Austin Baker '17 Recruiting Profile

    Hi, I am Austin Baker and I view myself as a student of the sport of running. Ever since I have started taking this sport in a serious manner, I have been obsessed with trying to better myself as an athlete in any way. Whether its plyometric, long runs, or just visualizing a race, I do it because I truly love this sport. Running is such a raw sport where hard work, a good attitude, and a bit of talent define your potential to be the best. That’s why I love this great sport. Running has got me new friends, physically fit, and a new outlook on how to approach things. As where once I would look for the easiest way out, now what running has taught me is to always do things the right way whether its easy or not. Over the past year and a half I believe I have grown greatly as a runner and a person. My sophomore year of cross country I was the number seven runner on the team for the entire year. Our varsity team was all sophomores and no one graduated that was in the top seven. After the season had ended I made a decision that I didn’t want to be average anymore and wanted to pursue this sport at the next level. This fueled the fire for a very successful track season in my eyes. The previous year I had a P.R. of 2:35 for the 800m race(the only distance I ran). Determined and hungry, I set the bar high for myself and set a goal for a sub five minute effort over 1600 meters. Mid way through the season I hit this mark and ever since then I continue to set the bar high to give me something to reach for. The next cross country season I put in a good summer of hard (but enjoyable) miles, and I moved all the way up to be Auburn's number one runner on the varsity squad. Even though I love to compete and love to work hard, I see myself as an athlete that brings a smile and has fun with it. I love joking around and laughing with my teammates, but I also know when its time to get serious and down to work. I want to take my athletic and academics to the next level, to compete in the classroom and on the track.