T&F Back in Albuquerque for NCAA Indoor Championships

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Since his freshman year, when Matthew Moorer was part of a 4x400 relay that placed eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, he's had it on his bucket list to make it to the national meet in an individual event.
            Now that Moorer has checked that off, qualifying with a 400-meter time of 45.66 (altitude-adjusted 45.73) that ranks 10th nationally, the fifth-year senior's next goal is to "make it to the finals" at this weekend's NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships that begin Friday in Albuquerque, N.M.
            "It's something I've been shooting for since I was a freshman, so it's big-time for me," Moorer said. "They only take the top 16, and the (cutoff) time is the fastest it's ever been, so I'm honored to be a part of it."
            Moorer, who won the Big 12 championship in the event, also has company. Senior Hasani Barr and sophomore Nathaniel Ezekiel also qualified in the 400 with altitude-adjusted times of 45.82 and 45.83, respectively, and will be joined by sophomore anchor Dillon Bedell in the 4x400 relay.
            "To me, the hardest part of indoor track is making it to the National Championships," second-year Baylor head coach Michael Ford said. "If I remember right, only 2% of everyone who competes indoors makes it to nationals. So, for those three guys to make it is impressive enough. But I think if they run about what they did at conference, they'll have a chance to make the finals. I'm not going to say they have to PR, either, they just need to run a smooth race."
            Baylor's contingent for the national meet also includes Demar Francis and Mariah Ayers in the men's and women's 200 meters, respectively.
            Moorer, who's battled injuries throughout his career, said he's definitely running his best right now and "finally healthy, no nagging injuries."
            "I've been working hard in the training room with the support system," he said. "I just feel like I'm ready to go, ready to roll. So, we'll just go out there and see what happens."
            While Moorer, Barr and Ezekiel all set top-10 program marks in the 400, the 4x400 relay set the all-time school record with a runner-up time of 3:02.89 at the Big 12 Championships. They broke the previous mark of 3:03.96 that was set 19 years ago at the NCAA Championships with a group that included Olympic gold medalists Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson.
            "For them to break a record that had lasted forever," Ford said, "but they had been putting in the work all year. So, I wasn't really surprised. The goal time for me this year was a 3:02 indoors. I didn't know they would have to run that fast just to get to nationals. But I think if they run 3:02, they'll be top-eight."
            While Moorer was part of a qualifying 4x400 relay in 2020 that earned All-America honors when the meet was canceled, the last top-eight finish came the year before when Caleb Dickson filled in for Wil London as the anchor alongside Moorer, Howard Fields III and Jayson Baldridge that placed eighth.
            "Let it be known, we're going for No. 1," Moorer said. "We have the horsepower to really get it done, but it's just a matter of, if we go out there and we all run when we need to. But we're definitely in contention to win it. That's what we want to do."
            It was disappointing to finish second at the Big 12 meet, Moorer said, "but program record, second place, we can't be that mad at it."
            "I think a lot of our guys were tired," he said. "Two days in a row, we (ran our personal best), so hopefully this meet our bodies get adjusted to it and we can go out there and run a little better. Yes, it was a little disappointing, but we made some progress, so we can't be mad at it."
            Friday's schedule will have Ayers running in the women's 200 meter semifinals at 6:25 p.m. CT, followed by the men's 400 semifinals at 8:25 and the men's 200 semifinal at 9:25.
            At the Big 12 meet, Ayers became the second Baylor female athlete ever to run a sub-23-second 200, breaking All-American Tiffany Townsend's previous school record (22.90) with a 22.78 clocking in the semifinals. She went under 23 again in the finals, placing fifth in 22.87.
            "Mariah has a really good shot. If she runs like she did in her prelim at Big 12s, she'll make the final," Ford said. "Indoors, to me, in the sprints is all about lane assignments. You've got to run fast regardless, just because you've got the best 16 females. But I think the lane assignment will dictate a lot of it, too."
            The runner-up at the Big 12 meet with a PR time of 20.46, setting the Jamaican indoor national record, Francis has the 10^th-fastest time going into Friday's semifinals. Despite sweeping the 200 and 400 at the Summit League indoor and outdoor meets last year at South Dakota, this is Francis' first trip to a national meet.
            "Just training for five months at Baylor, it's amazing to see what the extra work can do," Francis said. The key, he said, is "you've got to get out, attack that last curve and run through the line."
            Ford said he thought about doubling Francis in the 200 and 400, but Francis asked if he could focus on the 200, because "I can make it to nationals in the 200."
            "For him to run 20.46, that was impressive enough. Second-best all-time," Ford said. Trayvon Bromell ran a school-record 20.19 at the 2015 NCAA Indoor in Fayetteville, Ark. "Hopefully, if he executes like that, he can make it to the finals."

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Baylor track and field is in the Land of Enchantment for the second time this season to compete at the NCAA DI Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Demar Francis, Mariah Ayers, Matthew Moorer, Hasani Barr and Nathaniel Ezekiel all qualified individually for the meet, while Barr, Ezekiel, Moorer and Dillon Bedell qualify with the men's 4x400-meter relay.

The meet begins Friday for the Bears at 6:25 p.m. CT with Ayers in the national semifinal round of the 200 meters. Moorer, Bar and Ezekiel are set to run at 8:25 p.m. CT in the 400-meter semifinal, followed by Francis at 9:25 in the 200 meters.

The Bears that finish in the eight-fastest times will advance to the finals on Saturday, while the men's 4x400-meter relay runs at 9:20 CT Saturday night.

Francis will be making his first appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships after winning the silver medal at the Big 12 Indoor meet with a new Jamaican indoor national record of 20.46 seconds. The junior enters ranked 10th nationally with an altitude-adjusted 20.53.

Ayers returns to the national 200 semifinals for the second-straight year, taking 10th place in the 2022 edition of the championship. At the conference meet, she finished with All-Big 12 honors while running two sub-23 second races, only the second and third recorded in Baylor history.

The quartermile trio of Moorer, Barr and Ezekiel swept the podium at the Big 12 Championships and qualified to the national meet in spots No. 9, No. 12 and No. 14, respectively. All three enter for the first time in individual events and join with Bedell for the 4x400 relay with their time of 3:02.89, a Baylor program record.

The meet will be streaming live on ESPN+ and will be re-aired Sunday and Monday night on ESPNU. Tickets are still available through the New Mexico ticket office.

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

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T&F Back in Albuquerque for NCAA Indoor Championships

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Players Mentioned

Mariah Ayers

Jayson Baldridge

Hasani Barr

Dillon Bedell

Nathaniel Ezekiel

Howard Fields III

Demar Francis

Matthew Moorer

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