T&F: Baylor Trio Qualify for NCAA Indoor Championships

WACO, Texas – When the dust settled from this past weekend's conference championships, Baylor track and field ended up with three individuals qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships that will be held March 13-14 at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

Junior pole vaulter Molly Haywood and senior sprinter Tiriah Kelley have been near the top of the national rankings since the first two weeks of the season and are No. 4 in their respective events, while junior Demario Prince earned his spot in the 60-meter hurdles with a dramatic improvement at the Big 12 Championships.

Baylor's lone Big 12 champion, Haywood is coming off her fourth-consecutive conference title with a winning mark of 14-9. Her season best of 15 feet came at the Ted Nelson Invitational back in January, which was her third-career 15-foot vault and just 1 ½ inches off her career high of 15-1 ½.

Haywood is currently fourth on the national list, ranked behind Washington's Hana Moll (16-0) and South Dakota State's Marleen Mullen (15-2 ¼) and Anna Willias (15-1). A two-time outdoor All-American, she has yet to make an indoor final, finishing ninth as a freshman and 14^th a year ago.

Undefeated in the 200 meters this year, Kelley had to miss the Big 12 meet because of the flu, potentially costing the team 20 points between the 200, 60 meters and 4x400 relay. She broke her own school record twice, clocking a 22.53 time at the Jarvis Scott Invitational that was elevation adjusted to 22.60.

Kelley, still looking for her first individual All-America honor, is fourth in the country behind Georgia freshman Adaejah Hodge (22.32), TCU sophomore Indya Mayberry (22.57) and South Carolina's JaMeesia Ford (22.58). Based on projected points from Kelley and Haywood, the Baylor women are ranked 29^th.

Unlike the other two, Prince was on the outside looking in until this past week's Big 12 Championships, where he broke his own school record twice and finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.46 (7.48 elevation adjusted).

After narrowly missing last year's NCAA indoor final by less than a hundredth of a second, he came back to earn outdoor All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles. Prince goes in at No. 6 on the national list, ranked behind Bradley Franklin of Samford (7.41), Malachi Snow of Texas Tech (7.45) and the SEC trio of Auburn's Ja'Kobe Tharp, Ja'Qualon Scott of Texas A&M and Kendrick Smallwood of Texas, all at 7.46.

The NCAA Indoor Championships begin next Friday at 11 a.m. with the heptathlon and pentathlon and will conclude Saturday evening around 7 p.m. with the 4x400 relays.

With a smaller group headed to nationals, the rest of the Baylor men's and women's teams will prepare for the outdoor season, which opens March 20-21 at the TCU Alumni Invitational in Fort Worth.

For the latest news on Baylor track and field all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.

2026 NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
(Baylor entries)

Friday, March 13
(all times are Central)
6:55 p.m.: Men's 60-meter hurdles prelims (Demario Prince)
7:45 p.m.: Women's 200 meters prelims (Tiriah Kelley)

Saturday, March 14
4:00 p.m.: Women's pole vault (Molly Haywood)
5:30 p.m.: Women's 200 meters final (Kelley)
6:00 p.m.: Men's 60-meter hurdles final (Prince)

- BaylorBears.com -

T&F: Baylor Trio Qualify for NCAA Indoor Championships

Players Mentioned

Molly Haywood

Tiriah Kelley

Demario Prince

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