EMBRACE WACO
12/23/2025 12:04:00 PM | Cross Country, My Baylor Story
Even as a sophomore, Sterrett has become a leader on Baylor XC team
Watching the Baylor men's basketball team win the 2021 NCAA national championship from his home in Wilmington, N.C., Jack Sterrett was introduced to a unique Christian university that is "really good at sports."
"Honestly, I didn't even know Baylor was in Texas," said Sterrett, who came to Baylor three years later as a freshman on the cross country and track & field teams. "At big-name schools, you lose track of God and Christian values. I'm really blessed to be at a school where Christ is first. I see how they really align their goals with Christian virtues and a loving environment."
The year after the Baylor men's championship season, Jack's father, Dr. William Sterrett, uprooted his family from their North Carolina home and came to Baylor as Department Chair and Professor of Educational Leadership.
"I really had to start over, essentially," said Sterrett, who was part of back-to-back district cross country champions at Midway High School. "I had a whole new high school life, different style of training, a whole new perspective on things. I lived on the beach and surfed a lot in North Carolina, and now here I am in Texas, dying in 100-degree weather. It was definitely a change."
Although he saw himself as a "gifted, natural runner," Jack said he "just hated running," especially in the "miserable" heat in Texas. But Midway coach Jon Capron, a former Baylor athlete and assistant coach, "really pushed me in training, encouraged me and knew my ceiling."
"Track is where I really trusted him and trusted the training," Jack said of Capron.
But it wasn't until his senior year that Jack truly locked in," going from casually running 20 to 25 miles per week to running 50 miles per week, "waking up early, not sleeping through practice or staying up late and hanging out with friends."
"That's when the results really started showing," said Jack, who had 11 first-place finishes as a senior, clocking a PR time of 9:50.56 in the 3,200 meters. "I was still thinking that I wouldn't make the Baylor team, if there were even any spots. But Coach (David) Barnett giving me a chance and believing in me, it's such a great opportunity to be here at Baylor."
Barnett believed in Jack "even before I hit the times he wanted," ultimately earning a spot on the Baylor cross country team in the fall of 2024.
Making an immediate impact, Sterrett was one of Baylor's top two runners at four of his five meets as a freshman, finishing ahead of Wisconsin transfer Nick Hruskoci at the Big 12 Championships and NCAA South Central Regional to cap off the season.
"Nick's been through it all, and he gave me so much wisdom, so many talks," Jack said. "Especially when you're on long runs with somebody, it's like a 16-mile run, and you're talking for at least an hour and a half. Definitely a lot of good conversations. . . . You learn what you can take away from the sport, just as a person individually, as well as athletically."
One of the highlights of his freshman year at Baylor was running in the Baylor Line before the Bears' football games. Although he fell a couple of times, "there were some good, good times."
"Running the Line is so cool, it's such a great experience," he said. "And just meeting all the freshmen, I love how Baylor is so inclusive. And there are so many events where we just help unite as a school and meet new people. There are worship nights and so many community things. That's what's really cool and unique about Baylor."
Baylor's lead runner in the first four meets as a sophomore, recording a top-25 finish at the season-opening Gerald Richey Invitational, Jack was the Bears' lone runner at the NCAA South Central Regional in Fayetteville, Ark.
"It wasn't discouraging, but I'd say it's a different way to go about a race," Jack said, "because sometimes, I like to race with Straton (Miller) or Nolan (Keenan). We try to run in packs, so it was definitely different. At that point, I've already raced with a lot of the competitors, so I kind of know where I'm at with them. We don't necessarily talk on the course, but we're all friends after the race. And it's great, because I didn't feel alone in the race."
In high school, "Jack had a knack for running his best races in the biggest races, which isn't easy to do," Barnett said.
"At this level, he has done a good job of focusing on the moment and making the most of his opportunities," Barnett said. "He's a leader and wants to see everyone have success."
Turning his attention to the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Jack said he would like to run a PR time of 14:15 in the 5,000 meters (his current best is 14:49.49) and run at the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational April 16-18 in Azusa, Calif.
"It's basically a meet where everybody goes and they run fast," Jack said of the Bryan Clay, which is self-described as "the fastest track meet in the country." Run at night in perfect California weather, "hopefully, I can get a good time and good confidence going into the Big 12 meet."
Including cross country, the competition year is a nine-month grind that begins in September and doesn't end until May or early June at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
"It's long, but it goes by so fast," Jack said. "It feels like yesterday that I ran my first cross country meet. They're very different sports, even indoor versus outdoor. Not stressing out, not going too hard, just trusting Coach Barnett's training and staying in your lane really helps it go by safely without getting injured, because a lot of people get injured when you run cross country and indoor and outdoor track.
"It's just taking one day at a time, focusing on recovery, sleep, not doing dumb things. Because in college, people do so many dumb things and get injured. So, just not doing that, essentially."
Furthermore, his advice to future Baylor student-athletes is to "embrace Waco."
"A lot of people are like, 'Oh, it's Waco, it's kind of boring,''' he said. "I think people should just be grateful for Waco, the small-town feel and how God's hand is on it. There are so many fun things to do: Go to Magnolia, go to football games, go to basketball games. Embrace it."
