The Road To Eugene
6/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Outdoor Track
After defending his 60-meter NCAA Championship title with a historic time of 6.47, Ronnie Baker kept his foot on the gas pedal heading outdoors. One week after claiming his second national championship, the senior from Louisville, Ky. ran a wind-aided 9.95 in the 100 meters. Baker's season-best time led the NCAA throughout the entire regular season.
At the 2016 Texas Relays, Baker anchored TCU's 4x100-meter relay team as they recorded a winning time of 39.08. Their time ranks No. 7 in the nation. Baker also went on to garner bronze in the 100 meters against a field of international and professional athletes. Baker was voted the Texas Relays' Most Outstanding Performer.
In his only 200-meter dash performance of the season, the Bowerman Watch List selection logged a second-place time of 20.64 at the Tom Jones Memorial.
At the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Baker dominated the 100-meter dash, taking home gold with a time of 10.15. Baker was named the Men's Big 12 Outstanding Performer of the Year. Baker also won the Big 12 Indoor 60 meters in February, while his latest hardware addition was his fourth Big 12 gold medal of his career. Baker was the first athlete to become the Big 12 60 meter and 100-meter dash champion in the same year since TCU's Charles Silmon in 2013.
Baker remained consistent at the NCAA West Prelims as he qualified for nationals in the 100 meters and as part of the 4x100 relay. The 4x100 semifinals will kick off the NCAA Championships on Wednesday, June 8 at 4:32 p.m. PDT, while the 100 meter semifinals will begin at 5:46 p.m. PDT.
At last year's NCAA Outdoor Championships, Baker earned silver as the third leg of the 4x100 relay with a time of 38.59.
Baker was named the South Central Athlete of the Year for the 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor season and was also named TCU's 2016 Pop Boone Athlete of the Year.
Baker's name was on the Bowerman Watch List before the season began, and he has held his spot in each watch list since. The Bowerman is awarded each year to the top male and female collegiate athlete in NCAA track & field. It is the highest individual honor in the sport.
Sam Watts entered the outdoor season after claiming First-Team All-American honors in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Throughout the outdoor season, Watts remained an important member of TCU's relay teams.
In his outdoor 200-meter opener, Watts did his job and clocked in with a regional-qualifying time of 20.68 at the Tom Jones Memorial, placing second behind Baker. Leading up to that, Watts helped TCU record the NCAA's seventh-fastest 4x100 relay time at the Texas Relays with a gold-medal time of 39.08. Watts also ran the 4x400-meter relay in Austin, claiming silver with a time of 3:06.22.
At the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Fort Worth, no one competed more times in the finals than Watts. Watts opened the meet with a second-place finish in the 4x100 relay alongside junior Raymond Bozmans, junior Malik Summers and freshman Darrion Flowers. The quartet combined for a time of 39.41. Watts then went on to compete against Baker in the 100 meter finals. In just his second 100 meter performance of the year, he took home sixth place after running a personal-best time of 10.27 in the prelims. Watts completed his extensive day in the 200 meters, where he earned silver behind a time of 20.69 (-0.8).
At the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Watts ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay team that earned silver, crossing the finish line in 38.59 seconds.
Watts is set to compete in the 200 meters and 4x100 relay this year. The 4x100-meter relay will commence the meet at 4:32 p.m. PDT, while the 200 meters semifinal is set to start at 6:44 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, June 8.
If Brianna McGhee's 2015-16 season could be summarized in two words, it would be "breaking records." Throughout the outdoor season, the senior from Omaha, Neb. brought the school 100-meter hurdles record down .36 seconds by topping her own best four times.
McGhee did not miss a beat moving outdoors as she opened the season with back to back first-place finishes in the 100 hurdles at the TCU and Ricardo Romo Invitationals.
In her next outing at the Texas Relays, McGhee broke the school record en route to a second-place finish at 13.19. At the beginning of the season, she held the record at 13.24.
One week later, she improved to 13.16 at the Jim Click Shootout before recording a sub-13 second performance the following week.
At the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Fla., McGhee matched her personal best of 13.16 in the prelims. In the finals, McGhee recorded a career milestone with a 12.95 finish, taking home first place.
McGhee did not stop there, though. At the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship, she set the tone for the Horned Frogs with a blistering time of 12.88 in the 100-hurdle prelims. Battling a slight headwind, McGhee once again led the pack in the finals as she took home gold at 13.14 in front of the home crowd.
