Baylor University Shines in 400 Meters in Eugene!

-From Eugene, Oregon

What about the Baylor University 400-meter crew? Two of the four semifinal heats were won by current or former quartermilers from “The U”.

Legendary Baylor coaches Clyde Hart and Michael Ford have as much, if not more, impact than anyone in the world on influencing a single event in the entire sport.

All five runners earned automatic bids to Monday’s semifinal round. The number one 400-meter runner in the world, Jeremy Wariner ,won his heat (46.04), and Baylor senior Quentin Inglehart-Summers (45.87) also won his heat. Former 1,600-meter relay Olympic gold medalist Darold Williamson (46.00) placed third in his heat, Sophmore LeGerald Betters (45.46) from Waco, Texas finished second in his heat and former Bear Reggie Witherspoon (45.94) also finished second in his heat.

Former University of Texas alum Sanya Richards won her heat in the women’s 400-meter semifinal. She trains under Coach Clyde Hart at the Baylor University track in Waco, Texas.

Is it possible to see four Baylor runners in the Team USA 1,600-meter relay pool in Beijing?

PRJ Insider: Tyson Invitational Preview

Spearman has personal best time of 19.65 in outdoor 200-meters

The Tyson Invitational typically draws big crowds. This year is no exception. In a mere seven years, the meet has developed a reputation for exceptional indoor races.

The Tyson Invitational is set to run Friday, February 15 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville. The first event begins at 8 p.m. The meet is to be televised February 17th from 5:00 to 7:oo p.m (ET) on ESPN .

Not only is Adam Nelson worth watching, but so is the men’s shot put. Nelson shook up the shot put world in New York heaving 72 feet, 5 inches. Current indoor and outdoor world champion Reese Hoffa, as well as Christian Cantwell and Dan Taylor will want to avenge their losses. The event should be a ruckus.

Carmelita Jeter has been coming on strong by narrowly winning the 60-meters at the finish line. Miki Barber has had trouble holding off Jeter, but you can rest assure Barber has been tweaking her workouts to adjust accordingly. Sanya Richards, a 400-meter specialist, is making a surprise appearance in the race.

Getting her first Visa Championship Series start of her career is Natasha Hastings. The 2007 NCAA 400-meter champion from University of South Carolina competed professionally outdoors last year after the collegiate season and is debuting indoors at 200-meters.

Jenn Stuczynski, who lost to Jillian Schwartz on misses two weeks ago in New York, is back to confirm her status as the queen of pole vault. Schwartz, Chelsea Johnson, Lacy Jansen, and Arkansas alum April Steiner certainly have plans to spoil the campaign. The line up is hot!

Might want to watch Wallace Spearman this week. He is coming off a superb 2007 outdoor season, running 19.82 at the Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York and winning bronze at world championships in Osaka. This race is ‘must-watch TV’. PRJ announced that Wallace is looking to break the current 200-meter world indoor record of 19.92.

Speaking of great races, the men’s and women’s collegiate 4 x 400 meter relay races are stacked. Five of the top 10 ranked teams populate this week’s race. The LSU Tiger women come in with the nation’s second fastest time and Arkansas, Miami, Penn State and South Carolina are all ranked in the top 10. Whew!

Likewise, reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor champion 1,600-meter relay team, Baylor University, will be defending their title against stiff competition. Baylor could not have chosen a more challenge field to defend their title. Kentucky, LSU, Georgia and Texas Tech are all top ranked teams and will push this to be a hotly contested race.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Jeremy Wariner Has New Coach

Jeremy Wariner won the Men's 400m in a personal best time of 43.50 on August 7 at the DN Galan Meet in Stockholm, Sweden.

It didn’t take very long. Jeremy Wariner has switched to Baylor assistant coach Michael Ford—who coaches Wariner’s training partner and former teammate Darold Williamson.

Coach Clyde Hart announced yesterday he split with Wariner because of a contract dispute.

An official contract with Coach Ford has not been signed but the decision is not surprising. The move allows Jeremy to remain in Waco at the Baylor track and train in the system that has made him successful.

Coach Ford was a standout 400 meter runner at Baylor and has been an excellent track coach at the university for eight years. Ford is prepared to coach the planet’s fastest 400 meter runner.

Sure, this is a distraction today. It is likely that very little will change in the long run. Jeremy has a talented management team to steer his career that includes agent, Michael Johnson, and manager, Deon Minor, who was a two-time indoor NCAA 400-meter champion at Baylor.

Next week Wariner is headed to Beijing on Olympic publicity work, and then he is back to the Baylor track to work on winning Olympic gold and breaking the world record.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Wariner & Hart Splitsville

Jeremy Wariner clocks a time of 43.35 seconds to win 2004 Olympic Games

In a sport not known for break ups over money, Jeremy Wariner and long-time Coach Clyde Hart are no longer working together. The end of the relationship comes as the two parties are unable to settle on contract terms only seven months before the Olympics.

Labor disputes about compensation are commonplace in other sports, but these kinds of disputes are rarely heard about in track & field. While specifics were not released, Coach Hart reportedly was offered a less lucrative contract than in years past.

A coaching change may be a blow to some runners but Prerace Jitters believes that Jeremy’s passion to run and access to coaching guidance will probably not alter his Olympic year performance and overall career.

Meanwhile, Coach Hart undoubtly will have his hands full preparing Sanya Richards for her highly anticipated solo run at 400 meter gold in Beijing.

Disputes like this show the world how much money is at stake at the most elite levels of track & field. In this case, however, Prerace Jitters thinks that all involved parties will land on their feet.