T&F Earns Three Wins to Close Michael Johnson Invitational

Friday, April 21

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Michael Johnson Invitational

T&F Earns Three Wins to Close Michael Johnson Invitational

4/22/2023 9:36:00 PM | Track & Field

Results

BU men take 4x400-meter relay title

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Jeremy Wariner knows fast when he sees it.
            The former Baylor All-American quarter-miler and 2004 Olympic gold medalist, who was one of the three Legends of the Meet at Saturday's Michael Johnson Invitational, said the Bears are "getting the relay back to where it used to be."
            With Wariner, the meet's namesake and shot put record holder Skylar White on hand at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium, Baylor's 4x400-meter relay closed out the meet in impressive fashion with a strong anchor leg by Dillon Bedell and a 3:01.55 clocking to edge Arizona State (3:02.98) and Big 12 rival TCU (3:04.55) for the team's third win of the day and fourth in the two-day meet.
            "You feel the energy out here, especially with the relay, just the way it ended today," said Wariner, who still holds the school record in the outdoor 400 meters at 44.00. "A few years ago, we were finishing second, third or fourth in the relay. . . . They're getting the relay back to where it used to be. I think they'll be able to go sub-3:00 for the first time for us. This group can do it."
            That was the goal on Saturday. Not only did they want to break the 16-year-old school record of 3:00.04, Hasani Barr said the Bears were going after the NCAA record of 2:58.53 that Florida set last year.
            "We wanted the record," said Bedell, who passed ASU anchor Jalen Drayden on the final curve to take the lead, "but this race showed that we can run with people and we know how to win when it matters. It's not always about the time."
            With Nathaniel Ezekiel in the anchor spot and sprinter Kamden Jackson subbing for Barr, the Bears ran the program's fourth-fastest time ever three weeks ago at Texas Relays, finishing fourth in 3:00.61. This time, the order was Ezekiel, Matthew Moorer, Barr and Bedell.
            "I don't know if he's the right one, but mentality-wise, he's the one who wants to do it," Baylor coach Michael Ford said of Bedell running the anchor leg.
            "I think Matthew is comfortable on second leg, and we can kind of mix in Nathaniel and Hasani wherever. And we can put Demar (Francis) in next week, and we'll try to figure it out. We always tell them, you've got to be prepared to run a leg. They're all running 400 meters, so we just want to make sure they're all prepared to do it."
            On Saturday, they were motivated by having the program's two greatest quarter-milers at the meet. Johnson won the 200 and 400 meters at the 1996 Olympics and held the world records in both events for a decade.
            "This is Quarter-Miler U," Bedell said. "This is the place where it all started, where so many coaches . . . learned from Coach (Clyde) Hart. To learn from these legends here, we said before the race, 'We're not losing. We're definitely not going to lose in front of the legends.' So, it was awesome."
            Baylor came close to sweeping the 4x400 relay, with the women's quartet of Gontse Morake, Imaobong Uko, Jasmine Gryne and Mariah Ayers clocking a season-best time of 3:29.75 to finish second behind 2022 NCAA champion Kentucky (3:28.21).
            "That's the first time Jasmine has run on the 'A' relay. We're a little shorthanded right now on the ladies' side," Ford said of the group missing Kavia Francis. "But I thought she ran a great leg, and Ima of course ran really well. Mariah came in at 50.4 (on her split). She was shocked that she ran that fast. We just have to keep getting better. We always tell them, next man up and next woman up."
            In the women's 400 meters, Uko beat Jamaican pro Shiann Salmon with a season-best time of 51.66. Running for adidas, Salmon was second in the heat and overall in 52.04.
            "Every time I run, I just want to run fast," Uko said. "So, I don't really have a specific time. . . . Seeing a pro in my heat wasn't all that big because all these girls are running like pros. So, there was no difference. Just go out there and do your best."
            Demar Francis was actually the fastest of the Baylor men's quarter-milers, finishing fourth in a season-best time of 45.84, with Moorer eighth in 46.19.
            Sophomore All-American Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi picked up the Bears' other gold medal on the day, winning the men's javelin with a throw of 254-3 that edged Nebraska's Arthur Petersen (252-10).
            Ben Conacher, one of the 16 seniors recognized for Senior Day, finished second in the pole vault with a career-best mark of 17-9 ¼. Kentucky's Keaton Daniel went 18-0 to win the event.
            After a fourth-place finish in the long jump Friday night, Koi Johnson came back to win the silver medal in the women's triple jump with a season best of 43-0 ½. Freshman Makayla Long had a personal best in the hammer throw on Friday and followed that up with another PR and a third-place finish in the shot put (52-3 ¾).
            "I thought today was a good day," Ford said. "(Friday), I thought we were a little flat. It was a home meet, you've got to get pumped for a home meet. But overall, we had a decent meet. Now, we've just got to keep preparing to get better for the Big 12."
            Johnson, who is filming a documentary, went by the old Hart/Patterson Track and Field Stadium where he ran during his college days before taking in Saturday's action at the meet.
            "It was good to be back over there," he said. "I hadn't been over there since we moved over to this new track (2015). A lot of good memories over there. But my, how times have changed! They've got everything here."
            Baylor will close out the regular season with the LSU Invitational next Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., before heading to the Big 12 Championship May 12-14 in Norman, Okla.

