Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Winter break is a time for Baylor students to recharge before the spring semester. With classes back in session — even amid frigid conditions — it’s time to catch up with Baylor Athletics and reacquaint yourself with the different teams.
Here’s a quick rundown to get you caught up from the holiday break:
Moore Jr., Brown record pair of program records for Baylor track and field
Baylor track and field opened its 2024 season on Saturday at Texas A&M’s McFerrin-12 Degree Invitational in the new Fasken Indoor Track in Bryan-College Station. Sophomore thrower Gary Moore Jr. (shot put) and senior sprinter Alexis Brown (long jump) each tallied program records.
“I thought overall we had a solid track meet today, that I don’t even know where to start,” head coach Michael Ford said. “There were some solid performances with several personal bests. You must start with Gary Moore Jr., who broke the school record in the weight throw with technically a new facility record too.
“Then there’s Alexis [Brown] breaking a 15-year-old record in the long jump. She went through a lot with her foot [injury] last year. With this PR and school record, it’s great to see, also in the 60-meter dash. … Overall, we did well, and I was glad to see everyone back. We need to put some work in to get other kids more aggressive and healthier, but I am happy with the Bears today.”
The Bears are set to compete in their annual trip to Texas Tech’s Corky Classic, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock.
No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball falls to Iowa State 66-63 for second-straight loss
Then-No. 4 Baylor women’s basketball watched a halftime lead dissipate once again, as it fell to Iowa State 66-63 on Saturday in the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. The loss marked the Bears’ second straight after opening the year 14-0, the best start in program history since the 40-0 national championship team in 2011-12.
“We were 1 for 9 from 3 in the fourth quarter, and we missed two key free throws when Aijha [Blackwell] had a nice steal and attack,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “We just couldn’t get momentum. [We were] 3 for 15 in the third quarter, and a lot of those were wide-open shots.”
Now ranked No. 12 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, the Bears (14-2, 3-2 Big 12) are back in Waco to host UCF at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Foster Pavilion. The game will be livestreamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
No. 25 Baylor men’s tennis finds pair of wins in season-opening doubleheader
No. 25 Baylor men’s tennis defeated ACU and Lamar 6-1 and 7-0, respectively, to open the 2024 season on Saturday in the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. A bevy of newcomers recorded their first wins as Bears, which head coach Michael Woodson said was nice to see.
“It was good overall,” Woodson said. “It’s always great to kick off the season and get an opportunity to compete again together against other people. We were a little nervous at the beginning in the singles of the first match. I have to give Abilene a ton of credit. Juan [Nunez] is doing a great job.
“We had a bunch of guys that are playing their first dual match here for us. They showed that a little bit, but we were able to get through many of the matches in the first. We looked really sharp in the second match and were very comfortable.”
The Bears will hit the road for two of four total matches that will be played in Arizona during January. Baylor will square off with Arizona State at 5 p.m. on Thursday and Arizona at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
No. 14 Baylor men’s basketball holds off Cincinnati 62-59
A sold-out crowd of 7,500 paired with a 13-0 second-half run fueled then-No. 14 Baylor men’s basketball’s 62-59 win over Cincinnati on Saturday in the Foster Pavilion.
“The fans, they definitely showed up today,” freshman guard Ja’Kobe Walter said. “Every big play we had, they got loud, gave us that energy.”
The Bears (14-3, 3-1 Big 12) — now ranked No. 9 in the country — are still undefeated in the Foster Pavilion but fell to Kansas State Tuesday night in the Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan.
