News
WACO, Texas (Jan. 21, 2021) – Baylor University announced today that it has opened its own on-site COVID-19 testing lab and research facility in partnership with My Labs Direct (MLD), a CLIA-certified, COLA-accredited diagnostic lab that offers an extensive menu of FDA-approved tests.
STILLWATER, Okla. – NaLyssa Smith recorded her 18th career double-double and fifth of the season with 18 points and 12 boards as No. 9 Baylor bounced back from its first conference loss of the season to blow out Oklahoma State, 77-58, Wednesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
As Baylor Athletics continues to onboard student-athletes, the department will release a weekly report of both positive and negative COVID-19 tests.
Baylor junior KC Lightfoot tied a league record with his fifth-career Big 12 Athlete of the Week award, the conference office announced Wednesday.
WACO, Texas – The Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday that three league games will be altered slightly, including Baylor women's basketball's home contest with Kansas. The game between the Lady Bears and Jayhawks was originally scheduled for Feb. 3 at 7 p.m., and now the contest is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 7 p.m..
After his collegiate record-breaking performance in Lubbock, KC Lightfoot was announced Tuesday as National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Seven years later, there's a part of Whitney Canion Reichenstein that misses softball – the game, the adrenalin rush, the locker room camaraderie.
WACO, Texas – Former Texas Tech standout Chrislyn Carr has transferred to Baylor and will join the Lady Bears basketball program, head coach Kim Mulkey announced Tuesday. Carr won the Big 12 Freshman of the Year Award for the 2018-19 season for the Lady Raiders.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 19, 2021) — Variation in consumption of market-acquired foods outside of the traditional diet — but not in total number of calories burned daily — is reliably related to indigenous Amazonian children’s body fat, according to a study led by Baylor University that offers insight into the global obesity epidemic.
WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor men's tennis (4-0) took care of SMU (2-3) in both ends of a doubleheader Monday, winning both matches 7-0 at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
WACO, Texas – Senior Jessica Hinojosa had a milestone day for the No. 23-ranked Baylor women's tennis team, leading the Bears to a 7-0 win over Rice at Hurd Tennis Center with her 75th career singles and 50th career doubles win Monday.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor men's basketball home game against West Virginia has been rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18 at the Ferrell Center, the Big 12 Conference office announced Monday. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN2.
WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor men's tennis (2-0) will host SMU for a pair of matches Monday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 17, 2020) - Baylor University is mourning the death of Alicia Martinez, a 2020 graduate of the Diana Garland School of Social Work and current social work graduate student who passed away today in Waco from complications from COVID-19.
KC Lightfoot set the indoor collegiate record in the pole vault to highlight a strong season opener for Baylor Track & Field across the board Saturday at the Sports Performance Center on the campus of Texas Tech.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Davion Mitchell had 19 points and Jared Butler finally scored late as No. 2 Baylor overcame No. 15 Texas Tech 68-60 on Saturday to stay undefeated after their closest game this season.
WACO, Texas – The No. 23-ranked Baylor women's tennis team swept a pair of matches over Prairie View A&M Saturday to open the 2021 spring season with 7-0 victories in each match.
WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor men's tennis (2-0) opened its 2021 season with two wins on Friday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center, defeating Lamar 7-0 and Abilene Christian 6-1.
Back a few years ago, when Dave Aranda was the defensive coordinator and Jeff Grimes the offensive line coach at LSU, a respect and bond was formed on and off the football field that helped bring them together at Baylor.
WACO, Texas – Due to the precautions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Baylor announced its revised attendance policy for home tennis matches on Friday. In order to provide the safest environment for student-athletes, fans, coaches and staffs, Hawkins Indoor will be limited to Bear Foundation, Baseline Club and Trophy Club members only.
WACO, Texas - The Baylor women's tennis team will open the 2021 season Saturday in a doubleheader vs. Prairie View A&M at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The first match will take place at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center with the second match held either at Hawkins or the Hurd Tennis Center depending on weather.
WACO, Texas – The No. 6/6 Baylor Lady Bears face Iowa State Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Ferrell Center on ESPNU.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2021) - To celebrate the life and legacy of the late Civil Rights leader, the Baylor University and Waco communities will join others across the nation to participate in events this weekend honoring Dr. King and by serving in the community on MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 18.
Vic Viloria is certainly not averse to using the "newest toy" or the latest technologies being developed in strength and conditioning training.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's tennis team ranked No. 23 in Thursday's Intercollegiate Tennis Association Preseason Top 25 rankings.
