Baker Breaks TU Steeplechase Record on Day One of Drake Relays

DES MOINES, Iowa — An 11-year school record fell Thursday as University of Tulsa track standout Christian Baker earned an 8:38.66 mark to place second overall in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase on day one of the Drake Relays. The previous record belonged to TU All-American Carl Stones (8:39.70), set during the 2012 NCAA steeplechase semifinal.

Because the first-place finisher in the event was an unattached athlete, the race officially goes down the sixth career win for Baker, a junior from Kirkwood, Mo.

"I knew it was a deep field, so the goal was to try to not let any gaps form and see what I could do in the last thousand meters," said Baker. "It's exciting, especially as we head towards the end of the season. It's all about racing from here on out. Every race is an opportunity to learn and get better."

Also highlighting the action on Thursday was Tulsa's unseeded 5,000-meter run contingent, featuring Chris McLeod (third), Max Nores (fourth) and Ryan Shumaker (ninth), who each placed among the top 10 out of 35 competitors. All three student-athletes send new personal bests along the way.

The Golden Hurricane will wrap up action in Des Moines tomorrow, beginning with the women's seeded 1,500-meters at 6:48 p.m. followed by the men's seeded 1,500-meters at 6:55 p.m. On Saturday, 16 Tulsa athletes will compete at the Rock Chalk Classic in Kansas, starting at 11 a.m.

1,500m Unseeded
25. Keely Jones 4:35.22

3,000m Steeplechase
2. Christian Baker 8:38.66*^
19. Pete Johnson 8:59.88*

5,000m Unseeded
24. Robyn Kowalski 17:52.06*

5,000m Seeded
26. Sara Scott 17:02.76
28. Tamara Reeves 17:21.42

5,000m Unseeded
3. Chris McLeod 14:06.62*
4. Max Nores 14:07.24*
9. Ryan Shumaker 14:20.32*

10,000m
12. Kylee Reed 36:30.13
13. Avery Hill 36:32.86

* Personal Best

Baker Breaks TU Steeplechase Record on Day One of Drake Relays

Related News

Players Mentioned

Christian Baker

Avery Hill

Pete Johnson

Keely Jones

Robyn Kowalski

Chris McLeod

Max Nores

Kylee Reed

Tamara Reeves

Sara Scott

Ryan Shumaker

Related Videos