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David Baker

David Baker
Men’s Track & Field
Cross Country | 2007-2012

David had not originally planned on competing in college but was convinced by the cross country coach (also named David Baker) and classmates to join the team as a late addition to the roster as a freshman in 2007. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, he earned Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) All-Conference honors. He and teammate Amr Abualnadi are the only 3-time All-Conference runners in STLCOP men’s cross country history. David and Amr also made history as the first-ever STLCOP men’s qualifiers for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships in 2008 and 2010.

David, along with a close group of cross country teammates, founded the STLCOP track and field team in the spring of 2010. In its first KIAC Track & Field Championships, the STLCOP squad finished as runner-up, with David and the 4x400m relay team claiming the conference title. In his final two years of eligibility, he earned four more KIAC titles (1500m run and 4x400m relay in 2011, and 800m and 1500m runs in 2012). To top that, he qualified for the national championships four times: the indoor mile and outdoor 1500m run in 2011 and 2012.

At the NAIA Indoor Championships, David finished in 6th-place in the mile with a time of 4:13 to become STLCOP’s first-ever All-American. In 2012, he replicated that finish at nationals with a time of 4:08.30, to earn his second All-American award. His 4:08-mile time is one of 12 different STLCOP cross country and track & field records that David continues to hold as of his 2018 induction.

In addition to his stellar athletic performances, David also excelled in the classroom and the community. In 2012, he was named the KIAC winner of the Leroy Walker Award, which recognizes a student-athlete who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement, campus and community leadership embracing the five core character values of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative, athletic achievement, and future ambition. David is also a four-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award recipient.