller won the 2021 NCAA indoor title with a meet-record time of 2:00.69, but has yet to make it to the NCAA Outdoor finals in three previous tries.
"I think it's still big for her to do well and show that you won your indoor title, but can you win an outdoor title or be in the top three?" Ford said. "Last year, she just went out really slow. Normally, she's about 57, 58 (seconds on the first 400). I think she ran 60, 61. For her, she's more of a sprint-type 800-meter runner . . . so it's going to be hard for her to catch up at the end."
Baylor is one of just six schools sending all four relays, joined by Clemson, Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas and USC. Mariah Ayers, who's also ranked 10th in the 200 (22.55), will lead off for the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
"For the 4x4, my whole thing is to try to put them in a good position, make it easier for them," Ayers said. "I just found out I'm the first leg for the 4x1, so I don't know how to feel about that going into it. It's just really about getting out of the box hard and getting the stick to my teammates."
Ayers will be joined by Kavia Francis, Gontze Morake and Imaobong Uko in the 4x400 relay and Caira Pettway, Sydney Washington and either Francis or Bria Bullard in the 4x100. Francis and Uko are both in the 400-meter semifinals, while Morake is a medal threat in the 400 hurdles.
"That was one of our goals this season was to have (all the relays) go)," Ford said. "Last season, we had three out of the four. I always think it's very important to show the nation that we are good in the 4x100 and the 4x400, so if you come to Baylor, you can do both abnd make it to nationals."
The women also have Pettway in the 100 meters, Alex Madlock and Pettway in Thursday's long jump and Koi Johnson in Saturday's triple jump.
Ackera Nugent, the 2021 NCAA indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles, was a late scratch in both the 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay. She finished third in last year's 100-meter hurdles and also made the finals in the 100-meter dash and 4x100 relay.
"Definitely a big loss," Ford said. "I think we just look at it as the next woman steps up to fill that void. The other ladies know what they need to do to do well on the relay. That's probably the big thing, I hate that that happened at the wrong time. Injuries are definitely part of the sport, but for her not to be able to finish the season, that's big."
Former Heisman Trophy winner and Baylor track All-American Robert Griffin III will be part of ESPN's coverage this week. ESPNU will broadcast the men's and women's semifinals on Wednesday and Thursday, with ESPN2 covering the men's finals on Friday and ESPN handling the women's finals on Saturday.
Live results from the meet are available at NCAA Outdoor Championships.
EUGENE, Ore. – Baylor track and field is ready to open up the NCAA Championships from Hayward Field on Wednesday evening, beginning with the men's 4x100-meter relay at 6:32 p.m. CT.
"I think everyone has a good shot," said head coach Michael Ford, whose men's team is ranked 11th and the women eighth. "Especially with this group, [they] have a good shot to make it through to the final if they run right. Sometimes, I will say you won't have the perfect race, but they'll have to have the perfect race, perfect jump or perfect throw to get on the podium."
Wednesday features the national semifinal rounds for the Bears, with Isaiah Cunningham (100m), Elijah Morris (110mH), Johnny Brackins (110mH) and Nathaniel Ezekiel (400mH) competing individually, as well as both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. All races will advance the top-2 marks from each heat and the next three fastest times to the final round held on Friday.
Field events will crown national champions Wednesday for the men, with Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi competing in the javelin throw, followed by Brackins competing in the long jump.
Thursday begins competition for the women, with Caira Pettway (100m), Mariah Ayers (200m), Kavia Francis (400m), Imaobong Uko (400m), Aaliyah Miller (800m) and Gontse Morake (400mH) competing individually, joined again by both 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Like the men's races, top-2 from each heat and three next fastest will advance to the final rounds on Saturday evening.
Alex Madlock and Pettway will also compete in the long jump final Thursday night beginning at 9 p.m. CT, followed by Koi Johnson in the triple jump on Saturday night.
The Bears join Clemson, Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas and USC as the only six programs to qualify all four relays to the championships.
"I always think it's very important to show the nation that we are good in the 4x100 and the 4x400, so if you came to Baylor, you can do both and make it to nationals," said Ford.
Coverage of the NCAA Championships will be held across ESPN networks, with Wednesday's and Thursday's competition on ESPNU, Friday on ESPN2 and Saturday on ESPN. Former Baylor football and track standout Robert Griffin III will be joining Larra Overton, John Anderson, Dan O'Brien and Dwight Stones from the broadcast booth at Hayward Field. A schedule of broadcast information broken down by event can be found here.
