By Tori Jackson
Reporter
In the final meet before the Big 12 Indoor Championship, three Baylor Bears broke school records on Saturday at the University of Arkansas’ Tyson Invitational.
Sophomore Felix Obi broke his own record in his last jump of the day. Obi recorded a jump of 53-11.25 [16.44m]. Obi bettered his score by 8-5 [.22m] from his previous school record set at the Rod McCravy Memorial meet.
“It feels good because I gave all that I had left in me,” Obi said. “I know that I can still do better.”
Obi holds the best mark in the nation in the triple jump event for a Division 1 athlete. He has broken the school record in the triple jump six times in his two years at Baylor University.
Two Bears traveled to Seattle, Wash., to compete in the Husky Classic in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Junior Rachel Johnson and senior Mariah Kelly established two new school records.
Johnson finished sixth in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:08.36. She bettered her own time by over 14 seconds (9:22.58). Johnson ranks fifth among D1 athletes in the 3,000 meters event.
Kelly placed 13th in the mile event with a time of 4:41.28. Kelly’s time was .29 seconds faster than the previous school record set by Lauren Hagans (4:41.67) in 2008. Kelly ranks 7th among D1 athletes in the mile event.
“I was really excited about my run and it was even more exciting to know that I broke the school record,” Kelly said. “I don’t need to focus too much on my accomplishments, but focus on the goals ahead because I have some big races coming up.”
Ten Baylor Bears established new personal bests at the Randal Tyson Track Complex.
“We are were pretty pleased as a staff,” head coach Todd Harbour said. “It was one of our better weekends. We had a lot of great things happen, but we can also improve. It was a very nice weekend with a lot of personal bests.”
Freshmen Trayvon Bromell set a new PR in the 200 meters. Bromell finished third with a time of 21.02 seconds. Finishing close behind was teammate Blake Heriot. Heriot was timed at 21.08 and came in fourth.
In the women’s 200 meters event, sophomore, Justise Dayries set a new personal best with a time of 24.05. Sophomore Kehri Jones also set a new PR with a time of 24.12. Jones has continued to set new personal bests every meet throughout the indoor season.
Senior Brad Miles finished fifth in the 3,000-meter distance event. Miles recorded 8:34.57.
Freshmen Alex Davis and Peyton Thomas, set personal records in the 3,000-meter distance. Davis finished fourth with a time of 9:44.22. Thomas finished ninth with a time of 9:58.08.
Senior, Tiffani McReynolds finished third in the 60-meter hurdles. McReynolds recorded a time of 8.05.
The women 4×400-meter relay set a season best at the Tyson Invitational. Alyssa Nichols, Raena Rhone, Olicia Williams and Michelle Nwachukwu recorded a time of 3:37.53. The ladies finished eighth in the event.
“The girls did a great job,” Coach Harbour said. “They improved and they ran a couple seconds faster. If we can drop two more, we have a chance to go to the NCAA Nationals.”
Lauren Cook and Kaylyn Schultz competed in the high jump event. Cook recorded a personal best of 5-9.75 [1.77m], which placed her in second to finish the meet.
“It feels good. It just felt like everything was clicking at the right time,” Cook said. “I just need to stay focused, keep a good mentality and trust the work and my coaches.”
Cook had a mark that ranks second best in school history and fourth in the Big 12 Conference. Schultz came close behind and finished fourth with a personal best of 5-5.75 [1.67m].
“We need to stay healthy this week and get some work in,” Harbour said. “This week of weather will make a big difference.”
The Big 12 Indoor Championships will begin Feb. 28 at Iowa State University.
