By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter Finishing a marathon is a challenging task for anyone. Running 26.2 miles takes a tremendous amount of determination, preparation and willpower. But for Baylor sophomore Ricardo Benitez, who ran a marathon on Sunday, it was an even more incredible accomplishment. Benitez was born without both of his femurs. He said that people have always tried to put him “in a cage” by telling him what he can and cannot be, what he can and cannot do. Benitez let out a massive yell once he crossed the finish…
Author: Pranay Malempati
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe 2020 NFL Draft came to completion Saturday with the fourth through seventh rounds. After Denzel Mims was the only former Baylor player to come off the board through the first three rounds, quite a few Bears joined NFL teams Saturday.Three Bears were drafted in the final four rounds of the draft. The Minnesota Vikings took defensive tackle James Lynch in the fourth round with the 120th overall pick. Then, the Carolina Panthers selected defensive tackle Bravvion Roy in the sixth round with the 184th pick and the Los Angeles Rams took linebacker Clay Johnston…
By Pranayn Malempati | Sports WriterThe 2020 NFL Draft, being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, continued Friday with the second and third rounds. Wide receiver Denzel Mims became the first Baylor player to be selected when the New York Jets took him in the second round with the 59th overall pick.Mims was projected to be a late first or early second round pick, but ended up slipping to near the end of the second round. He is still the highest-drafted Bear since wide receiver Corey Coleman was taken in the first round as the 15th overall selection in…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterBaylor chose to award geoscience professor Dr. Joe Yelderman last week with one of this year’s two Centennial Professor Awards. Along with being a Baylor professor, Yelderman is also the director of The Institute of Ecological, Earth and Environmental Sciences.Baylor geoscience chair Dr. Steven Driese said Yelderman is certainly deserving of this award. Driese said he knows Yelderman very well because even before they became professors at Baylor, the two went to graduate school together at the University of Wisconsin.“He is the perfect person because he is very interdisciplinary,” Driese said. “He transcends across different…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe Baylor equestrian team, as did all other spring sports, had its season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, because equestrian is technically under the National Collegiate Equestrian Association and not directly under the NCAA, equestrian athletes will not receive an extra year of eligibility.Head coach Casie Maxwell said that almost all of the players went through “a whirlwind of emotions” when the news came out. The news was specially tough to receive because the team actually had spring break off, meaning none of the riders were on campus.”We weren’t practicing, so everyone was…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter Baylor women’s basketball announced Monday morning that the team will be bringing in sophomore transfer point guard Jaden Owens for this upcoming season. Owens, a native of Plano, played at UCLA this past season and said that being close to home is important to her. “When I entered the transfer portal, I wanted somewhere that would be close to home,” Owens said. “I live in Dallas so it’s really not that far from home. It’s an easy drive for my parents. I would be able to see…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer Baylor’s Lauren Cox, Te’a Cooper and Juicy Landrum were all selected in the 2020 WNBA draft, which was held virtually on Friday evening. This was the first time that Baylor had three players selected in the WNBA draft. Cox was one of the top prospects this year and, coming off the board at No. 3 to the Indiana Fever, was the first Lady Bear to be selected. The star forward said she enjoyed celebrating with her family. “I was really nervous,” Cox said, “and finally hearing my name called kind of calmed all those…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter The WNBA draft starts at 6 p.m. tonight and will be held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three Baylor Lady Bears, forward Lauren Cox, guard Te’A Cooper and guard Juicy Landrum, are expected to be selected. Cox said that she is unsure how the virtual draft experience will be. “It’s going to be really different,” Cox said. “It’s been really stressful trying to get everything situated. I just ended a meeting with ESPN trying to make sure we had the right shot and making…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe XFL suspended operations last week for the foreseeable future and laid off most of its employees. A day later, the league filed for bankruptcy.Former Baylor punter Drew Galitz, who was named All-Big 12 twice in college, was in the midst of a successful season for the XFL’s Dallas Renegades. Galitz said he did not expect the league to declare a complete shutdown.“It came as a shock,” Galitz said. “I kind of thought it would come back next year, just because that’s kind of what we heard. Once the virus shut us down, they were…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports EditorBaylor women’s tennis will get its full team back next season as seniors Jessica Hinojosa and Angie Shakhraichuk have both decided to return after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to spring athletes a few weeks ago.Both players said that the decision to come back for an extra year was an easy one.“It was expected from everyone because we were already talking about it since the season ended,” Hinojosa said. “We were thinking about it since that moment. . . I wanted to stay at Baylor as long as I could.”Baylor head coach…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Drake Toll | Broadcast Managing Editor The COVID-19 pandemic has had an obvious effect on sports, causing essentially all professional and collegiate athletics to either cancel or postpone play. What may be less apparent are the effects this pandemic has had on sports media and broadcasting. John Morris, “Voice of the Bears” and Assistant AD for Broadcasting said that while Baylor pays him a salary, the “screeching halt” of sports has hurt many sports media members financially. “There are a lot of guys I know who are paid on a per-game basis,”…
