蘑菇视频

Dec 9, 2025 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

When Isabella “Bella” Baker decided to run cross country in seventh grade, she did so with the intention of increasing her speed for sprinting in track & field.

It didn’t take long for Baker to learn that cross country is more for endurance and pacing than acceleration, but she has been able to combine both assets to earn the attention of college coaches.

Baker has a personal record (PR) of 2:23.70 in the 800-meter run and 5:22.62 in the 1,600 in track & field, and her PR in cross country is 19:33.70. Baker is a two-time state qualifier in cross country.

“It is kind of funny when I think back to why I started running cross country,” Baker said. “I did find out in a hurry that there are many differences between distance running and sprinting.”

Baker’s goal of competing in cross country and track & field at the collegiate level came to fruition over the Labor Day weekend when she committed to Division II Davis & Elkins College to continue her academic and running careers.

The school is located in Elkins, W.Va., which is roughly two hours south of Uniontown, and Baker believes it provides everything she will need to flourish.

“I wanted independence, but also the opportunity to go home without needing to make a long trip,” Baker said. “I did my initial reaching out to schools in April, and took a trip to the campus over the summer break. The school has a track off campus, plus they have a lot of trails to run on, and plenty of elevation because the school is in the mountains. It has a small campus, and is a small school, but that is what I am looking for.”

Baker wasn’t concerned with divisions when she made her selection on Sept. 1.

“The last thing I was looking at was whether it was Division I, II, or III when I went through the recruiting process,” Baker said. “I was looking for a school that would suit me. They (Davis & Elkins) won the region in their division, and are really good at developing athletes.”

Baker has run middle distance over the course of her high school track & field career, and she anticipates continuing to compete in the 800 and 1,600-meter runs, although the 1,500 is run at the collegiate level. In college, women’s cross country races are 6K.

“Cross country and distance running all tie into one,” Baker said. “I am confident that I will do well in both. They do run a 5K on the track, which is something I may do, but I believe the 800 and 1,500 will still be my top events.”

Baker never aspired to run when she was growing up, as she was passionate for gymnastics, but she shifted towards running.

“When I was growing up, I did gymnastics for eight years,” Baker said. “I wanted to compete in gymnastics in college, but that all changed once I started running. I just fell in love with it. I will say the competitiveness and discipline from gymnastics helped me with running.”

Baker will enroll in the nursing program at Davis & Elkins.