By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
Baylor track and field has seen a lot of bright spots so far this season, including the men’s 4×400 squad, which has been on a tear. The relay team consists of sprinters senior Hasani Barr, junior Dillon Bedell, sophomore Nathaniel Ezekiel and senior Matthew Moorer. In the Razorback Invitational, they ran the fourth fastest time in school history with a 3:04.37. It also marked the fastest 4×4 time since the 2016 Big 12 Championships.
Barr and Bedell were quick to say their goals include conference and national titles but also to make a statement.
“We’ve been putting in the bank, putting in everything and putting in all the hard work,” Bedell said. “Now we’re making withdrawals, but we’re also collecting rent, because our time is now. We’ve been saying it, but now we’re doing it.”
Barr said he credits the team’s success this season to a offseason shift in mentality among the team.
“[Our] mindset is what changed in all of us,” Barr said. “We’re athletes, we’re competitive, we always have that mindset, but it’s more honed in and focused on wanting to do something collectively.”
The team has made nationals three-straight seasons but have yet to crack the top eight. Bedell said their desire to renovate the team’s trophy case was the trigger for shifting gears.
“We know we’re fast — we’ve beat the teams that are running fast and winning, but we haven’t been able to do it [in the heat of the moment],” Bedell said. “We’re out there reminding each other, ‘This is the NCAA final’ or ‘This is that final we weren’t able to run in’ or something like that. When you have that motivation and we’re all on the same page, that’s when things become dangerous.”
Their motivation is layered and stems from beyond their time at Baylor. Barr and Bedell both cited the the late Kobe Bryant, former basketball superstar shooting guard, as someone who is part of the “foundation” of the way they attack not only races, but life. However, the duo shares a deeper common motivator that keeps each of their motors running.
“I have little siblings, and I want to be able to set a good example and set a bar of striving for greatness,” Bedell said. “I might not be great, I might not become greatness, but just striving for greatness because I’m going to set a good example for them.
“And then last year, my dad passed and that was motivation because [my] mom and my sister told me that he was proud of me and everything like that. I’m going to try to keep making him proud.”
Barr said he has another loved one who has passed away that he looks up to as well.
“My granddaddy, he was my coach and he always wanted me to come to Baylor,” Barr said. “He dedicated everything to training me. When he passed, I was just like, ‘I’m going to continue the mission [and] finish what we started.’ That’s been the motivation out here — trying to do something for myself, but also put my people on. All this hard work isn’t just for me, it’s something bigger than myself.”
The Bears recently wrapped up the Tiger Paw Invitational and now look toward the postseason, which will be at Texas Tech University’s Sports Performance Center for the Big 12 Conference Championships. The event is slated for Feb. 24-25 in Lubbock and will run all day long.
