Perseverance is paying off for Bailey Rogers
South Carolina track has a long history of success with its long sprinters, so it’s not unusual that Bailey Rogers has quickly improved his time in the 400m and is finding a place on the Gamecocks’ 4x400m relay team, which is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation this season. What is unusual is the path he took to get there, having walked on to the football team first before later walking on to the track team.
“I’m wouldn’t say I’m surprised (by the success) because I know I’m able to do whatever my teammates are doing,” said Rogers, who is a sophomore eligibility-wise and is studying psychology with a minor in business and plans on getting his master’s in economics. “I don’t hold myself to a lower standard. Based on my work ethic, I do expect the results that I’ve been getting. I want to continue to push myself so I will continue to get better results.”
Rogers first competed in track as a senior at Wren High School in Piedmont, S.C., primarily to showcase his speed to attract college football recruiters. He did find success in that one year of track as he was part of the 4x400m relay team that broke the school record and was a state qualifier in that event as well as the 100m. He started his college athletics career on the gridiron at Furman University where he played wide receiver and was a kick returner for two seasons. After a change in the coaching staff at Furman, he decided to transfer to South Carolina to play football.
“Coming to South Carolina had always been a dream of mine,” said Rogers, whose aunt, Tia Rogers, and cousin, Chelsea Hawkins, played softball for the Gamecocks. “I was a scholarship athlete at Furman and decided I wanted to play at a bigger school. I talked to the coaches here, and they said I could walk on and have a chance to earn a scholarship after I played. I had to redshirt my first year because of the transfer rules. After I transferred, I had suffered some injuries that forced me to stop (playing football).”
Realizing it was in his best health interests to give up football, Rogers wasn’t ready to give up competing and contacted the track and field coaching staff.
“I knew that I still wanted to compete,” Rogers said. “I didn’t know how I would do it. I wasn’t too eager about giving up football. I knew that I really enjoyed running track in high school, but I didn’t really take it too seriously. I reached out to (assistant) coach (Kevin) Brown about joining the track team and walking on. I started running in the fall of 2019.”
Rogers ran in seven meets for the Gamecocks during his first collegiate track and field season, which included a personal best 7.01 at the South Carolina Invite in the 60m, taking 10th place. He also ran four 200m events that year with his best finish at the Clemson Opener, taking 8th place.
“The transition went rather smoothly I think,” Rogers said. “However, there were certain things where I had to learn how run again, in a sense. One of my first days there, Coach Brown told me that I run like I had football in my hand and was about to hit someone. We worked on my posture and things like that. There was a lot to learn.
“I had no clue (about the technique of running). I learned all these new phrases. It was all new to me.”
“I just want to encourage my teammates like they’ve encouraged me.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the outdoor season last spring, Rogers continued to work on his new craft, and that hard work is paying off. Rogers switched from a short sprinter and started competing in the 400m this year under the tutelage of head coach Curtis Frye and quickly lowered his time into the 47-second range, which ranks him at No. 56 individually in the country. He is also part of the top-five ranked 4x400m relay team.
“I would say the relationship I developed with Coach Frye and the 400 guys is really encouraging and has definitely influenced my training,” Rogers said. “I don’t really know what I’m doing, so in a sense, my teammates are also teaching me as I go. It’s been really encouraging, and it’s good to see some progress.
“I’m still learning how to pace myself in the 400, but I am thinking about controlling my breathing. I’m thinking about how much gas I have left in the tank. Honestly, I’m thinking about trusting my training and knowing that I’m ready to run! And now I don’t have to worry about getting hit anymore.”
While he has adjusted to a different sport and different school, Rogers is still eager to get better.
“The fan aspect is so different, but I do like how it’s an individual sport and it’s also a team sport as well. Not only am I able to compete against my own teammates, but we’re able to compete against other people in the relays.
“The most important thing I’ve learned is to really trust my training. My teammates and I may not always understand the methodology of the training by Coach Frye, but to see it play out to where there have been three meets where we’ve consecutively lowered our times, it’s really encouraging. Coach Frye has been more thorough in explaining why we’re doing what we’re doing. I just want to encourage my teammates like they’ve encouraged me.”
Rogers said the 4x400m relay team has a goal of running their event in 3:04, and he wants to touch 46 seconds in the indoor 400. Knowing that Frye has worked with Olympic sprinters and many All-Americans and seeing them lower their times significantly, Rogers is confident in his future.
“I’ve definitely seen it happen here, and that goes back to what I was saying about trusting my training. I don’t think that’s an unrealistic goal,” Rogers said. “We expect a lot out of ourselves. I’ve only run the 400 twice. The first time I ran 48.1. This past weekend, I ran it for the second time, and I was at 47.9. With that being said, the more I run the race, I learn my body and whenever I figure that out, that’s when I’ll make the biggest drops in times.”