WACO, Texas – Baylor men's tennis will open its 2021 dual-match season with a doubleheader against Lamar and Abilene Christian Friday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center at Noon and 6 p.m. CT, respectively.
After a 10-month hiatus, Baylor track & field is back and headed to Lubbock, Texas for the Corky Classic Saturday at the Sports Performance Center at Texas Tech.
When the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo were postponed until July 2021 because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, it was a devastating blow for athletes that had been preparing and pointing to that moment for four years or longer.
I am looking forward to Tuesday and welcoming all of you back for the spring semester! First Gent Brad and I (and our dog BU!) have missed the energy and enthusiasm all of you bring to campus. Please know that we are praying for you as you make your way safely home to Baylor.
WACO, Texas – Baylor men's tennis landed eight players in the ITA's Preseason Singles and Doubles Rankings, as released Wednesday. Six singles players were ranked in the top-125, the most of any team in the nation.
Nearly 22 years after winning the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and setting Baylor's school record that same year, Stacey (Bowers) Smith has to wonder if her marks will ever fall.
IRVING, Texas – Baylor men's tennis has been selected to finish second in the Big 12 Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's tennis team received one first-place vote and was picked third by the league's head coaches in the 2021 Big 12 Preseason Poll Tuesday.
WACO, Texas – Baylor soccer added some depth to its back line with the addition of Wake Forest transfer Breckyn Monteith to its 2021 fall roster, announced Monday by head coach Paul Jobson.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor men's basketball home game against West Virginia scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed in accordance with Big 12 Conference men's basketball interruption guidelines, the conference office announced Monday.
Over the last 20 years, Jeff Grimes has made coaching stops in seven different states in a cross-country tour that took him as far away as Boise, Idaho, Blacksburg, Va., and Provo, Utah.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 11, 2021) – Baylor University announced today that Judge Lady, one of the University’s two beloved American black bears, is progressing to the next phase of her recovery and rehabilitation from a successful operation to remove a cyst that developed around her spinal column. The surgery occurred in August 2020 at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) in College Station.
IRVING, Texas – Adjustments have been made to the Big 12 women's basketball schedule.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 10, 2021) – Due to potential icy conditions in the morning and the closure of most, if not all, local school districts on Monday, the Baylor University campus also will be closed Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 10, 2021) – Baylor University researchers and faculty experts were featured in national and local media stories as they shared their thoughts and expertise on gratitude, hypnotherapy, New Year's resolutions, COVID-19 vaccines and global health.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Jared Butler scored a season-high 28 points and No. 2 Baylor stayed undefeated with a 67-49 victory over TCU on Saturday, when the Bears got another another double-digit win even after trailing at halftime for the first time this season.
Eric Mateos has been named Offensive Line coach at Baylor, head coach Dave Aranda announced Friday.
Baylor University officials are monitoring the current forecast from the National Weather Service, which includes the potential for winter precipitation for the Waco area beginning Sunday night.
Happy New Year! I trust that your holidays were relaxing and restful as we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
WACO, Texas – Trestan Ebner earned his fourth All-America honor on Thursday, after being tabbed Walter Camp Second Team All-American as a kick returner. It is the 17th time a Baylor player has been named to the Walter Camp All-America Team, and the first as a kick returner.
WACO, Texas – Isabella Harvison, a 19-match singles winner for the Alabama Crimson Tide, signed with Baylor Thursday after entering the transfer portal following the fall season. Harvison, a sophomore from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif., will arrive on campus this soon and will not be immediately eligible.
WACO, Texas – NaLyssa Smith advanced to the Midseason Top 25 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award Presented by Wendy's. Smith was on the preseason watch list, and she leads Baylor in scoring and rebounds at 17.3 and 9.6 per contest, respectively.
This is the second part in a series of features on Baylor Athletics' 25 for 25, which honors Baylor's top 25 athletes in the 25-year history of the Big 12 Conference (1996-21). Selected by a panel of Baylor experts, the final list was picked from a pool of over 100 candidates that came from all 19 intercollegiate sports that the school offers. Over the next three months, two honorees per week will be released and will also be featured during game broadcasts on the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 7, 2021) – Baylor University researchers Rebecca Sheesley, Ph.D., and Sascha Usenko, Ph.D., associate professors of environmental science, have been awarded an $890,000 grant by the Department of Energy Atmospheric System Research (ASR) to examine the impact of urban pollution on thunderstorm activity as part of the TRACER-MAP project.
WACO, Texas (Jan. 7, 2021) – As SAT/ACT testing availability remains challenging for high school students due to COVID-19, Baylor University has announced the extension of its test-optional admissions policy for the Fall 2022 and 2023 application cycles for incoming freshman students.