By Pranay Malempati | ReporterBaylor announced its plans to pursue the status of becoming a Tier 1 research university in August, which is defined as having a very high level of both research activity and per capita in such research activity.Currently, Baylor is considered a Tier 2 research university, which is defined as having a very high level of one of those two metrics.Provost Nancy Brickhouse said that while this is definitely a long-term goal, there has already been an increase in research expenditures as well as tremendous growth in research activity since the announcement in August. In fact, Brickhouse…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WritersOn Monday, the NFL announced its All-Decade team for the 2010s, which featured players like Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson and J.J. Watt.In addition to the great individual talent, there were some special NFL teams that dominated the last 10 years. As we get closer to the NFL draft, the first big day of this decade, let’s take one last look at the great teams from the 2010s.Here is a ranking of the last 10 Super Bowl champions:1. 2013-2014 Seattle SeahawksWhen the Seahawks entered their Super Bowl XLVIII matchup with the Denver Broncos, it was supposed…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer“Like losing a relative.”That was how Baylor senior forward Freddie Gillespie described his emotions when he found out his college basketball career had come to an abrupt end. Due to the NCAA canceling the March Madness tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gillespie had played his last Baylor game without knowing it.“We put our heart and soul and our passion and it was our main focus, especially during postseason time,” Gillespie said. “We put all this work in and this effort in and it’s taken away. We kind of have to go through the five…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Drake Toll | Broadcast Managing Editor Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey was selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday for the 2020 class. Mulkey has three national championships as the Lady Bears head coach and remains the only person to win an NCAA national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach. Mulkey said that when she looks back at her journey towards reaching the pinnacle of basketball, she thinks of every player she has coached. “It’s not just the kids who are All-Americans,” Mulkey said. “I can…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterBaylor women’s basketball’s Didi Richards received her third postseason award Wednesday when she was named the 2020 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The announcement came after the junior guard was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association on Monday and was given the same award by the Big 12 prior to the cancellation of the championship tournament three weeks ago. Richards is the third player to win the Naismith version of the DPOY, which first became an honor in 2018. Richards said she actually didn’t know it was even…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterBaylor psychology professor Dr. Sara Dolan, was part of a panel from the National Academies of Sciences earlier this year that presented a report to the U.S. Congress about anti-malarial drugs. Specifically, the panel presented their findings after conducting research about the long-term health effects of anti-malarial drugs.Brown University epidemiology professor, Dr. David Savitz, chair of the committee Dolan served on, said that the research was centered around the use of anti-malarial drugs in military deployments in relation to a range of psychiatric disorders including PTSD.Savitz said that Dolan was uniquely equipped to conduct this…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterAfter the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility for spring-sport athletes, senior Baylor men’s golfers Cooper Dossey and Colin Kober are set to return next season.Kober said that while he expected to gain an extra year of eligibility, he is nevertheless excited to have the opportunity to come back next season. He said that the relationship he shares with Dossey makes returning to Baylor even more special.“When Cooper and I came in as freshman, me, Cooper and [redshirt junior Travis Isenhart] all just hit it off,” Kober said. “Cooper and I have grown as…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterOn Monday, the NCAA Division I Council Committee voted regarding eligibility for winter and spring-sport athletes. The committee decided to grant an extra year of eligibility to spring athletes, but denied an extra year for winter athletes. While this may be controversial in either direction, the NCAA ultimately made the correct decision.Big 12 student-athletes who compete in spring sports, such as baseball and tennis, had not begun conference play when their seasons were canceled due to COVID-19. This was the case in many conferences across the NCAA. Extraordinary problems deserve extraordinary solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterTwo weeks ago, along with the rest of Baylor sports and all NCAA sports across the country, the Baylor men’s tennis season was canceled. As with many other Baylor winter and spring athletic teams, the men’s tennis team was expected to be a championship contender before the abrupt end to its season.The team started the year ranked in the top five. They hit a few obstacles along the way, including injuries, and were at No. 30 in the final rankings. However, they finished the season at 13-3 and on a five-game winning streak.Head coach Brian…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe Baylor women’s basketball team entered