By Zach Babajanof-Rustrian | Sports Writer
Baylor track and field finished with nine competitors earning a medal, several personal bests and junior sprinter Nathaniel Ezekiel setting a new NCAA 600-yard record from the two-day Corky Classic at Texas Tech’s Sports Performance Center in Lubbock.
Ezekiel clocked in at 1:07.44 as he held the lead for the entire race, putting on the fastest NCAA 600-yard race ever. Head coach Michael Ford said he was very pleased with Ezekiel’s time.
“Nathaniel [Ezekiel], to run the fastest time ever in that race in the banked track was just amazing,” Ford said.
Freshman pole vaulters Molly Haywood and Alencia Lentz also made some personal bests in pole vaulting, with both of them crossing the 14-5 ¼ mark. Haywood ultimately finished second while Lentz took third. This is the first over 14-foot pole vault since the 2022 Larry Wieczorek Invitational when Tuesdi Tidwell won the event.
“We had many personal bests, especially in events like the pole vault,” Ford said. “Molly [Haywood] and Alencia [Lentz] did a great job finishing over 14-feet. They will definitely be in the top-16 rankings and should have a great shot at nationals.”
Both junior sprinters, De’montray Callis (6.62) and Laurenz Colbert (6.67), recorded personal bests in the 60-meter finals. Callis crossed the finish line second, being only nine-thousandths behind the winner, and Colbert got fourth. With their new records, Callis moved to fifth all-time at Baylor and Colbert moved to ninth.
Ford said Callis “had another solid meet, running a PR” with Colbert.
The Bears have an off week ahead of them as they look to a trip to Nebraska for the Frank Sevigne Husker Classic on Feb. 2-3.
“We had a solid second meet,” Ford said. “Just overall very pleased. Now we can get some work in before going to Nebraska with the team, and I look forward to the direction we are heading in.”
