To finish up their indoor track season, the Baker University Track and Field team competed at the Heart Indoor Championships on Feb. 20 and 21. Two school records being broken and a national qualifier made this meet a memorable one for the Wildcats. Sophomore runner Kemaro Neil broke the previous school record in the 600m with a time of 1:20.16, which also qualified him for the NAIA National Indoor Track and Field Championship. The 4x800m relay consisting of Jacob McGlasson, Cutter Meade, Luke Persson , and Micah Sanders also broke the previous school record with a time of 7:53.61.
The work started in the fall for the 4x800m relay team, where they all ran cross country together. Since then, they have not taken a break and have put together many consistent workouts throughout the fall and winter.
When reflecting on how they were able to do it, junior runner Cutter Meade said, “Keeping each other accountable is the hardest thing to do because it’s easy to get lazy, but when you have a group of guys who like to work and see these results it’s fun.”
The team has been chasing the school record for years and but said they knew they could break it because of their rigorous training.
Training during the winter months tends to be more challenging for athletes due to the weather. Because temperatures are too low for the team to practice outside, athletes must use indoor resources such as treadmills. While these indoor resources help, they can be difficult to use for a long period of time.
Head Coach Christina Fortenberry said, “The biggest challenge is trying to get the athletes to train on something that isn’t like what our indoor competition facilities are and then adjusting to that.”
Adjustment during the meets is a big key for the Wildcats. Once athletes have adjusted to competition surfaces, they are in a much better position to excel. Having multiple meets under their belt before the Heart Indoor Championships was a large part of the big performances.
Training is not the only preparation that goes into breaking a school record. The mental side of track and field is one of the hardest to master. A positive mindset can give a runner that extra boost to improve their time.
When describing his mindset, Kemaro Neil said, “I’m always confident. I have this crazy mindset to go there every time, every race, compete, win, and get some fast times.”
This mindset is one of many things that let Kemaro dominate at races. While talking about Neil as an athlete, Assistant Coach Bobby Breon said, “Kemaro is extremely talented. It’s fun to see the way he pops, the way his body moves, his race mentality and the drive he has. There’s something a little special about Kemaro and the way he can run.”
The 4x800m relay team also had a lot of confidence going into the race. This school record had been on their mind for years, as they missed out on it by one second during the 2025 outdoor track season.
Before the race, Meade told his teammates, “This is history, this is a chance to do something,” which set the tone for the racers. The congestion in the race was difficult to navigate in the beginning, but after the third leg, the team found themselves in first. When Luke Persson crossed the finish line in second, joy overfilled the four runners; Meade recalls it being, “One of the best moments of my life.” The relay team is going into the history books and still has a lot more to come.
All this momentum from the winter season should help the Wildcats have a strong start to their outdoor season. Expectations will be even higher than before following these broken records. Don’t focus all your attention on only these five athletes, as the outdoor season brings a lot more to the table. Coaches Fortenberry and Breon are excited to see what their throwers can do in their first action this year. This young track and field program has made many strides and is trending upwards at the right time.
