“Baton Brothers” carry record-breaking results into SLC Championships

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese track and field’s “Baton Brothers” aka, the 4×100-meter relay team, has recorded the most productive and memorable outdoor season in school history and will head into this week’s Southland Conference Championships looking to make more history.
 
Built with twin brothers Kalen Beavers and Keon Beavers, along with Amari Godette and Jaden Powell, the 4×100 team broke the school record three separate meets this season, and a fourth time was disqualified due to an official error.
 
All four sprinters are from Louisiana which makes this group closer and more connected.
 
“This relay team is so special to me because we’re a bunch of guys from Louisiana with different backgrounds and able to showcase Louisiana-born talent,” said Kalen, a native of Carencro and who also holds the team’s fastest time in the 200-meters.
 
His twin, Koen, feels the same.
 
“What makes this team so special is the diversity in all of our backgrounds. Me and Kalen are the young bucks and just our second year out of high school while Jaden and Amari are the seasoned vets coming from different universities.”
 
Godette is a junior from Lake Charles and prepped at Barbe High School before starting his college career at Nicholls. Powell is a senior from Monroe and attended Garden City Community College before coming to McNeese.
 
The team first broke the then 25-year-old school record at the ULL Louisiana Classics on March 22 with a time of 40.05, beating the school record by .04 seconds. Three weeks later, the team clocked a 40.00 time at the NSU Leon Johnson Invitational on April 12. Then two weeks following that on April 26, the quartet became the first McNeese relay team to clock a sub-40 second time with a 39.98 at the LSU Alumni Gold meet.
 
The team initially broke 40 seconds at the Florida Relays on April 4, but controversial judgement by an exchange official ruled the exchange between Powell and Godette was out of the zone and the team was disqualified after clocking a 39.95.
 
But that setback only seemed to strengthen the squad as they went on to break the school record three different times and will head into the conference championships ranked fifth in the league but well within competition range for a gold medal, something a McNeese unit has done only once before and not since 2004.
 
A main part of relays is the exchanging of the baton.
 
“Exchanges might be the most critical part of the relays,” said Kalen. “Of course you need speed, but one simple mistake during an exchange can jeopardize the whole race. A fast team with bad exchanges can lose to a mediocre speed-based team who completes good hand-offs. Plus, if you drop the stick during the race, it’s over for you.”
 
Being prepared both mentally and physically for race days start early.
 
“I get up early and start my day with reading my Bible,” said Koen. “Sometimes I don’t eat breakfast. It just depends on how early I get my runs in.”
 
“I eat a good breakfast and make sure I hydrate,” said Kalen. “I put my Air Pods in and listen to some music to get me ready and locked into my race. I always make time to thank the Lord for the opportunities and blessings he has given me.”
 
The 4×100 relays will take place on Saturday evening at 5:10, the final day of the league championships which will be held at Holloway Field and Ley Track at Rice University in Houston.
 
When asked if the group has been given a nickname, the answer was no.
 
So for now, we’ll just call them “The Baton Brothers.”