Julian Baker commits to Illinois State for cross country and track

Julian Baker surrounded by his family and Coach Harbeck and Coach Fritzche as he signs his letter of intent to run track and cross country at Illinois State University.

By BLAKE FAITH
Staff Writer

Mt. Zion cross country and track and field senior Julian Baker commits to compete at the next level for both programs at Illinois State University.

“Well, there’s a couple different things that went into me choosing ISU,” Baker said. “Firstly, just missing the visits I had and the guys I talked to, that was the group of guys that I connected with the most on the visit. And they just really seemed like it. Secondly, I have a former teammate there (Sam Atkinson). And they’re all kind of like him. So I fit in like a friend group. I mean, outside of the practice aspect of things, we will all be good friends.”

Baker helped set the school record in the 4×800 his time as a Brave. In his last race as Brave, Baker finished in fourth place in the 1600 meters in the IHSA 2A Boys Track and Field State Final in Charleston. Baker hopes to take with him the great group of friends ideals from his time at Mt. Zion to the next level.

“So Julian, once again, another cross country runner. So I got all these cross country runners graduating, which can be challenging this year, but Julian’s just an athlete,” Head Coach Joe Fritzche said. “He has God given talents and abilities, but he also works hard to back it up. He has been an elite runner ever since he’s been a freshman and has contributed every year since he’s been here. He puts in the work. He’s getting in more mileage than anybody on this team right now. And he went through some injuries this year. I Was kind of worried, I didn’t know if we were going to get him back. He just came back at Apollo, we put him in the two mile just to kind of tempo it. He ran a 9:40, which to temp a 9:40 . If those people don’t know distance, it is not an easy feat to do running sub five miles for two miles when you’re just coming back from an injury. So just the impact he’s had. He’s an all-stater in cross country, an al- stater in track, and it’s just scored countless points for us in meets and has really been a big contributor to us in all the events. The four by eight, the four x four, the mile, the two mile. I can put him in just about anything and know we’re going to score points. So he just has made a huge impact.”

Coach Fritzche said Baker’s lasting impact on the program is showing athletes what can happen with hard work and sacrifice.

“With Julian, we still have a few more meets left this season and unfortunately this season has been kind of riddled with injuries for him. But, he has the chance to break a lot of records before he goes, and I hope he does so because he’s put in the work and put in the training. I mean, he technically broke the outdoor mile record, but it was indoor, and it didn’t count outdoors. So he ran a 4:14, which breaks our indoor record, which breaks our outdoor record. So I’m hopeful he has a chance to run that and hit those times because, you know, he’s worked for, he’s been very dedicated in the off season and the off season, the preseason. He works really, really hard. So his impact is just showing other athletes what can happen if they choose to work hard and knowing that it’s going to be a sacrifice sometimes. But if you do so, the sky’s the limit for you.”

Baker will major in finance. His academic goal is to stay on top of things and not fall behind and his athletic goal is to start varsity and earn points for his team.

Coach Fritzche’s last words of advice to Baker are to continue to work like he has and he’ll be just fine.

“For Julian, I think the lasting words I could give him would be, there are big things in that kid’s future,” Coach Fritzche said. “He could be a very, very high level college athlete. And with that there’s a lot of pressure. But he’s been able to handle all the pressure that has come his way while he’s been in Mount Zion and in our running program. And I feel like if he can just continue to focus and push through the pressures that he’ll have, and, you know, being in Division I is a completely different ballgame than being a Division II in track and field and cross country. So it’s a whole different beast. But, you know, if he continues to work like he does, he’s going to be just fine.”

Baker said the thing he’ll miss and cherish the most about his time as a Brave is the distance squad.

“Well, most of all, I’ll just remember the distance squad, especially the seniors I’ve been with since freshman year on cross country and track,” Baker said. “We’ve ran together and been friends since then, so that’s always something I’ll really miss. And I guess the whole varsity thing,

I will just miss these guys and the coaches, and it’s a fun time, but I’m excited.”