Baylor Track & Field's Nathaniel Ezekiel Sets New 400-Meter Hurdle Program Record

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Baylor track and field kicked off the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on the Percy Beard Track at the James G. Pressly Stadium on Friday morning. Among the seven personal bests on the day, Nathaniel Ezekiel’s was a highlight, as it rebroke the program record he set at the 2022 Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas, in his freshman campaign.

Across the country, members of the distance squad hit the track at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Ryan Hodge bettered his personal best in the 10,000 meters and became the third-best to ever do it in the green and gold in his 7 a.m. race.

THE RUNDOWN – TOM JONES MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL

Breaking his own program record that was set at the 2022 Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas, Ezekiel ran out a 48.29-second race in the event, trailing Chris Robinson from Alabama and Clement Ducos from Tennessee. The two-time All-American improved his old record by just over one-tenth of a second. Robinson, the 2023 NCAA Champion, ran a 47.95, the seventh sub-48-second race in NCAA DI history.

Program record holder and two-time All-American, Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi, made his return to collegiate action on Friday in the javelin throw with a second-place finish behind 2022 NCAA Champion, Marc Minichello, at 258-10. Passing on his three final throws, the first attempt remained his best on the day.

Kayla Hunt recorded her highest finish to date as a Baylor Bear on Friday morning, taking the silver medal in the open division of the women’s 200-meter dash. The North Carolina transfer in her first season of green and gold clocked a 23.76 personal-best time in the event ahead of Summer Sergeant in 21st place. In the men’s race, Ricquan Graham was the only runner for the Bears, finishing 12th.

Program record-holder Alexis Brown finished in fifth place in the invitational section of the women’s long jump with another jump over the 21-foot mark. The senior went 21-2 ½ for the eighth-best performance mark in program history.

The women’s hammer throw featured two big throws from two Bears. Victoria Adu led the team with an 184-6 mark, her best in her two years at BU, but shy of her personal-best throw of 196-1. Makayla Long hit a new personal best that led to a 12th-place finish, at 173-9.

There were three bars cleared by Ukurugenzi Kojo in the men’s high jump on Friday afternoon that made way to a new PB. The senior jumped to 6-10 ¼ for fourth place.

Jasmine Gryne ran another personal best for the Bears in the 400-meter hurdles, by way of a 58.07-second race that saw her 19th in the invitational event.

Jackie Addy returned to Florida, the first stop in her undergraduate career, for the first time in a meet during Friday’s competition and competed in the 1,500 meters. With a 4:31.65, the Bear took 28th.

Freshman Parker Brannon was sixth at the end of the men’s pole vault competition behind his best performance of the outdoor season so far. With two first-attempt clearances and then his final on the third try, the freshman has a new outdoor collegiate-best bar of 16-4.

The women’s 200-meter invite saw Tiriah Kelley take fifth in her heat for 27th overall with a 23.53-second race. Demar Francis led the men’s invitational with his best time of the season, a 20.56.

Nikayla Fitzgerald and Ale Rutenis both competed in the open division of the women’s long jump, taking 21st and 34, respectively. In the men’s event, Trpimir Siroki took ninth at 23-7 ½.

Freshman Sima Lucero was the Baylor student-athlete in the open division of the 400 hurdles, men or women, and she took 15th place with a season-best time of 1:01.92.

Ellie Fooshee, a newcomer from Birmingham, threw from 118-2 in the women’s javelin throw, good enough for 23rd place.

THE RUNDOWN – BRYAN CLAY INVITATIONAL

Hodge was out early in California for the Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday, running the 10,000 meters at a 7 a.m. start time. Finishing 13th overall, Hodge became the third-fastest to ever run the race for the Bears with a 30:02.04, improving his old PB by almost a minute.

Rachel Hickey saw action in the women’s 800 meters, where she finished in 88th place. The Illinois State transfer, fresh off a PB at the Battle on the Bayou, ran a 2:09.07.