By the time Devyn Wright pushed across the finish line with his long and speedy stride at a February indoor meet at Pittsburg State University, his teammates’ mouths were agape.
In his first track meet since middle school, the 6-foot-3 Evangel University junior clocked a 46.99-second 400-meter dash, a school record at the Springfield-based NAIA school and a mark that sent him to the national championships later that month.
The Ozark High School graduate was happy to win his heat, but he wasn’t sure if his time was noteworthy.
“My teammates were excited,” Wright said. “And I was like, ‘Was that a good time?’”
Very. And it’s only improved in recent months in the outdoor edition of a sport he once discontinued to focus on a baseball career he thought would extend beyond junior college.
Wright heads into the NAIA outdoor championships in Marion, Indiana, this week with Evangel records in the 400 (46.37) and 200 (20.76). He also holds the private school’s No. 2 all-time mark in the 100 (10.53).
Just three 400-meter NAIA sprinters in the nation have clocked times faster than Wright, whose top 200-meter mark also ranked among the top 10 in the association.
Many track runners’ athletic careers appear to have been geared toward firing out of the blocks in their respective events. Wright fell back into the sport just a few months ago after a seven-year hiatus, illustrating the sort of potential he hopes can one day bring him collegiate gold.
“My teammates were excited. And I was like, ‘Was that a good time?’”
Evangel sprinter Devyn wright
A standout baseball player at Ozark High School, Wright continued his career at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, where he generated interest from multiple four-year schools, including NAIA juggernaut Louisiana State-Shreveport.
He committed to the Pilots — currently ranked No. 1 with a gaudy 54-0 record — last year before a change in plans last summer. He instead opted to stay close to home and play at Evangel.
“I was losing my motivation (for baseball) and wanted to do something else,” said Wright, who began to pursue baseball at Evangel last fall before shifting all of his attention to track.
He began training last year with his younger sister, current Ozark High hurdles standout Bria Wright, and began to develop a fervor for the sport that ran through his bloodline.
Wright’s father is Cameron Wright, a five-time All-American at Southern Illinois who went on to compete for Team USA in the 1996 Olympic Games. Devyn’s mother, Elissa Wright, was a standout hurdler at Southern Illinois.
“Playing baseball, I was kind of the odd man out in the family,” Devyn joked.
Not anymore.
With marks that would fare well in any collegiate division, Wright believes he will shave time as he continues to train and make up for lost time. He is a junior academically, but believes he may have two more years of athletic eligibility.
“It’s been quite an experience and I’ve worked to be the best I could be, even out of nowhere,” Wright said. “This is not a route many people take, but God had a plan for me and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
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