By Savannah Pullin
Reporter
Most students spent spring break lying out on the beach, skiing on the slopes or just finding some way to relax. Baylor track and field, however, spent the week preparing for and competing in their first outdoor meet of the season.
The team opened the outdoor season with promising performances, bringing home a total of six wins in the two-day competition Thursday and Friday at the TCU Invitational in Fort Worth.
Many athletes shined in the field events during the first day of competition.
Sophomore Erin Atkinson, who broke the school record in the weight throw multiple times during the indoor season, shattered another school record in the hammer throw.
She busted through the previous record of 162 feet, 8 inches with a throw of 197-7, breaking the record by nearly 35 feet. After winning the event, Atkinson currently ranks first in the Big 12 and fifth in the NCAA.
Junior Skylar White also brought home a victory for the Bears in the discus throw with a solid throw of 166-9, practically a meter farther than her nearest competitor.
Her throw gives her a top rank in the Big 12 and third rank nationally.
Baylor claimed four more wins in its second day.
“It was a good, solid day for our first outdoor meet of the season,” head coach Todd Harbour said in a press release.
The men’s 4×100-meter relay, consisting of seniors Woodrow Randall and Whitney Prevost, along with junior Everett Walker and sophomore Blake Heriot, turned in the fastest time in the nation this season at 39.74 seconds.
“Our 4×1 crew looked good, and it was great to have Whitney (Prevost) back out there,” Harbour said.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay also shined in their event. Freshmen Alyssa Nichols and Raena Rhone, junior Christina Holland, and senior Diamond Richardson scooted by the competition with a finishing time of 3:39.12.
“We got a couple wins in the field events yesterday, and our distance crew came out and competed hard for a victory today,” Harbour said.
Individually, sophomore El Hanbli had a promising season-opening time of 52.65 in the 400-meter hurdles to bring home the fifth win for the Baylor Bears.
Freshman Matt Galvin scored his first collegiate victory in the 3,000-meter run. He finished in 8:45.37, leading a trio of Baylor athletes who took home the first, second and third place finishes in the event.
The Bears will travel to Orlando, Fla, this weekend for the UCF Invitational.
