Baker's Career-Best Day Starts Wolverines' Weekend in San Diego

Friday, April 12

San Diego, Calif.

9:30 AM PT

Michigan

Triton Invitational

Bailey Baker (Aaron Shepley)

Baker's Career-Best Day Starts Wolverines' Weekend in San Diego

4/12/2019 9:16:00 PM | Women's Track & Field

By: Kyle Terwillegar

Site: San Diego, Calif. (Triton Track & Field Stadium)
Event: Triton Invitational
U-M Result: No team scoring
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 13 -- Louisville Invitational - Day 1 (Louisville, Ky.), 10:30 a.m.; Triton Invitational - Day 2 (San Diego, Calif), 2 p.m. PDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- On the strength of a pair of personal-record performances, thrower Bailey Baker got the University of Michigan women's track and field team's weekend off to a promising start at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational on Friday (April 12).

Baker and teammate Kayla Deering had career-best days in the hammer throw to make the final and finish top-10 in the invitational section of that event, with Baker doubling back several hours later for another lifetime-best and top-10 effort in the open discus.

Baker heaved a 59.32m (194 feet, 7 inches) mark in the hammer throw to finish fifth overall in the competitive final, while Deering -- competing from a lower-seeded qualifying flight -- threw a 58.06m (190-6) toss that would stand up for ninth overall.

Before Friday, no pair of Wolverine women teammates had thrown farther than 58 meters in the hammer throw in the same competition. Baker and Deering emerged at No. 3 and No. 5 in school history, respectively.

Competing in the fourth of five qualifying flights -- one flight before Baker in the top-seeded flight -- Deering launched her best mark of the day on her first throw. It would ultimately stand up another hour as the eighth-best from the qualifying rounds.

Baker got through to the final as the seventh-best qualifier on the strength of what was then a career-best 58.42m (191-8) throw on her first of three qualifying attempts. She would top it in the first of three rounds in the final with a mark of 59.00m (193-7) before ultimately moving up to fifth with her best throw of the day in the final round.

For Baker, the performance puts her in solid position to qualify for the NCAA East Preliminaries in May -- by virtue of finishing the regular season top-48 in the NCAA East Region in an event -- in what is already the deepest hammer throw field in East Region history. Deering moved herself to the outside of the qualifying bubble with her effort.

Baker was not finished with her career-best Friday, as she doubled back in the open section of the discus several hours later with a new personal-record 49.72m (163-2) for ninth overall.

Her first throw of the day was a then-PR 49.34m (161-10), which was followed on her penultimate third throw by another PR of 49.74m (163-2).

The throw -- more than eight feet farther than her previous career best -- broke her through into the all-time Michigan top 10 in the event at No. 9.

Briana Nelson will compete in the Triton Invitational shot put at 2 p.m. PDT, with the rest of the team contesting its only day of action at the Louisville Invitational. The Wolverine women sprinters, distance runners and throwers get their day underway against the likes of host Louisville, Michigan State, Purdue and Notre Dame at 10:30 a.m.

Collegiate Career-Best Performances

Career debuts not included

Bailey Baker -- 49.72m (163-2) / Discus (O)
Bailey Baker -- 59.32m (194-7) / Hammer Throw (O)
Kayla Deering -- 58.06m (190-6) / Hammer Throw (O)

Full Michigan Results by Event

Q = Automatic qualifier into final; q = non-automatic qualifier into final

100 Meters (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday

200 Meters (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday

400 Meters (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday

800 Meters (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday

1,500 Meters (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday

100-Meter Hurdles (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday

400-Meter Hurdles (at Louisville)
To be contested Saturday