SPOKANE, Wash. – Idaho track and field is back in action this weekend with a short trip up to Spokane for the annual WAR.  Competition begins on Friday and concludes on Saturday.  Check back with GoVandals.com after the competition for the full recap.
 
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Records are meant to be broken.  Two weeks ago at Whitworth, Mack Baxter was meaning to break one.
 
"The stadium record is like a 53.08, and I got the 53.09.  But I'll have another shot later in the season."
 
For a Spokane native, adding to his current list of records from high school would be a nice bonus.  He won't be competing in the same facility this weekend, but should have another shot later in the month.
 
"Whenever you can get records is cool, it's a nice thing to have.  I think it's a pretty old one too, which I thought was interesting.  To hold another record in Spokane would be cool.
 
"I have my high school ones.  I don't know if they put up my 110 or not, but I definitely had the 300 record and was part of a relay record.  I don't think I have any stadium records, so that would be cool."
 
While he was off by one one-hundredth of a second, goals like this one keep Baxter going throughout the year.  Whether big or small, lofty or attainable, Baxter keeps his focus on himself and doesn't worry about what, or more importantly who, he'll see.
 
"The best example of that is Whitworth.  I didn't know exactly who I was going to be running with.  I saw the seed times, but it wasn't a good judge.  I assume they're going to be faster, but you don't know.  So I just latched on to that record.  I wanted to run a low 53 or a high 52.
 
"I set myself a standard and I try to meet it."
 
And he usually does.  In two meets this season, Baxter has two individual wins in the 400-meter hurdles.  The second place finisher at each meet was more than a full second behind.
 
Even through the wins, one goal that doesn't change, and really can't ever change, is to just get faster.
 
"Every year, everyone wants to PR.  I have my list of goals all set up, I see them every day.  I'm hoping to go a lower version of that 51.9 from my sophomore year or the ultimate goal is to bump down another second and get into the 50-second range."
 
Meet-to-meet, other things can change.  Competing in Spokane in early March is a bit different than competing in Sacramento at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round in late May.  Baxter chooses to just stay focused and control what he can.
 
"From a race standpoint, we're at the point where the front half of my race is locked in, I know what I need to do.  It's just a matter of having more energy at the end.  Right now, we're just really focused on getting my fitness better, so I can burn it earlier and finish the race faster."
 
While goals of "getting better" are great, specifics don't hurt.
 
"Then your basics, I want to defend my title.  I want to win again.  The guy I know I'm going to be going back-and-forth with is really good too.  I'm going to do my best, and we'll see what happens."
 
Baxter won the 400-meter hurdles at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in 2017, and advanced to First Rounds in Austin, Texas.  He didn't say it right away, but a return trip the First Rounds, and maybe even further, is certainly on his mind.
 
"Yeah, of course.
 
"If I can kind of consistently play around with the low 52's or high 51s, or if I can pop a PR and go faster, I should make the First Rounds.  And then we'll see."
 
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