Live results can be followed throughout the meet online, and tickets can be purchased either at the stadium or online.
For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
Baylor Bear Insider
While Aaliyah Miller tries to wrap a bow around a career that includes eight Big 12 championships and the 2021 NCAA Indoor title in the 800, Baylor has a trio of freshmen that are legitimate threats to bring home gold medals when the NCAA Outdoor Championships begin Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
First-year head coach Michael Ford takes a balanced squad that includes five athletes in field events, four hurdlers, six other runners and the men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
"I think all of them have a realistic shot," said Ford, when asked to narrow down the list of national championship contenders.
"Especially with this group, everyone has a good shot to make it through to the finals if they run right. Sometimes, you say, you don't have to have the perfect race. They'll have to have the perfect race, the perfect jump or perfect throw to get on the podium."
With the men taking the stage first, Wednesday could be a huge day for an eighth-ranked Baylor team that has three freshmen ranked in the top two in their respective events – Johnny Brackins in the long jump (26-9 ¾), Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi ("Zaza") in the javelin (266-0 feet) and Nathaniel Ezekiel in the 400-meter hurdles (48.42).
Having already broken Nick Lyons' previous school record (257-2) multiple times, Zaza said two months ago that "the work is not done."
"I'm just getting started," said Nnamdi, who is ranked second nationally behind Virginia's Ethan Dabbs (272-0). "We'll see what I can do at the end of the season. Maybe if I believe, I'll win at nationals."
Making his second trip to an NCAA national meet, Brackins was seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March with a mark of 24 feet, 11 ¼ inches. North Carolina A&T's Brandon Hicklin, who was ninth indoors, is ranked No. 1 outdoors at 26-10, a quarter-inch farther than Brackins.
"I don't think anybody in the country can jump as well as he's jumping right now," Baylor assistant coach Stacey Smith said. "Johnny is just that far above everybody."
The Bears could rack up as many as 20 points in the two field events, with Nnamdi in the javelin at 7:45 p.m. and Brackins in the long jump at 8 p.m.
Ezekiel is also a big scoring threat, but will have to first get through Wednesday's semifinal at 8:30 p.m., with the top nine advancing to Friday's final. The Bears' only No. 1-ranked athlete, "Zeke" will face stiff competition from Oklahoma's Isaiah Levingston (48.82), Texas A&M's Moitalel MPoke (48.84) and defending national champion Sean Burrell from LSU.
"I just have to put in the work and hope for the best," said Ezekiel, who ran his school-record time of 48.42 in winning the Big 12 Championship title.
Baylor's 4x400 relay is also a podium threat, with Ezekiel joining some combination of Jayson Baldridge, Hasani Barr, Dillon Bedell and Trey Fields, who hasn't run on the relay since the Michael Johnson Invitational. The men's 4x400 relay semifinal at 9:48 p.m. CDT wraps up the first day of competition.
"Hopefully, we get Trey back, he's been looking better," Ford said. "We'll probably make that call five minutes before they have to go. Everybody else is back and healthy, so we're looking forward to watching them compete."
Although the 4x100 relay of Laurenz Colbert, Isaiah Cunningham, Kamden Jackson and De'montray Callis is more of a long shot, Cunningham says "all we really have to do is get the stick around." They broke the school record with a fifth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships (38.96) and then lowered it again at the NCAA West Preliminaries with a time of 38.87.
"I feel like we've got that connection going on," said Cunningham, who will also run in the 100-meter semifinals on Wednesday, "so we have really good chance of at least getting top three (in the heat) and getting into the finals."
Rounding out Baylor's first-day hopefuls are Elijah Morris and Brackins in the 110-meter hurdles at 7:32 p.m. and Cunningham in the 100 at 7:46.
"This is my first year making it to Eugene, so I'm inexperienced, but it's a blessing," said Cunningham, the Big 12 runner-up with a time of 9.97. "I'm going into this meet like I've been doing all year. Nothing's changed, I'm still in the 100, still running straight, everything's the same."
Ranked sixth nationally in the 800 with an adjusted time of 2:01.95 that she ran in elevation at the Big 12 meet in Lubbock, Miller is probably the best threat for the 11th-ranked Baylor women. Miller won the 2021 NCAA indoor title with a meet-record time of 2:00.69, but has yet to make it to the NCAA Outdoor finals in three previous tries.