this season as defending national champions and continued its success with a Big 12 championship and a 28-2 record entering postseason play.However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big 12 and NCAA cancelled the remainder of the season for all winter and spring sports. This included the women’s basketball Big 12 and national tournaments.The news came as a shock to the Lady Bears, who had been getting ready to play in the Big 12 tournament when the news arrived. It especially affected the seniors on the team, who may…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterLast week, the NFL’s owners proposed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which players just barely voted in favor of passing. This new CBA includes several significant changes to the league, including changes to the schedule, regarding both the regular season and postseason.Starting in the upcoming 2020 season, the NFL will increase the number of playoff teams. Instead of six teams from each conference, or 12 total, seven teams will now make the playoffs from the NFC and AFC.This is a change the NFL should not have made because it takes away from the importance of…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe impact that COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, has had on society is absolutely massive. Entire states are shutting down. Both governors and mayors have given stay-in-place orders in many states and counties, including Waco. Consequently, colleges have also shut down.Something that COVID-19, as well as the lack of students on campus, has affected in the Baylor community is research. Specifically, these circumstances have impacted both the type of research and the ability to conduct research.Dr. Marlan Scully, distinguished research academician of science and engineering who directs the advanced quantum mechanics laboratory at the Baylor Research…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterAll major sports leagues in America, and most across the world, have shut down in recent weeks because of the coronavirus epidemic. The postponement or cancellation of events like NBA basketball and NCAA tournaments has lefts sports fans with little to watch.On Monday, though, NFL free agency started and immediately gave fans something to talk about. Here are some of the biggest moves in the NFL since the new season officially started:1. Texans Trade DeAndre Hopkins to Cardinals for David JohnsonThe first blockbuster wasn’t even a free agency move. It was a trade of two…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports ReporterLast week, Baylor announced an extended spring break and two weeks of online classes. Because of that announcement, and because of what has been taking place in universities around the country, Monday’s news seemed inevitable.President Livingstone’s announcement that Baylor is moving online for the remainder of the semester certainly hit hard for a lot of students. But it especially hit hard for seniors who are graduating in May. I know this because, well, I am one of those seniors.My heart sank when I found out that I would never again sit in class as a…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterBoth the defending national champion Baylor women’s basketball season and the Baylor men’s basketball season came to an abrupt end last week when the NCAA announced that the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments would be canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shortly before that announcement, the Big 12 had canceled the Big 12 basketball tournaments for the same reason.Even though their year ended before the most important games, Baylor still had seasons to celebrate. The Lady Bears finished with a 28-2 record, going 17-1 in the conference and capturing their 10th straight Big…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter No. 2 Baylor women’s basketball defeated the Texas Longhorns at home Thursday night 69-53. The team improved to 28-1 on the season and 17-0 in the Big 12, just one game away from completing a perfect conference slate. Thursday was a special night for the Lady Bears. Not only was it the last regular season home game, but it was also Senior Night. The team celebrated its seniors by holding a celebration at halftime, as well as by showing a post-game tribute video. First, head coach Kim…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterPhiladelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons has been an All-Star the last two seasons and is one of best playmakers in the NBA. Yet fans often bring him up just to talk about his lack of a reliable jump shot and his inability to shoot the three. The NBA community needs to appreciate the skill he brings instead of talking the one aspect of his game that can improve. Simmons is a 23 year-old 6-10 point guard who has incredible vision and playmaking ability. He has averaged about 16 points, eight rebounds, and eight…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports ReporterThe Electoral College gives each state a certain number of electors based on its population; in most states, all the electoral votes in the state go to the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state. This system has been in use for over 200 years.But the Electoral College has to be changed. It causes many voters to stay home on Election Day, specifically those who live in states that have been historically dominated by one party. This system makes these voters believe that their votes will not matter since the state’s outcome is…
By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Drake Toll | Broadcast Reporter No. 2 Baylor women’s basketball beat Kansas State at home Saturday night by a score of 83-58. The win improved the team’s record to 27-1 overall as well as 16-0 in the Big 12, keeping the Lady Bears undefeated in conference play. After the game, Baylor celebrated its 10th straight Big 12 championship. The Lady Bears clinched a share of the Big 12 after their win over West Virginia last Saturday, and claimed the conference outright after TCU’s loss to Texas on Wednesday. Baylor head coach Kim…