WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Molly Haywood and Tiriah Kelley are a pair of Bears making headlines in the NCAA Track and Field season.
In the pole vault, Haywood hit the height 15-0 on her first attempt — only the third time in program history.
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Tiriah Kelley broke the school record in the 200 meters at the Corky Classic with a world leading time of 22.56 seconds.
"I've looked up to all the girls that have had the records before me, so just being able to like see what they did and when I was jumping 6 ft in junior high, I was like, I want to be like them," Haywood said.
"So, the fact that I'm at that level now where I'm jumping those really high bars, I think is really cool that I'm able to be like that role model for some of the younger girls out there," she said.
"It gave me a lot of confidence, a lot of excitement. My goal last year, I opened up at Texas A&M with 23.2 and my goal this year was just to have a faster opener. I didn't expect it to be that much faster, but I definitely was excited. It made me feel good for sure," Kelley said.
NO. 1 IN NATION
— Baylor Track & Field (@BaylorTrack) January 27, 2026
Tiriah Kelley's 22.56 still stands as the NCAA- and world-leading time in the 200 meters.
She is also just outside the top 25 in the 60 meters at 7.32. pic.twitter.com/HlGGCZ2Rxj
Both Haywood and Kelley are ranked number one in the NCAA. Their efforts have lifted the Bears into the top 25 rankings.
"It makes us feel really special. Like, it makes me very happy. I want Baylor to be an intimidating team again. Like, I'm ready for that. So this is definitely the start and I'm happy for Molly and I," Kelley said.
NO. 1 IN NATION
— Baylor Track & Field (@BaylorTrack) January 27, 2026
Junior Molly Haywood is the only vaulter in the country to clear the 15-0 bar this season. She is No. 1 in the NCAA rankings and No. 3 in the world! pic.twitter.com/yNPPOAQlnW
"Being able to be ranked as a team kind of motivates everybody that they want to help us hold that spot to get hired, to like, get closer to that number one position. So I think being able to just kind of play into that sport that is really special," Haywood said.
Baylor athletes are setting new school records — which head coach Michael Ford says is a sign of how much track and field is evolving.
"The material they use, the tracks, the poles, the spikes, everything's evolving and I think the knowledge I had four years ago is different than I have now," he said.
"They want to be at that level so they can go back and look at the pictures on the wall or they look at the school records and say, hey, how can I get those school records?" Ford said.
Baylor is on the road as they head to the DeLoss Dodds Invite on Friday, Jan. 30.
