T&F: BU Hopefuls Begin Run at NCAA Championship

[Hill, Jerry]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS June 9, 2026



T&F: BU Hopefuls Begin Run at NCAA Championship

Kelley, Prince, Haywood and Kuhn all ranked in the top 10

For more information contact: Jerry Hill; 254-709-4994, jerry_hill at baylor.edu<mailto:jerry_hill at baylor.edu>



NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE<https://flashresults.com/2026_Meets/Outdoor/06-10_NCAA/index.htm>



EUGENE, Ore. – Headlining Baylor’s 11 entries in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship that begins Wednesday at Hayward Field, Tiriah Kelley, Demario Prince and pole vaulters Molly Haywood and Tenly Kuhn are ranked in the top 10 and the Bears’ best threats to score at nationals.



“I think this is probably one of our better groups going in, where you’re like, ‘Everybody has a shot to be in the top eight and score,’’’ Baylor head coach Michael Ford said. “Now, it’s more like, ‘Okay, how do we get them there?’ The majority of them are pretty much veterans, and they understand what it takes.”



One of those is Kelley, an indoor All-American and bronze medalist in the 200 meters who reached the NCAA semifinals in the 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay. Making it in three events for the second-consecutive year, Kelley was 12th in the 200 last year and is looking to advance to the outdoor finals in an individual event for the first time.



“I’m extremely motivated,” said Kelley, who is ranked fifth nationally in the 200 with a school-record time of 22.19. “It’s obviously my last year, so I just want to do something amazing. I want to be able to do well enough to get a contract and know that I can continue to do this as a pro.”



On the men’s side, Prince is also ranked fifth nationally and coming off a bronze-medal finish indoors in the 60-meter hurdles. The Big 12 runner-up, Prince has a season PR of 13.14 after breaking the program record in the 110-meter hurdles with a 13.12 time at last summer’s Jamaican World Championship Trials.



“For me, the lane doesn’t matter,” said Prince, who drew the Lane 6 assignment for Heat 2 in Wednesday’s semifinals. “It’s just focusing on winning and going out there and executing my best race. I always want to have my PR and my best race at the big championships.”



Other than Prince, Baylor’s only entry for Wednesday’s opening day of the meet is the men’s 4x400-meter relay of Aren Spencer, Malik Franklin, Bailey Hashmi and Tyler Honeyman. That group won the Big 12 outdoor title and has the 15th-best time going in at 3:02.70.



“I think they’re kind of hitting their stride,” Ford said. “Last year, we made it by the skin of our teeth to make it with (Bowerman Award finalist Nathaniel Ezekiel). Losing somebody like that, you hear a lot of noise about how the Baylor 4x4 is not going to be good anymore, blah, blah, blah. And they just decided, ‘Hey, we’re going to show people.’ And they’ve run faster this year without Nate than they did last year with him.”



Franklin, who made it to the NCAA Championship last year with Arizona State, said he promised Ford and the rest of the team that he was going to take the relay back to Eugene.



“Even without Nate, we have a team,” Franklin said. “No matter what, Nate being here or not, we still have a team. This is Aren’s last year, so I promised him I would take him to this last one.”



The schedule shifts to the women’s semifinals on Thursday, along with the pole vault and long jump finals. Finals in the running events will be Friday for the men and Saturday for the women. Schedules and live results for the meet are available at NCAA Championship<https://flashresults.com/2026_Meets/Outdoor/06-10_NCAA/index.htm>.



For the latest news on Baylor track and field all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.



WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

8:08 p.m. CT: 110m Hurdles Semifinals, Demario Prince

10:36 p.m. CT: 4x400m Relay Semifinals (Aren Spencer, Malik Franklin, Bailey Hashmi, Tyler Honeyman)





Jerry Hill | Director of Sports Journalism (T&F/XC/MG/WG)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-709-4994

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