"I think it's still big for her to do well and show that you won your indoor title, but can you win an outdoor title or be in the top three?" Ford said. "Last year, she just went out really slow. Normally, she's about 57, 58 (seconds on the first 400). I think she ran 60, 61. For her, she's more of a sprint-type 800-meter runner . . . so it's going to be hard for her to catch up at the end."
Baylor is one of just six schools sending all four relays, joined by Clemson, Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas and USC. Mariah Ayers, who's also ranked 10th in the 200 (22.55), will lead off for the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
"For the 4x4, my whole thing is to try to put them in a good position, make it easier for them," Ayers said. "I just found out I'm the first leg for the 4x1, so I don't know how to feel about that going into it. It's just really about getting out of the box hard and getting the stick to my teammates."
Ayers will be joined by Kavia Francis, Gontze Morake and Imaobong Uko in the 4x400 relay and Caira Pettway, Sydney Washington and either Francis or Bria Bullard in the 4x100. Francis and Uko are both in the 400-meter semifinals, while Morake is a medal threat in the 400 hurdles.
"That was one of our goals this season was to have (all the relays) go)," Ford said. "Last season, we had three out of the four. I always think it's very important to show the nation that we are good in the 4x100 and the 4x400, so if you come to Baylor, you can do both abnd make it to nationals."
The women also have Pettway in the 100 meters, Alex Madlock and Pettway in Thursday's long jump and Koi Johnson in Saturday's triple jump.
Ackera Nugent, the 2021 NCAA indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles, was a late scratch in both the 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay. She finished third in last year's 100-meter hurdles and also made the finals in the 100-meter dash and 4x100 relay.
"Definitely a big loss," Ford said. "I think we just look at it as the next woman steps up to fill that void. The other ladies know what they need to do to do well on the relay. That's probably the big thing, I hate that that happened at the wrong time. Injuries are definitely part of the sport, but for her not to be able to finish the season, that's big."
Former Heisman Trophy winner and Baylor track All-American Robert Griffin III will be part of ESPN's coverage this week. ESPNU will broadcast the men's and women's semifinals on Wednesday and Thursday, with ESPN2 covering the men's finals on Friday and ESPN handling the women's finals on Saturday.
Live results from the meet are available at NCAA Outdoor Championships.
EUGENE, Ore. – Baylor track and field is ready to open up the NCAA Championships from Hayward Field on Wednesday evening, beginning with the men's 4x100-meter relay at 6:32 p.m. CT.
"I think everyone has a good shot," said head coach Michael Ford, whose men's team is ranked 11th and the women eighth. "Especially with this group, [they] have a good shot to make it through to the final if they run right. Sometimes, I will say you won't have the perfect race, but they'll have to have the perfect race, perfect jump or perfect throw to get on the podium."
Wednesday features the national semifinal rounds for the Bears, with Isaiah Cunningham (100m), Elijah Morris (110mH), Johnny Brackins (110mH) and Nathaniel Ezekiel (400mH) competing individually, as well as both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. All races will advance the top-2 marks from each heat and the next three fastest times to the final round held on Friday.
Field events will crown national champions Wednesday for the men, with Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi competing in the javelin throw, followed by Brackins competing in the long jump.
Thursday begins competition for the women, with Caira Pettway (100m), Mariah Ayers (200m), Kavia Francis (400m), Imaobong Uko (400m), Aaliyah Miller (800m) and Gontse Morake (400mH) competing individually, joined again by both 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Like the men's races, top-2 from each heat and three next fastest will advance to the final rounds on Saturday evening.
Alex Madlock and Pettway will also compete in the long jump final Thursday night beginning at 9 p.m. CT, followed by Koi Johnson in the triple jump on Saturday night.
The Bears join Clemson, Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas and USC as the only six programs to qualify all four relays to the championships.
"I always think it's very important to show the nation that we are good in the 4x100 and the 4x400, so if you came to Baylor, you can do both and make it to nationals," said Ford.
Coverage of the NCAA Championships will be held across ESPN networks, with Wednesday's and Thursday's competition on ESPNU, Friday on ESPN2 and Saturday on ESPN. Former Baylor football and track standout Robert Griffin III will be joining Larra Overton, John Anderson, Dan O'Brien and Dwight Stones from the broadcast booth at Hayward Field. A schedule of broadcast information broken down by event can be found here.
