In Fort Worth, Texas, Baylor's track and field team is set to kick off their outdoor season at the TCU Alumni Invitational, following a stellar indoor campaign where they snagged three All-America honors. While standout athletes like Demario Prince, Tiriah Kelley, and Molly Haywood are holding off their outdoor debuts until the Clyde Hart Classic at home next week, Baylor is still bringing a formidable squad to TCU, including 10 All-Big 12 performers.
Among them is Tenly Kuhn, who clinched a silver medal in the pole vault during the Big 12 Indoor Championships. She's set to compete alongside teammates Katelyn Andrews, Raynah Cheng, and Keidra Mills on the women's side, and Parker Brannon and Grant Vlaun on the men's.
Coach Michael Ford emphasized the importance of this meet as a warm-up, saying, "We're just going there to knock some rust off for the ones who have had a long break after the Big 12 Indoor Championships." The focus is on giving athletes a chance to compete in events they enjoy, with more traditional races planned for next week.
Freshman Kingston Williams, who narrowly missed setting a school record in the heptathlon, will take on the high jump on Friday, followed by the 110-meter hurdles and shot put on Saturday.
The women's team will also feature Royaltee Brown and Hannah Lowe, both 60-meter finalists indoors, competing in the 100 and 200 meters, respectively. Long jump bronze medalist Janae De Gannes is entered in the 100 meters as well.
On the men's side, 200-meter finalists Laurenz Colbert and Bailey Hashmi will race in the 100 meters, joined by Malik Franklin, a transfer from Arizona State. Members of the bronze medal-winning 4x400 relay team, Aren Spencer, Abbas Ali, and Tyler Honeyman, are set for the 200 meters.
The meet kicks off with the men's discus at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, and concludes with the women's 5,000 meters on Saturday. Fans can follow live results through the TCU Alumni Invitational.
Meanwhile, Coach Ford is in Poland for the World Indoor Championships, where Demario Prince is competing in the 60-meter hurdles for Jamaica. He's accompanied by former Baylor All-American Demar Francis in Jamaica's relay pool. Ford is also coaching former Baylor star Trayvon Bromell, Oklahoma's Demarius Smith, and Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith.