By Tyler White | Sports Writer
Baylor track and field is off and running this spring. With two meets under its belt, the team is looking to build on previous successes in hopes of replicating that level of performance.
Following the McFerrin-12 Degree Invitational and the Corky Classic, the squad has amassed numerous personal bests — some of which were program records and an NCAA record. With these performances, the women’s team found itself at No. 16 in the first rankings of the season.
In the McFerrin-12 Degree Invitational, sophomore thrower Gary Moore Jr. set a program record in the weight throw, previously held by himself last year. He said his performance was encouraging, especially since it’s so early in the year.
“I wasn’t even expecting to really do that well for me, so it kind of came unexpectedly and just shows how much hard work I’ve been putting in,” Moore Jr. said.
As the group prepares to head to Nebraska and Clemson for a pair of meets, Moore Jr. said he wants to make sure he’s taking it meet by meet and showing his hard work through his performances, with the goal being to produce in high-pressure moments.
“I’ve tried to pride myself on not disappearing when the lights come on and making sure that people can hold me accountable to my work and what I say I’m going to do,” Moore Jr. said.
Moore Jr. added that he wants to improve on his mark each meet and make strides to qualify for nationals. He said he’s looking forward to facing more elite competition these next two weeks because it will allow him to improve on his outings last year and prove that he’s consistent.
“I will say, a lot of times last year, I felt like I was spectating competitions — like, even though I was in it, I wasn’t really making myself a factor,” Moore Jr. said. “So that’s why this year, I want to show people that I’m here.”
Earlier in the season, head coach Michael Ford said he wanted to treat the first meet as an opportunity for the athletes to get their feet wet. After seeing what transpired, he said he was pleased with how the team adjusted.
“[The first meet] was [about] just trying to see what our team was going to look like,” Ford said. “On paper, as coaches, we thought our team was going to be pretty strong this year, but you never know until they actually started competing. I was very pleased [with] how they … competed against other good caliber universities.”
Ford said this week has been a great opportunity to continue training. After two weeks of competition, he said the team is focusing on Nebraska and adjusting practices for the competition it will see.
“The big focus going into Nebraska is getting some national marks and also getting some more conference marks for the team,” Ford said.
The Bears will be competing at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational on Friday and Saturday and the Tiger Paw Invitation on Feb. 9. The Big 12 Indoor Championship will take place on Feb. 23.
