Track relay team wins third straight national title
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
Continuing with “Athletics Week” here… While the Baylor basketball teams are gearing up for the NCAA Tournament, the Baylor track and field team just finished their run (pun intended) at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships — and the Baylor men’s 4×400-meter relay team brought home the national championship for the third straight time.
The Bears’ success at the 4×400 relay under former head coach Clyde Hart and current coach Todd Harbour has led to Baylor’s nickname in the track world of “Quartermile U.” The Baylor men also won the event at last spring’s indoor and outdoor championships; the Bears are just the fourth team in NCAA history to win three straight. Baylor already holds the NCAA record, having won five straight relay titles between 1990 and 1992.
The winning quartet was made up of freshman Marcus Boyd, sophomores Trey Harts and LeJerald Betters, and senior Justin Boy. Their winning time of 3:05.66 was the fastest in the world this year; in fact, Baylor owns three of the six fastest times in the world so far this year.
Sic ’em, Baylor track and field!
Lady Bear selection show photo gallery
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Photo Galleries, Athletics
The Baylor women’s basketball team gathered with a couple of hundred fans Monday night in the Ferrell Center’s Stone Reception Room to watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show live on ESPN, and those gathered were not disappointed as the Lady Bears were named a No. 3 seed. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.
Sic ’em, Lady Bears!
Women’s basketball in NCAA Tourney for 7th time in 8 years
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
For the seventh time in head coach Kim Mulkey’s eight seasons at Baylor, the Lady Bears are headed to the NCAA Tournament! The 12th-ranked Baylor women’s basketball team was named a No. 3 seed when the bracket was released Monday night. The ladies will face Fresno State in the first round, to be played Saturday at 1 p.m. CT in Albuquerque (and televised on ESPN2).
During the regular season, the Lady Bears finished second in the Big 12 despite beginning the year with a short bench and losing even more depth when all-Big 12 guard Jhasmin Player went down for the season with an injury. National player of the year finalist Angela Tisdale and fellow first-team all-Big 12 selection Rachel Allison stepped up their games this season, helping carry the team to where it is today.
Baylor will be making its fifth straight tournament appearance. In Mulkey’s first seven seasons, she has led the Lady Bears to the Sweet 16 three times, and on to a National Championship in 2005.
Tickets are available through the Baylor Ticket Office at 254-710-1000. The winner of Saturday’s game would face the winner of Pitt/Wyoming on Monday.
Sic ’em, Coach Mulkey and Baylor women’s basketball!
More from the men’s basketball selection show
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Photo Galleries, Athletics
Approximately 600 fans gathered at the Ferrell Center Sunday night to join the Baylor men’s basketball team in watching to see if the Bears would make this year’s NCAA Tournament. As head coach Scott Drew said, “We wanted to watch this with our family, and you [the fans] are our family.”
The CBS announcers went spot by spot, team by team, through nearly the entire 65-team bracket without calling Baylor’s name. In the end, it came down to the final unannounced spot. With one place remaining, nervous clapping and cheers echoed through the Ferrell Center, erupting into furious shouts of joy when “Baylor” went up on the screens.
We’ve put together this photo gallery to share the experience, and at least one fan has uploaded a video of the announcement on YouTube. Check it out — it still gives me chills. BaylorBears.com and the Waco Tribune-Herald each have short photo galleries, too.
I’m proud for the seniors, who chose Baylor when their friends questioned why. I’m proud for Coach Drew, who made the same choice despite those who scratched their head at his move. And I’m proud for Baylor fans, who suffered through some rough years and now get to enjoy this experience — which is hopefully just the beginning.
Sic ’em, Baylor men’s basketball!
Special season continues as Baylor men head to NCAA Tourney
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
After compiling the program’s best-ever Big 12 record and its first 20-win season in 20 years, head coach Scott Drew has the Baylor men’s basketball team headed back to the NCAA Tournament!
The Bears were named a No. 11 seed in the West region; they will face No. 6 seed Purdue Thursday in Washington, D.C. (Game times will be announced later Monday; a very limited number of tickets are available by calling the Baylor Ticket Office at 254-710-1000.) The winner of that game will face the winner of Xavier/Georgia on Saturday, also in D.C.
It’s been 20 years since the Bears last made the NCAA Tournament. This year’s appearance is Baylor’s fifth NCAA Tournament selection in program history; the Bears have played in two Final Fours (1948, 1950) and one national title game (1948).
