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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 – March 8, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor TF’s Brown Earns All-America Honors in Long Jump</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Ezekiel qualifies to 400 national final<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351,
</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">BOSTON –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Baylor track and field opened the 2024 NCAA DI Indoor Track and Field National Championship
on Friday afternoon at the TRACK at new balance. Closing the day for the Bears, Alexis Brown jumped to her first All-America honor in the long jump after Nathaniel Ezekiel qualified to Saturday’s 400-meter men’s final.
<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"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">THE RUNDOWN
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Brown pocked the first All-America honor of her career on Friday evening, taking fifth in the long jump competition. With another jump over 21 feet, Brown landed a 21-3¼
attempt that marks as the second-best in program history. The event was won by fellow Big 12 competitor from Iowa State, Sydney Willits.
<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 first athlete competing in the national championship for BU, junior Ezekiel claimed the very last qualifying spot to the national finals in a preliminary round that took
the top-8 runners across four heights. Starting in the back of the pack, Ezekiel turned it on in the final 100 meters to overtake ASU’s Justin Robinson and finish right with Texas Tech’s Shaemar Uter. His 46.14 was good enough for a lane in Saturday afternoon’s
final, scheduled for 3:20 p.m. CT. <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">In the men’s 60-meter hurdles that was delayed by a mechanical malfunction with the banked track, Demario Prince, the program record holder and lone freshman in the high
hurdles, was the first man out of Saturday’s final with a 7.71-second race. His ninth-place mark was just behind Houston’s De’Vion Wilson who crossed in 7.70 seconds.
<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">Molly Haywood and Alencia Lentz finished back-to-back again in the national championship pole vault competition, taking ninth and 10<sup>th</sup>, respectively. Haywood tied
her personal best 14-5¼ to end just one spot away from the NCAA podium, and Lentz was one bar behind 14-1¼.<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">Finishing 15<sup>th</sup> and 16<sup>th</sup>, Demar Francis and Laurenz Colbert finished back-to-back in the men’s 200-meter preliminaries. Entering the race as the ninth
and 12<sup>th</sup> seed, respectively, the two leaders of BU’s No. 1 200-meter event squad closed their indoor seasons on Friday.
<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"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">QUOTABLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Head coach Michael Ford<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">On Day One of the NCAA Championships…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">“I am definitely proud of Nate (Ezekiel) for making his second 400 final. I look forward to watching him compete on Saturday. The 200 guys just didn’t execute like we talked
about and planned, but we will get back and get ready for the outdoor season. I am really proud of the two pole vaulters. They weren’t top eight, but Molly [Haywood] tied a PR and Alencia [Lentz] had a great year being the Big 12 champion. I am looking forward
to watching them compete outdoors. Alexis [Brown] has done an awesome job all year, so it’s great to see it all come together like that.”<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"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">UP NEXT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Ezekiel closes out the indoor season with the final day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday afternoon at the TRACK and new balance. His 400-meter
final is scheduled to run at 3:20 p.m. CT on ESPN+.<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"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></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>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">_________________________________________</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#073D1E;mso-ligatures:none">Colin Pirtle</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#073D1E;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">|
Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F/XC, MTEN, FB) </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">C: 940-564-0351</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:3.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DA71A1.26A54690" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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