T&F Readies for MLK Invite

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Kavia Francis admits that she doubted herself going into last week's season-opening Corky Classic in Lubbock.
            Proving her doubter – herself – wrong, the Baylor junior sprinter from Jamaica ran a personal-best time of 23.50 in the 200 meters to finish first among collegiate athletes with a time that currently ranks fifth in the nation.
            "The funny thing about me is the first meet of the season is always the worst. I'm nervous," said Francis, part of a Baylor contingent that will compete in Saturday's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. "I actually doubted myself, but I know what I'm capable of doing. I just went out there and listened to my coach and just executed how I was supposed to. And it felt great."
            Francis also ran the leadoff leg on a 4x400 relay squad that placed first in 3:37.22, a full five seconds faster than the runners-up. Baylor recorded nine national-qualifying (top-16) marks in the opening weekend, including the men's and women's 4x400 relays and a trio of sprinters in the men's 200 meters.
            "As coaches, we see them working out every day and we feel good about certain people, how they look in practice," said second-year head coach Michael Ford. "And then when the lights come out, people shy away from it. We're a well-rounded team this year, and we'll keep going from there and build on it. Monday is the first rankings for us, so we'll see where we are next week."
            On top of trying to move up or get into the national rankings at the site of this year's NCAA Indoor National Championships, Baylor's athletes will be competing for the coveted championship belts handed out to the male and female performers of the meet. Francis won the inaugural women's award, while freshman Gary Moore was the male honoree after finishing second in the weight throw with a school-record mark of 19.90 meters (65 feet, 3 ½ inches).
            "As you could probably tell from the video, I was really excited to get (the championship belt)," Moore said. "First meet as a freshman, you're really nervous. So, to get that and show your teammates what you, I was just excited and happy with how I performed. . . . I thought I was going to go 19 (meters), but I didn't know I was going to break the record that early. It was definitely a good feeling."
            Ford said the idea for the championship belts was first hatched last year in conversations with assistant coach Jeff Chakouian, who works with the throwers.
            "Of course, last year, I was running around like I had a water hose in my face all day," Ford said. "Me and Coach Chak were talking about maybe getting a pin or something, and I said, 'What about getting a championship belt?' Gary broke the school record and had five or six throws over 19 meters, which is fantastic. And then, Kavia pr'ed in the 200, ran one of the fastest teams in the country so far. And she also ran a great leg on the 4x400 (relay)."
            While Baylor will focus more on the individual events, the women's 4x400 relay group of Francis, Mariah Ayers, Gontse Morake and Imaobong Uko will try to improve on their winning time of 3:37.22
            "We didn't really have a specific goal (at Lubbock)," Francis said of the relay. "This was the first race, and we just wanted to see where each person was. I think moving on for the rest of the season, we will be setting specific goals. Last year, we did amazing, and the same team that ran last year is the same one we have now. So, great things are going to happen this year."
            The one-day meet at the Albuquerque Convention Center begins with the men's high jump and men's and women's shot put at 9 a.m. CST, with the men's 3,000 meters kicking off the running events at 9:20 a.m.
            "My main goal for the season is just to place high in conference in the weight throw and hopefully the shot put, which is probably going to be harder," Moore said. "And also to get to 20 meters in weight. I'm at 19 meters, so 10 centimeters away. It shouldn't be too big. I just want to stay consistent and perform well for championship season."
            FloTrack is video streaming the meet, with live results available at www.liverunningresults.com.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Baylor track and field makes its first trip across state lines in the 2023 season to compete at the Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational on Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center, the site of the 2023 NCAA Indoor National Championships in March.

"We ran well [at the Corky Classic]," said head coach Michael Ford. "I think the biggest thing that we talked about going into it was just giving good effort and just competing. As coaches, we see them working out every day and we feel good about certain people, how they look in practice, and then when the lights come on people shy away from it. But we stepped up really well. This week in New Mexico, a lot of our athletes probably won't run any relays. We'll just focus on getting some national marks individually. And then Monday is the first ranking for us, so we'll see where we're ranked next week."

With just the marks established at the Corky Classic, the Bears currently have nine national-qualifying (top-16 nationally) marks in the books and look to continue building.

The men's 4x400-meter relay that ran in Lubbock currently sit No. 2 with an altitude-adjusted 3:05.30 in the event. Their original time of 3:04.86 sets them at No. 9 all-time in program history and rests at the top of the world rankings, which do not adjust for altitude.

The 200-meter leaderboard features four Bears, with Demar Francis, Matthew Moorer and Laurenz Colbert represent the men, while Kavia Francis' PR of 23.50 puts her at No. 5 in the nation.

Imaobong Uko (400m), Alexis Brown (long jump) and the 4x400-meter relay round out those ranked on the women's side, while Ben Conacher finds spot No. 11 in the pole vault ranks.

The MLK Invitation is one last resume booster before the first round of team rankings are released on Monday, Jan. 23 by USTFCCCA.

FloTrack will be streaming the meet and live results will be provided online by liverunningresults.com.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor track and field, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorTrack.

- BaylorBears.com -

T&F Readies for MLK Invite

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Players Mentioned

Mariah Ayers

Alexis Brown

Laurenz Colbert

Ben Conacher

Demar Francis

Kavia Francis

Matthew Moorer

Gontse Morake

Imaobong Uko

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