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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – June 26, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor TF Francis and Graham to Compete in Jamaican Olympic Trials<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Two Jamaican natives look to earn Olympic bids<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720,
</span><a href="mailto:josie_hutton@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">josie_hutton@baylor.edu</span></a><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:blue"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">WACO, Texas –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"> Baylor track and field will be represented in its final Olympic trials this week,
this time for Team Jamaica. Demar Francis and Ricquan Graham both will look to qualify to the 2024 Olympic Games at the Jamaican National Trials, hosted at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, from June 27-30.
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Francis and Graham will both begin competition on Thursday evening with Francis running in the preliminary round for 400-meter sprint at 8:30 p.m. CT and Graham following him
in the preliminary round of 100-meter sprint at 9:05 p.m. CT. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Francis, a senior from St. Thomas, Jamaica, enters the trials with the 11th best 400-meter time in Jamaica of 45.44. Francis came out on top at the Big-12 Outdoor Championship
as he clocked his personal best and won gold in the 400-meter title by one-hundredth of a second. He became the first Bear to bring the outdoor championship back to "Quarter-Mile U" since Trey Fields in 2021. During the indoor season, the senior earned All-Big
12 honors in the 4x400m event. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Graham, a Kingston, Jamaica, native, clocked his career-best time of 10.12 in the 100-meter sprint at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds in Fayetteville, Arkansas earlier this
season. Graham was just two spots away from an advancing position in the event to the NCAA Championships. However, Graham secured a spot to nationals in the 4x100-meter relay where his group posted a 39.19-second mark. During his time in Eugene, Oregon at
nationals, Graham and his relay team finished in 11th place with a time of 38.88.
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Francis and Graham will both look to earn their first Olympic bids in their career for Team Jamaica, who is historically known for their performance in the track and field
portion of the Olympic Games. For more information regarding the Jamaican National Trials, click
<a href="https://athleticsja.org/national-championships/">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">To stay up to date throughout the year on all things Baylor track and field, follow the team on Facebook, X and Instagram: @BaylorTrack.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">- BaylorBears</span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">.com</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;color:black">
-<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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