Source: www.baylorbears.com
On one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world, the Baylor track and field team was led by Tiffany Townsend’s 60-meter school record on the first day of action at the New Balance Invitational at The Armory Track and Field Center in New York, N.Y.
Townsend had a solid time of 7.38 in the preliminary round of the 60 meters, but flew through the final in a blazing 7.27 to shatter the Baylor school record of 7.31 and place fourth in the race. Her time moves her into the top 10 in the NCAA this season.
For the men, Gavyn Nero had a spectacular race in the championship section of the 1,000 meters, nearly breaking the Baylor school record. Nero placed third in the elite race with a time of 2:22.39, just .01 seconds behind Chris Gowell’s BU record set last year.
Freshman Tiffani McReynolds continued her fast times in the sprints, tying her own school record in the 60-meter hurdles to place sixth overall in the championship section. McReynolds was also sixth in the consolation final of the event with a personal-best time of 7.42. In the college section of the 60 meters, Brittany Carr had the fastest time of 7.61, while freshman Justine Charbonnet was third at 7.64.
In the men’s sprints, Woodrow Randall and Whitney Prevost earned a spot in the consolation final of the championship section and made the most of it, each improving their times from the preliminaries. Randall won the race with a career-best time of 6.69, while Prevost was second in the heat at 6.74.
Sophomore Skylar White another strong weekend in the shot put for the Baylor women. For the third consecutive meet, White broke the 53-foor barrier, placing second in the championship section of the event. Her mark of 53 feet, 9.75 inches defeated all other collegiate competitors. Also in the field events, high jumper Dess Meek tied for fifth-place in the college section, clearing a bar of 5-7.
In the women’s 500 meters, Lizzy Whitney was sixth in the championship section at 1:14.05, while Michelle Nwachukwu turned in a solid time to place 10th overall for Baylor in the college section. Nwachukwu crossed the finish line in a time of 1:17.07.
Many events on the track held the preliminary rounds on Friday, with the final rounds to follow on Saturday. Sophomore Joe Barb earned the top qualifying spot on the college section of the 400 meters with a time of 48.38, while Gabriel El Hanbli was ninth in qualifying at 49.00. In the women’s championship section of the 400 meters, Diamond Richardson was seventh in the preliminaries with a time of 54.91.
The Baylor track and field teams will be back in action all day Saturday on the final day of the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City.