McGhee qualified for nationals in the 100 hurdles at the NCAA West Prelims with the second-fastest time at the meet, crossing the finish line in 13.01 seconds. The 100-meter hurdle semifinals are set to begin on Thursday, June 9 at 5:32 p.m. PDT.
Fellan McGuigan, the freshman from London, England, could not have started his collegiate career on a higher note. McGuigan opened the year by breaking the school hammer throw record by nearly 14 feet at the TCU Invitational with a mark of 201 feet 2 inches (61.31 meters). But that feat would not satisfy him as he went on to improve the record to 211 feet 6 inches (64.47 meters) by the end of the season.
Following his school record and first-place finish at the TCU Invitational, McGuigan also took home gold at the Ricardo Romo Invitational with a mark of 205 feet 7 inches (62.66 meters).
McGuigan's season-best and TCU record of 211 feet 6 inches came in Tucson, Ariz. at the Jim Click Shootout as he placed second.
At the Big 12 Championships in Fort Worth, McGuigan placed third with a distance of 206 feet 9 inches (63.02 meters), and at the NCAA West Prelims, the freshman qualified for nationals in dramatic fashion.
After being delayed the rest of the day after his first attempt, McGuigan earned his way to nationals on his final attempt as he went the distance for 206 feet 9 inches (63.03 meters), placing 11th. The top 12 athletes in the region advanced to the next round.
McGuigan will compete in the hammer throw finals at the NCAA Championships at 2:00 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, June 8.
Megan Smith started her senior year with an incredible feat. She broke a 23-year-old shot put record at the TCU Invitational with a season-best mark of 56 feet 5.75 inches (17.21 meters). Her first-place distance surpassed Stevanie Ferguson, who set the previous record of 56 feet 4.75 inches in 1993.
In all six of her regular season shot put performances, the Olathe, Kan. native placed in the top three. Following the record-breaking performance in Fort Worth, Smith went on to place second in the shot put at the Ricardo Romo Invitational (16.47 meters) and third in the discus (48.63 meters).
At the Texas Relays, Smith logged a third-place finish with a shot put distance of 53 feet 9.75 inches (16.40 meters). Smith placed second in the shot put at the Jim Click Shootout before taking home gold in the event at the Tom Jones Memorial with a mark of 53 feet 5.75 inches (16.30 meters).
Closing out the NCAA West prelims in dramatic fashion was Smith in the shot put. Heading into her final attempt, she found herself in 19th place, but with her last throw, she connected and launched the shot 54 feet 3.75 inches (16.55 meters). Smith jumped to 12th place with her effort and will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. at 6:30 p.m. PDT on Thursday, June 9.
Following a performance at the NCAA Championship his freshman year, Scotty Newton continued to excel into his sophomore year.
Newton dominated the Jim Click Shootout to start the season, taking home first place in the long jump and triple jump with marks of 25 feet 5.25 inches (7.75 meters) and 52 feet (15.85 meters), respectively. His season-best mark of 52 feet would be the deciding factor as he matched the feat at the NCAA West Prelims to advance to nationals with a 12th-place finish.
At the Big 12 Outdoor Championship, Newton took home bronze in the triple jump (15.69 meters) and fifth in the long jump.
Newton will compete in the triple jump finals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene at 5:30 p.m. PDT on Friday, June 10.
Adam Damadzic, a junior from Worchester, England, earned his spot in the NCAA Championship discus finals with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA West Prelims. His mark of 183 feet 10 inches (56.03 meters) was the second-farthest of the season.
Damadzic recorded back to back second-place finishes at the Jim Click Shootout and Tom Jones Memorial with marks of 185 feet 2 inches and 182 feet 3 inches, respectively.
Damadzic will compete in the NCAA discus finals on Friday, June 10 at 5:05 p.m. PDT.
At the NCAA West Prelims in Laurence, Kan., TCU's 4x100-meter relay team of junior Raymond Bozmans, senior Sam Watts, junior Malik Summers and senior Ronnie Baker won their heat with a time of 39.50, advancing to the semifinals, which are set to commence the track events in Eugene at 4:32 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, June 8.
The Horned Frogs recorded the NCAA's seventh-fastest time in the event with a gold-medal time of 39.08 at the Texas Relays with freshman Darrion Flowers running the third leg instead of Summers, who ran in the Frogs' latest 4x100.
At the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, the 4x100 relay team of Cameron Echols-Luper, Watts, Baker and Kolby Listenbee took home silver with their season-best time of 38.59.
TCU has always been a big player in the 4x100 relay. In June of 1989, the Frogs set the collegiate record in the event with a time of 38.23. The record still stands today - 27 years later.
