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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – February 23, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black">Baylor T&F Set for Big 12 Indoor Championships</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351, </span><a href="mailto:colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">LUBBOCK, Texas –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Baylor track and field will compete at the 2023 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field
Championships on Friday and Saturday on the campus of Texas Tech. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“I’ve actually been pleased,” said head coach Michael Ford. “We had a stint where we opened up really fast and we threw far and jumped well. And then, I think going into
that third week in a row, I think we had a little lull, and I think we got it back when we went to Clemson. So, I’m looking forward to going into conference. I think pretty much everyone’s healthy and ready to go.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The Bears return to a familiar track in the Sports Performance Center after opening the season at the 2023 Corky Classic just six weeks ago.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“I think familiarity is always a good thing,” said Ford. “They know how the track feels, they know what the surface is like when they throw and jump. For us, it’s almost
like a home meet because we’ve been there so many times over the last few years.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Coming into the meet, the men’s squad has five entries with top-4 conference marks so far this season. The men’s 4x400-meter relay and their mark of 3:04.37 ran at the Razorback
Invitational is highest on the list at No. 2. Demar Francis (200 meters), Nathaniel Ezekiel (600 yards), Ben Conacher (pole vault) and Cole Hardan (shot put) all sit at fourth in their events.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The women’s squad boasts six top-four conference marks with Lily Williams in the 600 yards, Annamaria Kostarellis in the 5,000 meters and the women’s 4x400-meter relay leading
at No. 2. Imaobong Uko is third in the 400 meters, Koi Johnson is fourth in the triple jump and Williams is back in the 800 meters at four.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The men’s 4x400 is currently the only NCAA-qualified event for the Bears, sitting in the 12<sup>th</sup> and final qualifying spot.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“The 4x4 is actually in a good spot,” said Ford. “I think we’ve just got to continue to run fast because everybody else is running fast. We still haven’t put the perfect
race together. If we clean up our handoffs and we get the right order, we’ll be better.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Johnson is ranked 20<sup>th</sup> in the triple jump and Kostarellis 21<sup>st</sup> in the 5,000 meters and are the next-closest Bears to qualifying to the NCAA Indoor National
Championships in Albuquerque. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Source Sans Pro",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Live coverage of the meet will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ starting at 10 a.m. CT on both days. Lincoln Rose and Johanna Gretschel will
provide commentary.</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">PrimeTime Timing will be providing live results
<a href="https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=5368">online</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor track and field, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorTrack.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">- BaylorBears<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color:black;text-decoration:none">.com</span></span><span style="color:black">
-<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">_________________________________________</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#073D1E">Colin Pirtle</span></b><span style="color:#073D1E"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">| Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F, XC, MTEN) </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><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:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:3.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D9477B.05D624D0" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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