WACO, Texas – Two-time National Champion and 17-year coaching veteran Vic Viloria has been named Baylor Football's Director of Athletics Performance, head coach Dave Aranda announced Tuesday.
WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's basketball team began restricting team activities Tuesday after head coach Kim Mulkey tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on Monday. The program and Baylor medical staff are conducting additional COVID-19 testing to determine the length of the program's restricted activity.
This is the first part in a series of features on Baylor Athletics' 25 for 25, which honors Baylor's top 25 athletes in the 25-year history of the Big 12 Conference (1996-21). Selected by a panel of Baylor experts, the final list was picked from a pool of over 100 candidates that came from all 19 intercollegiate sports that the school offers. Over the next three months, two honorees per week will be released and will also be featured during game broadcasts on the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
Ryan Pugh and Chansi Stuckey have been hired as assistant coaches, Baylor head coach Dave Aranda announced Tuesday. Under new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, Pugh will coach the offensive line and Stuckey will serve as wide receivers coach.
WACO, Texas – Baylor men's tennis released its 2021 spring schedule on Monday, as announced by interim head coach Michael Woodson.
When Jay Goble received an email from Carly Ludwig 2 ½ years ago, inquiring about an opening for the assistant coach's position with Baylor women's golf, he shot back a quick response: "Yes, who you got in mind?"
Jeff Grimes has been named offensive coordinator at Baylor, head coach Dave Aranda announced Monday. A 28-year coaching veteran, Grimes, who has led the BYU offense since 2018, was named a finalist for the 2020 Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Moon Ursin and NaLyssa Smith had double-doubles and No. 7 Baylor beat TCU 74-50 on Saturday, when both head coaches missed the game because of coronavirus contact tracing.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jared Butler scored 21 points to lead four scorers in double figures and No. 2 Baylor held off Iowa State 76-65 Saturday for its narrowest margin of victory this season.
As the new year begins, our Top-10 ranked Men’s and Lady Bear’s programs are preparing to host major programs and Conference foes in Waco. They need YOU to help fill the Ferrell Center to give them a home-court advantage!
FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 7/6 Baylor Lady Bears face TCU Saturday at 1 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
It’s hard to believe that the fall semester has come to a close, which means this will be my last Presidential Perspective until the New Year! I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of you for your hard work and commitment to following our COVID-19 protocols and preventive health measures during the fall.
We are so blessed at Baylor to join together in celebration of Christmas and this season of Advent as we look toward the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the promise of Christ’s glorious return. This Advent season has even deeper meaning as I prepare my heart each day by reading and praying over the daily devotionals created by our wonderful faculty, staff, alumni and students.
With Thanksgiving only a week away – and the end of the semester just beyond it – I want to offer my deepest gratitude for the strength of spirit and compassion you have shown to others throughout this fall.
As we look toward Thanksgiving, positive cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 continue to increase dramatically across the country and Texas and within Waco-McLennan County. This is the feared “second spike” that so many medical experts predicted at the onset of the pandemic as the weather turns cooler and people spend more time indoors.
Election Day has come and gone, but extended vote counting and the expected delay in results have captured the attention of the nation. As elections are decided, we begin to look to the future and how our country can come together amidst today’s polarized political climate. How can we model post-election civil discourse that bridges political, ideological and theological divides?
Everyone continues to do an incredible job complying with Baylor’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation initiatives. Just like you, I am weary of all the testing, mask wearing and social distancing, but we must continue to press on for the health not just of ourselves, but of our neighbors and community.
It’s that time of year when many of you feel the weight of the semester, which certainly has been exacerbated by the ongoing effects of COVID-19. Stress and anxiety are felt by all people at varying levels of severity, and each of us reacts differently. Baylor has many resources available to you, and we all should employ helpful ways to manage our health and well-being, such as:
Earlier this week we announced to students that Baylor would be partnering with the City of Waco and McLennan County for COVID-19 surge testing over the next two weeks. This announcement has generated many questions from students and parents alike, so I reached out to two Baylor faculty experts who serve on the University’s COVID-19 Health Management Team to explain the importance of this surge testing effort:
Like so many other things this fall, COVID-19 has brought many changes to Baylor Homecoming – the oldest collegiate homecoming in the nation – which we will celebrate next week, Oct. 15-17.
This month Baylor joins 179 of our fellow members of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities in the celebration of Christian Higher Education Month, which was established by the U.S. Congress in 2003.
