Baylor TF’s Lentz Secures First Big 12 Pole Vault Championship

Fri Feb 23 22:08:16 CST 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 23, 2024

Baylor TF’s Lentz Secures First Big 12 Pole Vault Championship
Bears have five score in first day of conference meet
For more information contact: Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351, colin_pirtle1 at baylor.edu<mailto:colin_pirtle1 at baylor.edu>

LUBBOCK, Texas – Baylor track and field opened up the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship on Friday afternoon at Texas Tech’s Sports Performance Center. With 27 scored by the women today, Alencia Lentz won her first Big 12 pole vault title as a freshman and was followed by Molly Haywood in third. Alexis Brown got the silver medal in the women’s long jump with the second-best mark in program history, while the weight throw had All-Big 12 honors for Victoria Adu and Gary Moore Jr.

Two program records also fell on the first day of competition, as freshman Demario Prince was welcomed back to his 60-meter hurdles and Moore Jr. continued his record-setting run in the throws.

After Day One, Baylor women sit fourth with 27 points, while the men are 11th with two.

THE RUNDOWN

Lentz had a record-breaking (and tying) day in the pole vault to open up the Big 12 Championships. The freshman jumped to break the meet record twice, at 14-7 ¼ and at 14-9 and tied the program record set by Tuesdi Tidwell in 2020 at that 14-9 mark. She became only the third Bear to ever win the indoor title (Annie Rhodes- 2017, Tidwell- 2021) and the first to do so as a freshman. Haywood, who’s been bar-for-bar with her throughout the season, secured third place in the event, matching her season best from the Corky Classic at 14-5 ¼.

Brown hit the second-best mark of her 2024 indoor season in the long jump on her sixth attempt for silver. The 21-2 is the second-best performance in program history, behind only her own personal record from Clemson’s Tiger Paw Invitational two weeks ago.

Adu found herself on the all-conference podium for the first time in her Baylor career on Friday afternoon, finishing sixth in the event at 60-0 ½. Makayla Long was first out of the finals in the event in 10th with a 56-10 on her first throw.

In the men’s weight throw, Moore Jr. put the men’s squad on the board with a seventh-place finish and another new program record. With three attempts breaking his previous record, he ended the night at 68-9 ¾.

Back like he never left, Prince improved his collegiate-best time in the 60-meter hurdles to 7.62 to break the program record, get second in the preliminary rounds and get a lane in Saturday’s final. He took down Jerome Miller’s 7.66 from at the NCAA Championships in 2006.

Senior Demar Francis clocked the top time in the men’s 200 meters in the preliminary rounds with a new personal best of 20.42. Two spots back, Laurenz Colbert also advanced with a personal best of his own, 20.56. Kamden Jackson was one spot out in 9th and De’montray Callis finished 12th.

With another two moving on, Tiriah Kelley had no problem in her heat of the women’s 200 meters, finishing fifth overall after 23.24 seconds. Program record-holder Mariah Ayers went for 23.29 seconds to get seventh and a lane in tomorrow’s final.

Both men and women had one Bear advance to the final in the 400 meters in a preliminary round that took the top 8 times across as many as seven sections. Imaobong Uko was third overall in the women’s race at a season-best 52.67. Nathaniel Ezekiel didn’t match his time that ranks sixth in the nation, but still made it through in fifth with a 46.21.

Again in the 60-meter sprint, one Bear each made it out of the preliminary rounds. Brown flashed out to a 7.25-second mark in the women’s race to grab one of the timed qualifying spots. Climbing up yet another program list, Brown now has the second-fastest 60 time in program history.

The men’s event promoted Colbert to the conference final scheduled for Saturday. His race of 6.60 ties him at No. 3 in program history, putting him eighth overall. Callis also tabbed a top-10 finish at ninth after 6.62 seconds.

Ellie Hodge opened Day One of the meet on the track finishing six spots out of finals contention in the women’s mile. Her 4:48 landed her in 12th and was three seconds off her season- and personal-best mark ran in Boston.

Parker Brannon cleared two bars in the men’s pole vault to take 13th place in the event. He topped out at 16-2 on Friday, his second-best performance of the season.

Closing the night, the women’s distance medley relay crossed 10th, and the men’s crossed 11th. For the women, Jackie Addy, Jasmine Gryne, Hayden Gold and Hodge ran an 11:47.89. Straton Miller, Jack Jackson, Nicholi Brown and Ryan Hodge turned the men in at 10:21.86.

QUOTABLE

Head coach Michael Ford

On Day One of the Big 12 Championship…

“You definitely have to shout out the field events for their performances on the first day of Big 12s. They did an awesome job today. Alencia Lentz won her first Big 12 title as a freshman with a meet record while tying the school record. Molly [Haywood] getting third for us was big for us too. Happy for Vicki [Adu] to get her first points as a Baylor Bear in the weight throw before Gary [Moore Jr.] had another school record to help us score. Alexis Brown, getting second place in the long jump, was a great thing for the Bears too. I just want to thank Coach Brandon [Richards], Coach Chak, Coach [Stacey] Smith and Coach Chase [Hood]. They just did such an awesome job with our group today.”

“We ran really well. The student-athletes we were trying to get to the finals did, with the exception of one or two, so I am proud of them. Laurenz [Colbert] had a big day in both the 60 and 200. Alexis [Brown] coming back and running the second-fastest 60 at Baylor was great as well. We just have to close it out tomorrow. We have a lot of people in the finals and we will see what we can do.”

UP NEXT

The Bears close out the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday. The first Baylor-featured event begins at 1 p.m. and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

- BaylorBears.com –

_________________________________________
Colin Pirtle | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F/XC, MTEN, FB)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 940-564-0351

[signature_2230589939]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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