Baker Named Big 12 Athlete of the Week

DALLAS, Texas?Nebraska senior Sara Jane Baker was named Big 12 Conference Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week Tuesday after setting a career-best performance in the women’s heptathlon during last weekend’s Jim Click Combined Events in Tucson, Ariz. The award is the first career conference honor for the Kalamazoo, Mich., native. Texas’ Brian Robison garnered men’s honors from the Big 12 this week.

                       

Baker, who recently earned her first career All-America honor at the NCAA Indoor Championships, placed second in the heptathlon last weekend with a wind-aided score of 5,485 to finish only behind two-time NCAA champion Jacqueline Johnson (ArizonaState). Baker met the NCAA provisional qualification for the third straight year during the competition, and was only 15 points shy of the automatic standard. She set one individual event best with a throw of 133-0 in the javelin in her first outdoor competition of the year.

 

The heptathlon point total currently leads all Big 12 athletes, while ranking No. 2 nationally behind Johnson. Additionally, Baker moved into third place on Nebraska’s all-time wind-aided women’s heptathlon chart.

 

Baker earned her first career All-America honor earlier this month after tying for 11th place in the women’s high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The senior was the only athlete among 11 Huskers competing in the national meet to participate in multiple events, as she also finished 11th in the women’s pentathlon.