The Road to Eugene: 4x400 Relay
6/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Outdoor Track
With six days to go before the NCAA Championships, GoFrogs.com takes a look at the men's 4x400 relay team's road to Eugene leading up to the NCAA Championships.
During the indoor slate, the relay stayed constant for most of the season. For three of the four meets, the team of freshman Kevin McClanahan, sophomore Raymond Bozmans and juniors Sam Watts and Ronnie Baker ran the event, tallying their best at the Arkansas Open on Feb. 21 at 3:06.05. That time earned them a berth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where sophomore Kolby Listenbee ran in the third leg and finished fifth with a time of 3:07.03.
As the outdoor season has progressed, the relay has only had one order used more than once. That team posted the top time in the event this season for the Horned Frogs and consisted of Lavon Collins, Joshua Washington, McClanahan and Baker. At the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational, the quartet put together a time of 3:05.40, which was the fifth-best time in the West region going into the preliminary round.
That same crew carried the baton to a second-place finish for TCU at the Big 12 Championships in the event at 3:06.89. The Horned Frogs got off to a strong start with Collins in the leadoff spot, but had fallen behind to third by the time Baker took the stick. Running the anchor leg, Baker brought the Frogs to a second-place finish by only 0.70 by running a split of 44.99 seconds, the fastest of any competitor in the race.
The NCAA West Prelims crew featured a group of four that had been used once before this season (Texas Relays), but in a different order. This team put Watts in for McClanahan in the third spot, keeping the other three legs the same. This time the Horned Frogs struggled to get going and battled their way to a fifth-place finish in their heat at 3:06.22.
However, their mark put them at No. 12 among the field of 24, punching their ticket to Eugene for the NCAA Championships. Among all qualifying times in both regions, TCU ranks 21st, but their experience at the final meet may prove to benefit them when they step on the track on June 10.
Last season, Watts ran the anchor leg of the mile relay at the NCAA Championships. In 2013, Washington, Collins and Baker were all on the teams that finished seventh in both the prelims (3:04.71) and finals (3:05.37) at the meet in Eugene.
TCU has won two national titles in the 4x400 relay. In 1983, the team of Allen Ingraham, James Richard, Keith Burnett and David Walker won the outdoor crown with a time of 3:02.09. It was the first national title for the Horned Frogs and the mark still stands as the school record. Seventeen years later, the quartet of Roy Williams, Anthony Amantine, Kendrick Campbell and Johnny Collins grabbed the indoor title at 3:06.69.
The Horned Frogs step on the track for the prelims on Monday, June 10, at 7:28 p.m. PDT.
