There are not many constants at the University of Rhode Island, but changing weather, the quad being full of students on a sunny day and the men’s track and field team hoisting the Atlantic 10 trophy at the end of the season are just a few.
Fourth-year thrower Alexander Baez has the same goal in mind at the beginning of every season: winning the A-10 trophy. While winning a single championship is the goal of every athlete, being a part of a dynasty is something only few can achieve, and Baez is one of those lucky few, he said. This success, however, didn’t come without struggles.
Baez grew up about 30 minutes from URI in the state capital, Providence. One of his favorite places to go in Providence growing up was Thayer Street, he said. To him, Thayer Street is the spot to go if you want a good bite to eat after a long practice or just hanging out with people.
“It’s a sense of home because when I was younger, I kind of went there all the time with my parents,” Baez said. “Even to this day, I still go there with my closest friends.”
Baez had his work cut out for him in the college selection process, he said. He not only needed to find a school he could see himself at for the next four or five years but also find a school where he could be a part of their track team. Then, as the cherry on top, the COVID-19 pandemic swept worldwide and shut down college tours and in-person meetings with track and field teams.
Baez was focused on three schools: the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University and URI. His decision to ultimately attend URI was influenced by his older cousin, URI alumnus Johnathan Buchanan (23’), Baez said. If the name Buchanan sounds familiar, that’s because Baez is also related to third-year URI football wide receiver Marquis Buchanan. For Baez, another dynasty, this one in the case of family, is in the works as the three family members have been standout athletes for the Rams throughout their careers.
Buchanan, the track athlete, was instrumental in getting Baez into hammer and weight throwing in the first place, he said.
“I came into my freshman year of high school and I didn’t really play any sports,” Baez said. “[Buchanan] said ‘Hey, you should come throw the weight and the hammer for track’… and the rest is history.”
Baez was able to earn a walk-on spot on the team his freshman year. This in its own right is a huge accomplishment, as URI Head Coach Trent Baltzell has high requirements, even for walk-ons, to make the team, according to second-year thrower Nate Field. When he walked into that first practice, it was hard for him to feel nothing short of overwhelmed, he said.
That feeling increased when Baez went to join his teammates, and were surprised to find out that Baez was a weight and hammer thrower instead of a javelin thrower, he said. He admitted that he was underweight compared to the other athletes who had been recruited and offered scholarships.
“It was funny because everyone just asked me, ‘Are you a [javelin] guy?’,” Baez said. “ I was like, ‘No, I’m a hammer and weight [throw] guy.’”
Now in the present day, Baez is a seasoned student-athlete for Rhode Island, majoring in data science and finance. Baez said that he lives in and commutes from his home in Providence because he’s trying to spend as much time as possible with his 2-year-old brother before he graduates and eventually moves out.
Baez is seen by younger athletes, like Field, as a mentor and leader, like Buchanan had been for him. Baez said he learned how to be a great leader and motivator from two of the greatest people he could’ve ever learned from.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere if it wasn’t for [Johnathan Buchanan and Jide Akijisola],” Baez said. “They just always knew what to say, always how to guide you through it, if you had a bad meet, they always knew what to say.”
Baez has been through two years of roster cuts and COVID restrictions, but was still able to play a role in three straight A-10 winning teams, looking for a fourth. He was also part of the historic team this past indoor season that completed the three-meet postseason sweep for the first time in school history. The sweep included a win at the A-10 Championship, the New England Championship and the school’s first-ever win at the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America Championship.
For now, Baez is just focused on this season and getting that eighth-straight title for Rhode Island to keep the dynasty alive, he said. His career isn’t over, as he plans to use his extra year of eligibility as a member of the last class of athletes to have one, in order to play a fifth year and hopefully grab championship number nine and 10 for Rhody.