Our Illuminate vision – for Baylor to be recognized as a Tier 1/Research 1 university while holding firm to our Christian mission and Baptist heritage –requires a team effort to achieve. Tomorrow is National Research Administrator Day, a day set aside to celebrate the dedicated individuals who advance research in universities across the country.
As we finish up our fourth week of the fall semester, I’d like to thank you all – students, faculty and staff – for your diligence and perseverance as we launched into a time of many unknowns. Because of your hard work, I am excited to share three noteworthy updates.
Let me extend my sincerest appreciation for all of your efforts to date in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 on our campus.
As we reach the end of the second week of the fall semester, I want to commend all of you for your continued wearing of facemasks, practicing social distancing and following University guidelines and policies during this unique time of COVID-19.
I truly appreciate your efforts as we have all come together as the Baylor Family in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 at the start of the semester. I am pleased to see so many facemasks – some are quite creative and fashionable – as well as your efforts to practice social distancing across the campus.
With yesterday’s announcement of decisions related to the upcoming football season – including a revised schedule and McLane Stadium at 25% capacity for the season – we have begun to update Baylor’s plans for other beloved campus traditions this fall. New dates have been set for Family Weekend (Sept. 25-26) and Homecoming (Oct. 16-17).
Each day through next week, I am crafting an email that spotlights a major area of our University-wide planning efforts in response to COVID-19 as we look toward the start of the fall semester on Aug. 24.
Thank you for your attention to last Thursday’s announcement and this week’s follow-up instructions regarding Baylor’s mandatory COVID-19 testing program in preparation for the fall semester.
Be sure to check your mailboxes as we get closer to the fall semester. In the weeks ahead, we will start mailing mandatory COVID-19 test kits to all students, faculty and staff.
For the next two days, Baylor’s Board of Regents will host its quarterly meeting via Zoom. Since mid-March, the Board has been conducting periodic meetings virtually due to COVID-19, and through this technology, we’ve been able to participate in rich, productive conversations regarding Baylor’s mitigation efforts related to the virus, as well as our plans for the fall semester.
Starting off with some good news this week: You may recall that in December, one of our beloved black bears, Lady, underwent a first-of-its-kind treatment, called Tomotherapy, for a thymoma in her chest. Last month, Lady underwent a check-up from her veterinary team who came to visit her in Waco. The team took images of Lady’s chest and have reported that the Tomotherapy treatment is successfully managing the size of the mass – it has not grown.
We continue to closely monitor the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Greater Waco area. In conversations with our local public health and government officials, there is a strong collective commitment to taking appropriate mitigating measures and keeping our community safe during this pandemic.
I want to open this week’s email by recognizing and celebrating our faculty. As I’ve mentioned previously, our faculty stepped up significantly in the spring as we quickly switched to online course delivery due to COVID-19.
Now is not the time for us to become complacent regarding COVID-19. We are starting to see an uptick in the number of positive cases in the Greater Waco area coupled with a growing percentage of positive tests, in addition to increasing hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across the state.
I can certainly sense the enthusiasm and anticipation for the beginning of the fall semester on our campus Aug. 24. At the same time, I also understand the frustration and angst many of you have experienced regarding fall schedules.
As we all know, COVID-19 has caused many disruptions to our normal lives. In fact, I’ve said on many occasions that we are planning for a “new normal” as we look ahead toward the fall semester. Today I am excited to announce that we plan to hold our August commencement ceremonies in-person at McLane Stadium.
Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery is in full swing, as we’ve completed the May minimester and the Summer I session begins on Tuesday, June 2, through July 7. All told, we are expecting Baylor’s largest summer enrollment in at least 20 years as we continue course instruction via online delivery due to COVID-19.
As the state of Texas continues to re-open more and more businesses and other community services each week, we are receiving an increasing number of questions as to how these decisions affect the University.
As we look to the fall semester and a resumption of our on-campus educational environment, our Project 8.24 team is working through many planning scenarios related to class sizes, methods of course delivery, instructional hours, residential life, dining, and on-campus events and experiences.
From day one, the Class of 2020 was destined to be history-makers. This distinctive group of students will graduate in the year of the University’s 175th anniversary, joining the long legacy of the Baylor Line that has carried our Christian mission and values into every corner of business, government and education as well as throughout the world.
As the Texas economy begins to open back up, many of our faculty and staff have inquired about returning to work on campus. Our COVID-19 Task Force has been working on a five-phase strategic reopening of campus that would begin with those involved with infrastructure and research support, for example, and ultimately conclude with students near the start of the fall semester.