"Honestly, I didn't even know Baylor was in Texas," said Sterrett, who came to Baylor three years later as a freshman on the cross country and track & field teams. "At big-name schools, you lose track of God and Christian values. I'm really blessed to be at a school where Christ is first. I see how they really align their goals with Christian virtues and a loving environment."
The year after the Baylor men's championship season, Jack's father, Dr. William Sterrett, uprooted his family from their North Carolina home and came to Baylor as Department Chair and Professor of Educational Leadership.
"I really had to start over, essentially," said Sterrett, who was part of back-to-back district cross country champions at Midway High School. "I had a whole new high school life, different style of training, a whole new perspective on things. I lived on the beach and surfed a lot in North Carolina, and now here I am in Texas, dying in 100-degree weather. It was definitely a change."
Although he saw himself as a "gifted, natural runner," Jack said he "just hated running," especially in the "miserable" heat in Texas. But Midway coach Jon Capron, a former Baylor athlete and assistant coach, "really pushed me in training, encouraged me and knew my ceiling."
"Track is where I really trusted him and trusted the training," Jack said of Capron.
But it wasn't until his senior year that Jack truly locked in," going from casually running 20 to 25 miles per week to running 50 miles per week, "waking up early, not sleeping through practice or staying up late and hanging out with friends."
"That's when the results really started showing," said Jack, who had 11 first-place finishes as a senior, clocking a PR time of 9:50.56 in the 3,200 meters. "I was still thinking that I wouldn't make the Baylor team, if there were even any spots. But Coach (David) Barnett giving me a chance and believing in me, it's such a great opportunity to be here at Baylor."
Barnett believed in Jack "even before I hit the times he wanted," ultimately earning a spot on the Baylor cross country team in the fall of 2024.
Making an immediate impact, Sterrett was one of Baylor's top two runners at four of his five meets as a freshman, finishing ahead of Wisconsin transfer Nick Hruskoci at the Big 12 Championships and NCAA South Central Regional to cap off the season.
"Nick's been through it all, and he gave me so much wisdom, so many talks," Jack said. "Especially when you're on long runs with somebody, it's like a 16-mile run, and you're talking for at least an hour and a half. Definitely a lot of good conversations. . . . You learn what you can take away from the sport, just as a person individually, as well as athletically."
One of the highlights of his freshman year at Baylor was running in the Baylor Line before the Bears' football games. Although he fell a couple of times, "there were some good, good times."
"Running the Line is so cool, it's such a great experience," he said. "And just meeting all the freshmen, I love how Baylor is so inclusive. And there are so many events where we just help unite as a school and meet new people. There are worship nights and so many community things. That's what's really cool and unique about Baylor."
Baylor's lead runner in the first four meets as a sophomore, recording a top-25 finish at the season-opening Gerald Richey Invitational, Jack was the Bears' lone runner at the NCAA South Central Regional in Fayetteville, Ark.
"It wasn't discouraging, but I'd say it's a different way to go about a race," Jack said, "because sometimes, I like to race with Straton (Miller) or Nolan (Keenan). We try to run in packs, so it was definitely different. At that point, I've already raced with a lot of the competitors, so I kind of know where I'm at with them. We don't necessarily talk on the course, but we're all friends after the race. And it's great, because I didn't feel alone in the race."
In high school, "Jack had a knack for running his best races in the biggest races, which isn't easy to do," Barnett said.
"At this level, he has done a good job of focusing on the moment and making the most of his opportunities," Barnett said. "He's a leader and wants to see everyone have success."
Turning his attention to the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Jack said he would like to run a PR time of 14:15 in the 5,000 meters (his current best is 14:49.49) and run at the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational April 16-18 in Azusa, Calif.
"It's basically a meet where everybody goes and they run fast," Jack said of the Bryan Clay, which is self-described as "the fastest track meet in the country." Run at night in perfect California weather, "hopefully, I can get a good time and good confidence going into the Big 12 meet."
Including cross country, the competition year is a nine-month grind that begins in September and doesn't end until May or early June at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
"It's long, but it goes by so fast," Jack said. "It feels like yesterday that I ran my first cross country meet. They're very different sports, even indoor versus outdoor. Not stressing out, not going too hard, just trusting Coach Barnett's training and staying in your lane really helps it go by safely without getting injured, because a lot of people get injured when you run cross country and indoor and outdoor track.
"It's just taking one day at a time, focusing on recovery, sleep, not doing dumb things. Because in college, people do so many dumb things and get injured. So, just not doing that, essentially."
Furthermore, his advice to future Baylor student-athletes is to "embrace Waco."
"A lot of people are like, 'Oh, it's Waco, it's kind of boring,''' he said. "I think people should just be grateful for Waco, the small-town feel and how God's hand is on it. There are so many fun things to do: Go to Magnolia, go to football games, go to basketball games. Embrace it."
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
Baylor Cross Country: My Baylor Story - Jack Sterrett
Saturday, December 20
Baylor Track and Field: Coach Clyde Hart Tribute
Thursday, November 06
Baylor Cross Country: David Barnett on the Baylor Coach's Show | August 20, 2025
Friday, August 22
Baylor Track & Field: NCAA Championship Highlights | June 11-14, 2025
Monday, June 16