Live results can be followed throughout the meet online, and tickets can be purchased either at the stadium or online.
For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
www.BaylorBears.com
Baylor's NCAA Championship Schedule (times listed in CT)
Wednesday:
6:32 p.m.: 4x100 relay, 3rd heat, Lane 8
7:32 p.m.: 110 hurdles: Elijah Morris (1st heat, Lane 2), Johnny Brackins (1st heat, Lane 4)
7:45 p.m.: Javelin: Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi "Zaza" (2nd flight, No. 2)
7:46 p.m.: 100: Isaiah Cunningham (1st heat, Lane 2)
8:30 p.m.: 400 hurdles: Nathaniel Ezekiel (2nd heat, Lane 4)
8:00 p.m.: Long jump: Johnny Brackins (2nd flight, No. 4)
9:48 p.m.: 4x400 relay, 3rd heat, Lane 8
Thursday
7:32 p.m.: 4x100 relay, 2nd heat, Lane 8
8:46 p.m.: 100: Caira Pettway (2nd heat, Lane 2)
9:00 p.m.: Long jump: Alex Madlock (1st flight, No. 6), Caira Pettway (flight 2, No. 8)
9:00 p.m.: 400: Kavia Francis (1st heat, Lane 9), Imaobong Uko (3rd heat, Lane 2)
9:14 p.m.: 800: Aaliyah Miller (2nd heat, Lane 7)
9:30 p.m.: 400 hurdles: Gontse Morake (2nd heat, Lane 9)
9:44 p.m.: 200: Mariah Ayers (3rd heat, Lane 5)
10:48 p.m.: 4x400 relay, 3rd heat, Lane 8
Friday
8:02 p.m.: 4x100 relay final
8:42 p.m.: 110 hurdles final
8:52 p.m.: 100 final
9:27 p.m.: 400 hurdles final
10:21 p.m.: 4x400 relay final
Saturday
4:32 p.m.: 4x100 relay final
4:50 p.m.: Triple jump: Koi Johnson (2nd flight, No. 12)
5:22 p.m.: 100 final
5:32 p.m.: 400 final
5:42 p.m.: 800 final
5:57 p.m.: 400 hurdles final
6:07 p.m.: 200 final
6:51 p.m.: 4x400 relay final
Wednesday:
6:32 p.m.: 4x100 relay, 3rd heat, Lane 8
7:32 p.m.: 110 hurdles: Elijah Morris (1st heat, Lane 2), Johnny Brackins (1st heat, Lane 4)
7:45 p.m.: Javelin: Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi "Zaza" (2nd flight, No. 2)
7:46 p.m.: 100: Isaiah Cunningham (1st heat, Lane 2)
8:30 p.m.: 400 hurdles: Nathaniel Ezekiel (2nd heat, Lane 4)
8:00 p.m.: Long jump: Johnny Brackins (2nd flight, No. 4)
9:48 p.m.: 4x400 relay, 3rd heat, Lane 8
Thursday
7:32 p.m.: 4x100 relay, 2nd heat, Lane 8
8:46 p.m.: 100: Caira Pettway (2nd heat, Lane 2)
9:00 p.m.: Long jump: Alex Madlock (1st flight, No. 6), Caira Pettway (flight 2, No. 8)
9:00 p.m.: 400: Kavia Francis (1st heat, Lane 9), Imaobong Uko (3rd heat, Lane 2)
9:14 p.m.: 800: Aaliyah Miller (2nd heat, Lane 7)
9:30 p.m.: 400 hurdles: Gontse Morake (2nd heat, Lane 9)
9:44 p.m.: 200: Mariah Ayers (3rd heat, Lane 5)
10:48 p.m.: 4x400 relay, 3rd heat, Lane 8
Friday
8:02 p.m.: 4x100 relay final
8:42 p.m.: 110 hurdles final
8:52 p.m.: 100 final
9:27 p.m.: 400 hurdles final
10:21 p.m.: 4x400 relay final
Saturday
4:32 p.m.: 4x100 relay final
4:50 p.m.: Triple jump: Koi Johnson (2nd flight, No. 12)
5:22 p.m.: 100 final
5:32 p.m.: 400 final
5:42 p.m.: 800 final
5:57 p.m.: 400 hurdles final
6:07 p.m.: 200 final
6:51 p.m.: 4x400 relay final
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