By Marquis Cooley | Sports Editor
While Baylor University took the last week off, Baylor Athletics kept moving as multiple teams competed over spring break. Here’s a rundown of everything that took place while you were away.
Brackins earns All-American honors at Indoor Nationals
Baylor track and field competed in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala. Freshman jumper Johnny Brackins was the lone Bear to win hardware, finishing seventh with a long jump of 24-11 ¼ to earn a spot on the NCAA All-American list.
Baylor officially opens its outdoor season on Friday and Saturday at the TCU Invitational in Fort Worth.
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics & tumbling proved to be too much for Saint Leo University, overtaking the Lions in every single heat to best them by 23.35 points, winning 285.240 – 261.890 to improve to 4-0 on the year.
Next, Baylor will take on Quinnipiac University at noon CT on Saturday in Hamden, Conn.
Baseball picks up huge wins in Houston
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
Baylor baseball (9-6) had a huge week as the team picked up two ranked wins in the Shriners Classic, beating No. 23 University of California, Los Angeles 2-1 and No. 7 Louisiana State University 9-6 after falling to No. 17 The University of Tennessee 10-5 to go 2-1 in the event.
The Bears followed up their impressive outing by winning three of their next four, with a 6-4 win over Abilene Christian University and a 2-1 series win over Columbia University.
Next up, Baylor will take on Sam Houston State University at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville.
Softball competes in Rainbow Wahine Classic
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
After splitting their doubleheader with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Baylor softball (12-9) took a trip to Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Bears went 1-3 on the weekend, picking up a victory over tournament host Hawaii while suffering a loss to the unbeaten University of Oklahoma and dropping two matches against the University of California, Berkeley.
Baylor looks to rebound with a win over Texas State University when the two teams square off at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos.
Men’s tennis notches wins on the road
Photo courtesy of Arizona State Athletics
No. 5 men’s tennis (17-1) took a spring break trip of its own as the team made a pit stop in Illinois to hand a 4-1 loss to No. 58 University of Illinois before arriving in Arizona for matches against Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. The Bears were able to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Sun Devils, as well as hand the Wildcats their first home loss of the season, beating them 5-2.
The Bears continue playing on the road, with their next opponent being the University of Michigan at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Women’s tennis dominates competition
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
No. 33 women’s tennis (11-4, 2-0 Big 12) went on a tear during spring break, picking up four straight victories. The Bears only gave up one point in the four-game span, as they swept the University of North Texas 4-0 and conquered Abilene Christian 6-1 before opening conference play with a bang, sweeping both Texas Christian University and Texas Tech University 7-0
Baylor’s next opponent is Iowa State University at 3 p.m. on Friday at Forker Courts in Ames, Iowa.
Equestrian caps off regular season in California
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
No. 5 Baylor equestrian (6-6, 2-4 Big 12) wrapped up the regular season with a pair of matches in California. The Bears split their weekend trip, losing to No. 8 Fresno State University 12-6 before ending the season with a 13-7 victory over UC Davis.
Baylor is set to compete in the Big 12 Championship, beginning March 25, at Diamond Creek Ranch in Burleson.
Women’s basketball loses in Big 12 Championship final
No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball (27-6, 15-3 Big 12) was able to win the Big 12 title outright when it demolished Texas Tech in the regular-season finale. The Bears carried that momentum into the Big 12 tournament, dusting off Oklahoma State University in the quarterfinals along with a vengeful win over Oklahoma in the semifinals. However, Baylor got a taste of its own medicine in the final when No. 7 University of Texas snapped a 13-game losing streak to the green and gold to secure its first Big 12 tournament title since 2003 with a 67-58 upset of the Bears.
Following the loss, Baylor was named a No. 2 seed in the Wichita region and will compete against No. 15 University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (20-9, 13-3 Big West) at 3 p.m. on Friday in the Ferrell Center.
Men’s basketball falls in quarterfinal of Big 12 tournament
After beating Iowa State University 75-68 to win a share of the Big 12 regular-season title, there was a bit of disappointment as the Bears lost to the University of Oklahoma 72-67 in the quarterfinal of the Big 12 tournament.
The surprising loss didn’t hurt Baylor’s tournament seeding as they were still able to secure the No. 1 seed in the East Region and will face off against No. 16 Norfolk State University (24-6, 12-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic). Tipoff will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday in Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth.
