Former Monmouth College All-American Kenzie Baker has been hired as a full-time Fighting Scots track and field assistant coach. Baker, a native of Aledo, Illinois, graduated from Monmouth in May 2021 and stared with the Scots in December.
Baker was an All-American in 2021 and her 24.38 time in the preliminaries of the 200m at the NCAA National Championships was not only a career-best, but also ranks as the third fastest time in school history. She also has Monmouth’s fourth-best time in the 100m with a 12.16 at the 2021 Meet of Champions.
Baker was the 2021 Midwest Conference Southern Division Track Performer of the Year after winning the 100m, 200m and 4×400 relay at the MWC Southern Division meet, leading the Scots to a team title. Baker won the 100m at four meets in 2021, the 200m at six meets and was part of four relay teams that won meets with two in the 4×100 and two in the 4×400.
A 2017 graduate of Mercer County High School, Baker was named an Academic All-American by the USTFCCCA in 2021. She was won the Monmouth College Kim Mead Award, presented annually to a senior female who is an all-around student-athlete maintaining good academic standing, leadership and responsibility.
With the 2020 outdoor season and 2021 indoor season both canceled due to COVID-19, Baker didn’t get a full four seasons of competition. She placed third in the 200m at the 2020 MWC Indoor Championships and ran on the 4×200 relay that won the event. Baker also won an indoor MWC title on the 4×200 relay team in 2019. Her top indoor times were 7.55 in the 55m and 7.94 in the 60m, the fourth-best time in school history.
Prior to joining the Scots track and field staff, Baker worked as personal trainer after graduating with a degree in Exercise Science. Coach Baker lives on a farm in Aledo with her boyfriend Austin, raising show pigs and Dachshunds as their favorite hobbies. The Scots begin their track and field season on Friday, Jan, 21 with a meet at Illinois College.
***Report Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
