World's fastest freshman

Bears match best-ever finish at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships; Brommell sets world junior record

The Baylor men’s and women’s track and field teams matched their best ever combined finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., as both the men and women finished in the top 15 nationally.

The Baylor men had their best showing in six years, scoring 21 points to finish eighth overall in the final team standings and first among the Big 12 teams. It was their best finish since a tie for seventh with 27 points in 2008.

After failing to score at last year’s meet, the women came back to record five All-America performances and tallied 17 points to finish 14th. It was their best finish since tying for 10th with 21 points in 2009.

Freshman Trayvon Brommell set a World Junior Record in the 100m finals and became Baylor’s first NCAA outdoors individual champion since 2005. Brommell is the first person under the age of 20 to break the 10.00 second mark in the 100-meter race. Ten other Baylor track and field student-athletes received All-American honors in nine different events, paced by freshman T.J. Holmes. Holmes finished as a two-time All-American, running the second leg of the 4x400 relay and finishing fourth in the 400-meter hurdles.

“This meet forces you to be absolutely perfect, and I thought we came close,” head coach Todd Harbour said. “To be top 10 on the men’s side—the No. 1 team from the Big 12 this year—that’s outstanding. Our ladies fought hard, battled, just scrapped all the way. It was a big effort from both of our groups.”

The Bears will look to build on this season next year in a new home—the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium along the Brazos River next to McLane Stadium.