Indoor season is officially over and most NCAA athletes are spending their spring breaks volunteering at the local soup kitchen or catching up on homework. At least that’s what they’re telling their coaches. 

 

While many athletes use their week off between seasons to get in some “training” in Florida or other exotic locations, we here at FloTrack are kicking off the outdoor season a bit early this year by traveling the three hours to Fort Worth to bring you the TCU Invitational this Friday LIVE. The weather is turning nice again, and we’ve traded the cramped 200m oval for the much more comfortable 400m circle that everyone loves. You’re gonna want to grab your margarita and find a WiFi hot spot on the beach, because some big names in the sprint game are coming straight from the NCAA Championships to TCU ready to run stupid fast. Who needs March Madness?

WATCH THE TCU INVITATIONAL LIVE THIS FRIDAY!

 

Men’s 100m, Friday 2:40 pm

Quick trivia question: Which 2015 NCAA indoor champion is skipping spring break in favor of the 100m in Fort Worth? If you guessed Edward Cheserek, you’d be wrong. BUT, if you went with the much more logical pick of TCU’s Ronnie Baker, you are correct! 

RONNIE BAKER RUNS 6.52 TO BECOME NCAA's FASTEST MAN!

 

The NCAA 60m champ is ready to take advantage of his outstanding fitness, and capitalize in the 100m after dropping a sizzling 6.52 in the final this past weekend. Baker was the surprise winner in Fayetteville over favorites John Teeters and Jalen Miller, and he has a very good shot at running the 2015 world lead on his home track this Friday. Baker’s seed time is 10.14, a wind-aided mark he ran in 2014, while the current world best is 10.23. If Baker stays true to the form he showed indoors, that time is in jeopardy. 

 

Challenging the NCAA’s fastest man will be UT-Arlington’s Clayton Vaughn, an All-American last spring in both the 100m and 200m. Vaughn did not have NCAA indoor eligibility, but he still raced plenty this winter, dropping a 6.54 60m in January that was the world-lead at the time. Vaughn took on the pros at the USATF Championships in February, finishing an impressive third behind Marvin Bracy and Joe Morris, and ahead of Olympian Trell Kimmons. Like Baker, Vaughn’s seed time is wind-aided, but his 10.07 is the fastest in the field. 

 

Two other names to pay attention to are TCU’s Sam Watts and UT-Arlington’s Quentin Butler. Watts is another Horned Frog coming off the NCAA Indoor Championships, as he was eighth in the 200m final last weekend in 21.01. Watts has only run 10.48 in this event, but his 200m strength (he ran 20.69 indoors) suggests that big things are coming in the shorter race this spring. Butler ran a legal 10.32 in the NCAA West regional last May. 

 

Women’s 100m, Friday 2:30 pm

The top two finishers from this event last year are back looking to once again start their seasons off right. Defending champ Stephanie Kalu of SMU ran a wind-aided 11.15 at the 2014 TCU Invite to fend off Nike’s Chelsea Hayes in 11.20, and they will have deja vu when they go at it again this Friday. Kalu just missed qualifying for NCAA indoors in the 60m with her 7.33 from January, and she will be hungry to prove herself after that disappointment. Kalu represented Nigeria in the 2013 World Championships. 

2012 Olympian Chelsea Hayes will bring her talents to TCU this Friday

Hayes is known much more for her long jump pedigree, as she was an All-American LJ’er while at Louisiana Tech and made the 2012 Olympic team after jumping a 7.10m PB at the Trials. Hayes is not jumping at TCU, but she will test out that runway speed that helped propel her to London in 2012. Hayes ran her career best in the 100m in the prelims at the 2012 NCAA Championships (11.15), and ultimately finished sixth in the final while also finishing third in the long jump. Hayes is a multi-talented athlete that should be fun to watch in Fort Worth.