On Feb. 3, freshman sprinter Robert Scott III recorded his first collegiate victory at the 2024 Virginia Military Institute Relays. The 18-year-old Chicago native has participated in the 200-meter dash three times this year and has run under 23 seconds each time.
Previously, Scott competed twice at the 2024 Gamecock Opener on Jan. 13 and the Hokie Invitational on Jan. 20. With his performance on Saturday, he set a new personal record for this season of 22.16 seconds and was able to contribute to N.C. A&T’s five wins for the day.
When asked about his initial introduction to track and field in high school, the Chicago native shared a unique experience that led him to where he is today.
“I actually started out playing basketball, and when we would run suicides, I realized that I was faster than all the players,” Scott explained. “Eventually, I decided to run track in my sophomore year and kept going from there.”
Last year, Scott and his high school team won the 2023 Class 3A Illinois State Championship, following a first-place victory in the 4×100 and 4×200 races in which he competed, with such recent experience in being at the top of a podium. Scott shared where his head was after his first win of the season and what it meant to him personally.
“Before I came here, I didn’t expect to win my first college meet, so it still technically hasn’t hit me. I had to take things into consideration because I didn’t like my time, and I always could’ve run faster,” Scott said. “After the meet, I had to debrief, realize what I just did, and look at the bright side instead of being hard on myself.”
The A&T community has been and continues to be home to many talented track stars, such as Nzubechi Nwokochaand, Trevor Stewart and Randolph Ross. Scott also feels that he has truly become a part of the A&T family, finding an exceptionally positive and constructive relationship with coaches.
“When I came on the team, the coach had high expectations for me. He’s often said it,” Scott said. “Some coaches may not just care and will let you just keep doing what you’re doing, but the fact that they just take time out of their day to help me do better and run faster makes me better.”
Scott’s relationship with his teammates is similar as he described how their personalities combined with their effect on his performance, have made him feel right at home.
“I love the team. The freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. They’re funny people and feel like a real family,” he said. “There are a couple of guys that are faster than me and who have more experience than me, and I like that. At my previous school that I was going to go to, I was going to be the No. 1 guy, and I didn’t like that.”
Scott’s passionate words about his desire to improve show his drive and motivation. This makes the coaching staff and the nature of the track and field team a perfect fit for him to grow and steadily improve.
“Everything takes time when you put in the work,” he said. “It’s times when I wanted to stop even though I was only a freshman, but I just had to realize that during those 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. lifts, no matter what, I had to get out of bed.”
