June 13, 2008

Photo Gallery 

DES MOINES, Iowa -

Robert Griffin placed third in the men's 400-meter hurdles and the women's and men's sprint relays finished third and sixth, respectively, on the third day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday at Drake Stadium.

Griffin finished third in the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.55. Griffin, who graduated from high school in December and enrolled at Baylor in January to complete spring football drills, becomes Baylor's first All-American in the 400-meter hurdles since Michael Smith took 7^th in 2002. His finish is the highest for the Bears since Bayano Kamani and Smith finished one-two in the 2001 NCAA Championships.

On Thursday Baylor qualified both its men's and women's 4x400-meter relay squads to the event finals, marking the first time in Baylor history that the Bears sent all four relays to the NCAA Finals. On Friday, the Bears' relays paid dividends in the finals of the 4x100-meter relay.

The Lady Bears took third overall with a time of 43.61 edging Florida by one-thousandth of a second to record the second-fastest time in school history. At the Big 12 Championships Baylor clocked 43.60 to establish a new school mark. The Lady Bears earned All-America honors for the first time since the 2000 squad finished sixth. The third-place finish is the highest in Baylor history with the previous high finish of fourth place coming in 1994.

The Baylor men finished sixth in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 39.47. Jacob Norman, who pulled up in the first round of the 100 meters on Wednesday with a cramp in his calf, overtook TCU's Otis McDaniel on the anchor leg to move Baylor into sixth place. The men's sprint relay finishes with All-America honors for the first time since 1990 when the Bears finished third overall.

LeJerald Betters won his heat of the 400 meters and recorded the fastest time of the semifinals in 45.12 to qualify for Saturday's event finals. Betters, who ran the semifinals from lane eight, will start from lane five in the final heat.

Baylor returns to action on Saturday afternoon for the final day of competition in the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The meet will be televised live on CBS from 3-5 p.m. Live results can be found on Drake University's official athletics website www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.

ALL-AMERICANS

Justin Boyd - 400mh

Robert Griffin - 400mh

Brittany Bruce, Carla Grace, Brittany Carr, Tiffany Townsend - W. 4x100

Marcus Boyd, Trey Harts, Courtney Thomas, Jacob Norman - M. 4x100

FRIDAY RESULTS

Women's Events

4x100-Meter Relay

1. Texas A&M - 42.59

3. Baylor - 43.61

Men's Events

400 Meters - Semifinals

1. LeJerald Betters (Baylor) - 45.12

400-Meter Hurdles

1. Jeshua Anderson (Washington State) - 48.69

3. Robert Griffin (Baylor) - 49.55

4x100-Meter Relay

1. LSU - 38.42

6. Baylor - 39.47