Stay tuned to BaylorBears.com for updates as the Bears continue their postseason run. And don’t forget the women’s NCAA Tournament selection show Monday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN!
Sic ’em, Coach Drew and Baylor men’s basketball!
Lady Bear a finalist for national player of the year
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
As Baylor’s basketball programs prepare for NCAA Tournament bracket announcements (men, 5 p.m. CT Sunday on CBS; women, 6 p.m. CT Monday on ESPN), one Lady Bear has been recognized for her performance this year.
Senior guard Angela Tisdale was among 17 student-athletes listed on the ballot for the 2008 Women’s John R. Wooden Award, given annually to the nation’s top player.
A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, Tisdale has already stamped her name all over Baylor’s recordbooks. Earlier this season, she became the program’s all-time assists leader, and she also ranks among Baylor’s best in career 3-pointers (third) and points (13th) heading into the postseason.
Sic ’em, Angela!
Theatre profs earn rave review for their own performances
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Honors
Through its productions and events like the semi-annual Horton Foote American Playwrights Festival, Baylor’s theatre department is making a nice name for the University in the world of theatre. Last week, the Dallas Morning News gave an excellent review to “The Unseen,” a play starring three Baylor theatre professors (Steven Pounders, Stan Denman and Thomas Ward) and directed by a fourth (Lisa Denman).
The performance was produced by the American Actors Company, in cooperation with Baylor. The Company was originally created by theater legends like Horton Foote, Jerome Robbins and Mary Hunter and ran from 1938-45. With Foote’s blessing, Baylor’s department of theatre arts picked up the mantle several years ago to carry on the mission of the original group.
Besides “The Unseen,” the American Actors Company also recently produced Foote’s “The Traveling Lady” at Baylor. The play ended up with a successful off-Broadway run, earning great reviews and a Drama Desk award nomination.
Sic ’em, Baylor theatre!
Recent grad recognized for volunteer service
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Student life, Honors
Baylor students, faculty and staff annually volunteer more than 150,000 hours of local community service. The hope is that such an attitude of service continues long after graduation.
One young Baylor alum recently was honored for her service, receiving the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which was created by President Bush in 2002 “as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.”
Kathryne Butler, a 2007 grad, was an active volunteer at Baylor, participating in events such as Steppin’ Out, Operation Christmas Child and Special Olympics. She says belonging to campus organizations like the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and CHI’s service sorority made it easy to serve and provided plenty of opportunities.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of Baylor students are off on mission trips right now during spring break, repairing homes, serving medical needs, and sharing the Gospel across the country and even internationally. What a wonderful representation of what it means to be a Baylor Bear!
Sic ’em, Kathryne and all Baylor volunteers!
Baseball’s Smith earns 500th win leading Bears
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
Sunday at Mississippi State, Baylor baseball head coach Steve Smith became the second coach in school history (across all sports) to reach 500 career wins.
Only Mickey Sullivan — who like Smith, lettered at Baylor — ever earned more wins leading the Bears (Sullivan won 649 games between 1974 and 1994). Smith has led Baylor to nine NCAA Tournament appearances in his first 13 seasons, and with this year’s squad off to an 11-1 start, it looks like 2008 may well bring number 10.
It was only fitting for Smith to earn his 500th win in Starkville; the Baylor grad spent five years as an assistant at Mississippi State under head coach Ron Polk before being named Baylor’s head coach in 1994. Polk is the fifth-winningest coach in college baseball history with over 1,350 wins, but he was on the losing end versus Baylor on Sunday.
Sic ’em, Coach Smith!
Scenes from Sing 2008
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Photo Galleries, Student life
If you’ve never been to Baylor’s All-University Sing, it’s hard to convey the energy that fills Waco Hall, but we’ve done our best with this photo gallery from this year’s spectacular. In the course of a little over three hours, a combined cast of over 1,200 students presented 16 acts reminiscent of the golden age of musicals — between 50 and 100 students on stage at a time, singing and dancing through a medley of songs in each act.
A panel of judges named “On the Town” (performed by Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Sigma and pictured at right) this year’s best act. It will be one of eight acts featured at Pigskin Revue this fall during Homecoming Weekend.
We’ve also put together a second photo gallery that gives a “behind-the-scenes” look at Sing. Thanks to Baylor Photography for sharing these photos with us!
I attended Sing this year for the first time, and I’m glad I did; this year was the 55th annual performance, and it’s a tradition Baylor friends and family can be proud of.
Sic ’em, Sing!
