HOUSTON -- Two-time NCAA 200-meter track champion Kirk Baptiste has decided to bypass his final season of eligibility at the University of Houston, the school announced Wednesday.
Baptiste, who earned a silver medal in the 200 at the 1984 Olympics and won The Athletic Congress' 100 and 200 national championships last summer, will compete for Athletics West Track Club.
The Beaumont native will still attend Houston and will complete his degree in physical education, Houston officials said.
'I think Kirk has done all he can on the collegiate level,' Houston track coach Tom Tellez said. 'He has done a lot for the university, and we wish him well. He will still train here.'
Baptiste is the college record holder in the 200 with a time of 19.96 seconds set in the Olympic finals, in which he finished second to former Houston teammate Carl Lewis.
He won the 1985 Southwest Conference 100 and 200 outdoor titles, plus the 1984 200 championship.
Baptiste and Lewis were named as Houston supporters who helped recruit high school star Joe DeLoach for the Cougars. Earlier this week, the NCAA ruled DeLoach was ineligible to run for Houston because the efforts of Baptiste and Lewis gave the Cougars an 'unfair recruiting advantage.'
