By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
Baylor track and field opened up its personal gates for its first home meet of the season, the Clyde Hart Classic on Saturday at the Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium. The Bears took away multiple wins and even new program records in the two-day competition.
“I thought it was good,” head coach Michael Ford said. “We got some rust off some kids that ran last at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. We needed to see where they were because next week, Texas Relays, it’s kind of like a mini-nationals.”
Freshman thrower Gary Moore Jr. set the hammer throw program record with a toss of 199-1. This came in only Moore’s second outdoor meet after setting the weight throw record in his first collegiate meet.
Senior jumper Koi Johnson won the women’s long jump event with a 19-9 mark. Sophomore jumper Nikayla Fitzgerald finished third with a jump of 19-2½ in the first collegiate outdoor meet of her career.
In the women’s 200-meter dash, sophomore sprinter Imaobong Uko and junior sprinter Kavia Francis finished in first and second place, respectively. Uko came away with a personal best on the track with a 23.21 and Francis ran a 23.60.
The men’s 200 saw four Baylor sprinters finish in the top five of the race. Junior sprinter Demar Francis took silver with a time of 20.54, followed by graduate student sprinter Matthew Moorer in third. Senior sprinter Kamden Jackson and junior sprinter Dillon Bedell were right behind taking fourth and fifth place.
Saturday in the men’s 100, Jackson earned himself a silver medal after posting a 10.31 to come in second in the event. Jackson and Francis joined sprinters sophomore De’montray Callis and freshman Ricquan Graham for a victory in the 4×100 relay with a time of 39.78.
“Season opener at the crib, there’s nothing like it,” Jackson said. “We have a great support system. We appreciate everyone that came out, we just wanted to put on a show for them.”
Bedell and senior sprinter Mariah Ayers both claimed titles in their quartermile events. Bedell ran a 46.27 and Ayers finished with a time of 53.32.
Graduate distance runner Ryan Day won the 1500 meter race with a time of 3:46.90, good enough to claim the ninth spot on Baylor’s all-time list.
Up next, the Bears travel to Austin to compete in the 95th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays starting on Thursday at the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field on the University of Texas’ campus.
