Sports Briefs

London Establishes Baylor Quarter-Mile Record at NCAA Indoors

Senior Wil London earned All-America honors in the 400 meters at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in early March.

He placed third in the event, establishing a program record time of 45.16 seconds. Baylor’s men’s team tied for 29th nationally at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

It was the second time in as many weeks that London established Baylor’s quarter-mile record time. He posted a first-place time of 45.19 seconds at the Big 12 Conference Indoor Championships.

Meanwhile, Baylor’s men’s 4x400-meter relay team earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Freshman Matthew Moorer, sophomore Howard Fields III, sophomore Jayson Baldridge and senior Caleb Dickson posted a time of 3 minutes, 8.63 seconds.

Freshman KC Lightfoot also earned All-America honors, placing eighth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 18 feet, 5.5 inches (5.63 meters). Lightfoot was named Outstanding Freshman of the Year at the Big 12 Indoor Championships after clearing a first-place height of 18 feet, 7.5 inches (5.68 meters), matching his own school record.

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of junior Victoria Powell, junior Aaliyah Miller, sophomore Sydney Washington and senior Kiana Horton finished 11th at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 3:37.08, earning second-team All-America honors.

Sophomore pole vaulter Tuesdi Tidwell also earned second-team All-America honors, finishing 14th with a jump of 13 feet, 7.75 inches (4.16 meters).

Lady Bears Continue Big 12 Conference Dominance

Thanks to a stifling fourth-quarter defense, Baylor’s women’s basketball team rolled to a 67-49 victory over Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference Tournament title game in mid-March.

The Lady Bears swept the Big 12 titles after going 18-0 in league play during the regular season.

Baylor won its 10th Big 12 Tournament title and ninth in the last 11 years.

It was the program’s ninth consecutive Big 12 regular-season title.

The Lady Bears’ run to a perfect Big 12 record was paced by a talented quintet of players who earned a variety of league honors. Head coach Kim Mulkey was named Big 12 Coach of the Year, the seventh time she has been so honored.

Every regular Lady Bear starter earned All-Big 12 honors. Junior forward Lauren Cox led the way with her second consecutive Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award. Cox was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team, where she was joined by senior center Kalani Brown. Guards Chloe Jackson, a grad transfer from LSU, and Juicy Landrum, a junior, were named to the All-Big 12 Second Team.

Defensively, the Lady Bears made Big 12 history. DiDi Richards earned a spot on the All-Big 12 defensive team, along with Brown and Cox. The selection of Richards, Brown and Cox to the All-Defensive team marked the first time three teammates had been selected in the same season.

Four Men’s Basketball Players Earn All-Big 12 Honors

Four Baylor men’s basketball players earned all-league honors as selected by Big 12 Conference coaches following the conclusion of the regular season.

Senior guard Makai Mason was a second-team pick, while sophomore forwards Mario Kegler and Mark Vital and freshman guard Jared Butler were honorable mention selections.

Baylor’s four All-Big 12 selections matched the 2012, 2016 and 2017 seasons for most in school history. This marks the 13th consecutive season in which multiple Bears earned all-Big 12 honors.

The Bears finished fourth in the league standings, despite losing starting forward Tristan Clark to a season-ending knee injury at the beginning of conference play. Baylor was picked to finish ninth in the 10-team league by conference coaches.

Vital also was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, while Mason was on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team, and Butler was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Baylor Student-Athletes Honored by Big 12 Conference

Baylor led all Big 12 Conference schools with 18 selections for the 2019 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, announced by the conference office in late February.

This is the award’s ninth year and is named in memory of Lage, who served as Oklahoma State University faculty athletics representative with the NCAA and Big Eight/Big 12 conferences from 1983 until his death in 2007.

Student-athletes must have lettered at least once in their career while maintaining residence at their institution for at least one academic year. They must have at least 100 hours of earned credits with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.80. Student-athletes may be recognized only once.

Baylor’s 2019 Lage Academic Achievement Award recipients were Jimmy Bendeck (tennis), Cody Bradford (baseball), Lindsey Bradley (track and field/cross country), Maggie Burton (soccer), Jackie Crowther (soccer), Corinne Dellus (equestrian), Amanda Dillon (track and field/cross country), Shannon Hogue (equestrian), Baily Hollier (acrobatics and tumbling), Katelynn Horstmann (acrobatics and tumbling), Samantha Howell (equestrian), Marques Jones (football), Colin Kober (golf), Samantha Matthews (equestrian), Sean McCullough (track and field/cross country), Megan Saxvander Weyden (track and field), Ashley Thornhill (soccer) and Camryn Wendlandt (soccer).