Correction appended.
While most of their teammates casually made their way back to the locker room after a long afternoon track workout, junior Kinnari Badger and freshman Brianna Belo stayed behind. The two athletes, both walk-ons at AU, spent extra time at practice, hoping to refine their skills and perfect their race strategies.
Neither Badger nor Belo receive any scholarship money for their participation on the AU track team, but they invest 20 hours each week in their training with the hopes of achieving personal best times at the Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Championships this weekend.
At the Mason Spring Invitational on April 11, Badger and Belo both broke school records in the 200 and 400-meter races, respectively. Belo further lowered her record by .07 seconds at the Morgan State Legacy meet the following weekend.
Belo, who specializes in sprint distances, described the meet as more of a mental challenge than a physical one. As a freshman, Belo said that she initially felt intimidated by the prospect of competing at the collegiate level, but she prepared herself mentally in order to “run her own race.”
“Talking to my teammates and talking to my parents really helped me to mentally prepare,” Belo said.
Belo’s extra work on the track also brought her confidence, and she credits her success to her strict discipline.
“I think physically [it’s about], putting in as much effort as you can on practice days so that you practice hard but race easy,” Belo said.
“I want to get my name out there as a freshman. Being a walk-on onto the team, no one really knew I was around."
—Brianna Belo
Badger, the second AU runner to break a record at the Mason Spring Invitational on April 11, participates in both the women’s track team and the AU cheer team. Several days before the track meet, Badger traveled to Daytona Beach with the cheer team for a national competition, and she had to run during her trip in order to prepare for her upcoming races.
“I trained while I was in Florida,” Badger said. “It’s all just mental to be honest. It’s not really on the track.”
Both Belo and Badger stressed the importance of focusing on their own preparation instead of focusing on the competition.
“Your body is capable of doing everything, but your mind stops you from that,” Belo said. “Not getting intimidated by the competition is a big one, and just running your own race.”
While the two walk-on athletes exceeded expectations, Jim Belfatto, another freshman AU runner, also broke through personal barriers at the Mason Spring Invitational. Belfatto is not a walk-on, but his performance still stands out, as he qualified for the ECAC-IC4A Outdoor Championships with his time in the 1500-meter race. The ECAC-IC4A meet will be held at Princeton University on May 15-17.
Belfatto’s six-second time drop also helped him earn his second GEICO-AU Student Athlete of the Week Honor.
Heading into the meet, Belfatto devised a game plan with head coach Matt Centrowitz. He planned to hit certain times to match his season expectations.
“Coach and I set up a goal to try and break 3:50.00, but I fell a little bit short,” Belfatto said.
At the upcoming Patriot League Championships on May 1, Belfatto hopes to not only break 3:50.00 in the men’s 1,500 meters, but he strives to win the event as well. As for Badger and Belo, their goals for the season are to earn a spot on the podium at the Patriot League Championships. Belo, more specifically, wants to lower her 400-meter time down to the 56-second range, while Badger, who came to AU as a jumper, wants to continue running as fast as she has been.
“I want to get my name out there as a freshman,” Belo said. “Being a walk-on onto the team, no one really knew I was around,” Belo said.
Belo and Belfatto also earned team MVP awards at the AU Athletic Banquet last Sunday, April 26, for their performances during the indoor track season in the winter.
The Eagles will compete at the Patriot League Championships on May 1 and 2 at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Badger's second sport. She is a member of the cheer team. A previous version of this article also incorrectly identified a quote about competing in Florida. This quote has now been properly attributed to Badger.
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