By Nathan Keil | Sports Editor
Baylor track and field competed in the Big 12 Outdoor Championship over the weekend, claiming six event titles in all.
The women’s team finished third overall, posting a total of 169 points while the men finished eighth with 63 points.
The women, as they have done all season, continued to show their strength in the sprint and relay events.
Junior Taylor Bennett claimed the 200-meter title with a final time of 22.87 seconds. Bennett also took third in the 100-meter final with a time of 11.29 seconds.
Her teammate, junior Kiana Horton posted a personal best 23.01 to take second in the 200-meter.
Horton cruised to a personal best 52.08 in the 400-meter prelims and then followed it up with a school record 51.22 seconds to claim the title.
Sophomore Aayliah Miller set a Big 12 meet record in the 800-meter race, tallying a time of 2:02:41 to win the event.
The Baylor women also claimed both the 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay.
Horton, Bennett, senior Juanita Mainoo and junior Raven Grant posted a time of 43.90 in the 4×100-meter while sophomore Victoria Powell, Bennett, Miller and Horton took the 4×400-meter title with a time of 3:30.42.
Baylor head coach Todd Harbour said the performance in the sprints and relays was about as good as he could have asked for.
“We did about all we could do and came on strong,” Harbour said. “I thought the sprint crew dominated and put on a show and just did everything we could possibly do, across the board. To win that many titles in that area is pretty impressive. To win both relays, the 200, 400 and 800, that’s impressive.”
On the men’s side, sophomore Maxwell Willis posted a personal best 10.12 seconds in the 100-meter to win the prelim, but took fifth in the final with a time of 10.41.
Willis also took fifth in the 200-meter final, posting a time of 20.84 seconds.
Junior Wil London claimed the lone title for the men’s team. London ran a 45.06 in the 400-meter to win the event.
The Bears also took second in the 4×100-meter relay. Sophomore Ian Braxton, Willis, senior Malik Wilson and London ran a 39.43.
The combination of Willis, freshman Howard Fields and juniors Caleb Dickson and Antwuan Musgrove took third in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:05.41.
Baylor will be back in action when qualified entries will compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds May 24-26 in Sacramento, Calif.