WACO, Texas – Baylor track and field closed the Michael Johnson Invitational on Saturday on the banks of the Brazos River at the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium.

The Bears collected three gold medals on the final day of competition, with the men's 4x400-meter relay, Imaobong Uko and Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi putting up top marks.

THE RUNDOWN
In the final event of the day, Nathaniel Ezekiel, Matthew Moorer, Hasani Barr and Dillon Bedell ran a 3:01.55 relay before a star-studded alumni crowd at the Hart Track on Saturday night. The crew won the event for their first win of the outdoor season.

Uko made her start on the track Saturday afternoon, where she won the 400-meter dash with a season-best 51.66 and was the only athlete to go sub-52 in the women's competition.

Prosper Nnamdi took the win in the javelin competition, throwing a 254-3 to thrill in his outdoor home opener on Saturday. Luke Anthony followed in 10^th, while Brooke Botha and Rylie Smith got 14^th and 15^th, respectively, in the women's event.

In the women's 4x400, Gontse Morake, Uko, Jasmine Gryne and Mariah Ayers finished second only to the 2022 NCAA champions from Kentucky. Their 3:29.75 marks a season-best for the women's group so far in 2023.

Senior Ben Conacher put on a show for his final meet at the green oval with a new 17-9 ¼ PR in the pole vault to win a silver medal.

Koi Johnson won another silver medal in the women's triple jump, putting up a season-best 43-0 ½ on the fifth attempt after making the final jumps.

Elijah Morris made his outdoor debut on Saturday, finishing seventh in the 110-meter hurdle prelims with a day's-best 14.18-second mark. In the finals, Morris went 14.29 for eighth.

Bria Bullard was the fourth-finishing collegiate runner in the women's 100 in 11.46 seconds, leading Michaela Francois in 18^th at 11.82 seconds. Kamden Jackson won collegiate silver after a 10.39-second 100, while De'montray Callis found the ninth spot overall.

Continuing her PR weekend at the MJ, Makayla Long improved her PB to a 52-3 ¾ in the shot put, finishing third for the afternoon. Cole Hardan qualified for the finals of the men's shot put, finishing seventh with a 57-0 ¼ mark. Gary Moore Jr. stayed behind in 12^th.

Demar Francis was another Bear with a season-best mark, taking fourth in the 400 at 45.84. Moorer followed in eighth at 46.19.

The Bears had two PRs in front of the 800 meters, with Kade Hulett's 1:52.30 for 11^th, while Jackie Addy ran 2:16.59 for ninth.

At the high jump, Ukuru Kojo eclipsed 6-7 ½ for 12^th in the men's group, while Moorea Long got 16^th in the women's event.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears compete at the LSU Invitational on April 29 for one final regular season cleanup before the Big 12 Championships in Norman, Okla., on May 12-14.

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