<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Impact;
panose-1:2 11 8 6 3 9 2 5 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
h1
{mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char";
margin:0in;
text-align:justify;
page-break-after:avoid;
layout-grid-mode:char;
font-size:16.0pt;
font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;
font-weight:normal;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText
{mso-style-link:"Body Text Char";
margin:0in;
text-align:justify;
layout-grid-mode:char;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.Heading1Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char";
mso-style-link:"Heading 1";
font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.BodyTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Body Text Char";
mso-style-link:"Body Text";
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 19, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">Baylor T&F’s Prosper Nnamdi Named Big 12 Men’s Outstanding Freshman of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Colin Pirtle, 940-564-0351, Colin_Pirtle1@Baylor.edu
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">WACO, Texas –
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Baylor’s</span><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi (“Zaza”) was named Big 12 Track & Field Men’s Outstanding Freshman of the Year, conference officials announced Thursday.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">A true freshman from Awka, Nigeria, Prosper Nnamdi is the first Bear competing in a field event to win the honor and the fifth Bear all-time, joining Maxwell Willis (2017),
Trayvon Bromell (2014), LeJerald Betters (2007) and Brandon Couts (1998). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Prosper Nnamdi sat at the top of the NCAA in the javelin throw all but one night of the regular season. Making his collegiate debut at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays,
he threw 78.42 meters to break the program record and set the nation-leading mark in his first collegiate event. Fast forward to April 22, 2022, Virginia’s Ethan Dabbs broke his mark to take over the No. 1 spot. The very next day, Prosper Nnamdi came out and
threw one centimeter shy of the Nigerian national record with a powerful 81.07m throw to set a new facility, program and national-leading record. The next week, he defeated the reigning national champion at the LSU Invitational.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Friday night at the Big 12 Championships, Prosper Nnamdi walked away from the meet with his first Big 12 title in the javelin throw, winning the event with a 77.98-meter
throw, more than seven meters ahead of second place.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">According to the USFTCCCA’s All-Time rankings, he now sits No. 16 in DI competition for the javelin throw.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">The team heads to Fayetteville, Ark., next week for the preliminary rounds of the NCAA National Championships. Prosper Nnamdi takes the runway for the men’s javelin competition
beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For the latest news on the Baylor track and field team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack. </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">www.BaylorBears.com<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">__________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#0A5026">Colin Pirtle</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#0A5026"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">| Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F/XC) </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">C: 940-564-0351</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:3.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D86B77.0733B8A0" alt="signature_475150853"></span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>