Cole Beck
{{Short description|American athlete (born 1999)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Cole Beck
| birth_name = Coleton Beck
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = United States
| sport = Athletics
| event = Sprint
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|3|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| weight =
| pb = 60m: 6.57 (Louisville, 2023)
100m: 9.97 (Austin, 2023)
200m: 20.47 (Durham, 2022)
|
}}
Coleton Beck (born 5 March 1999) is an American track and field athlete who competes as a sprinter. He played college football at Virginia Tech.{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/coleton-beck-14675270|title=Cole Beck|accessdate=9 November 2023|website=World Athletics}}
Biography
Beck graduated from Blacksburg High School before attending Virginia Tech.{{cite web|url=https://roanoke.com/sports/college/va_tech/in-the-region-cole-beck-breaks-virginia-tech-mark-in-100-at-ncaas/article_50bf79d6-0591-11ee-b41c-7f306f9b3b39.html|title= In the region: Cole Beck breaks Virginia Tech mark in 100 at NCAAs|website=The Roanoke Times|accessdate=9 June 2023}} Between 2018 and 2020 he combined running track with playing for the university football team as a wide receiver. In 2020, he concentrated solely on sprinting after breaking his collarbone in 2019. He returned to the football team as a punt returner in 2022.{{cite web|title=Virginia Tech track star Cole Beck rejoining football team, Brent Pry says|first=Andy|last=Bitter|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3452637/2022/07/21/virginia-tech-track-star-cole-beck-rejoining-football-team-brent-pry-says/|access-date=6 December 2023|date=21 July 2022|website=The Athletic}} Before that, he lowered his 100 metres personal best to 10.11 seconds in 2021.{{cite web|accessdate=6 December 2023|website=Radford News Journal|url=https://radfordnewsjournal.com/cole-beck-has-record-breaking-year-on-track/|title= Cole Beck has record-breaking year on track|date=
December 28, 2021}}
In February 2023, he lowered his 60m personal best to 6.57 seconds in Louisville.{{cite web|url=https://www.gobblercountry.com/platform/amp/2023/2/26/23616097/virginia-tech-hokies-sweep-acc-indoor-championship-for-the-second-year-straight-vt-2023-track-field|website=Gobbler Country|accessdate=6 December 2023|title=Virginia Tech Hokies Sweep ACC Indoor Championship for the Second Year Straight|date=26 February 2023}} In May 2023, in Jacksonville at the NCAA East trials he ran a wind-assisted 9.87 seconds 100 metres, leading him to be dubbed “the fastest white dude in history”.{{cite web|url=https://www.outkick.com/cole-beck-virginia-tech-football-track-fastest-white-man-sprint-100-meter-ncaa-championship/|website=Outkick.com|accessdate=9 November 2023|title= VIRGINIA TECH WR COLE BECK, THE FASTEST WHITE GUY OF ALL-TIME, GETS SMOKED IN NCAA 100M CHAMPIONSHIP|first=Grayson|last= Weir|date=10 June 2023}} After the race he used his Twitter account to call himself the “fastest footballer” and tagged NFL receiver Tyreek Hill, being quoted in The Roanoke Times that he would “love to race him”.{{cite web|url=https://roanoke.com/sports/college/va_tech/virginia-techs-cole-beck-seeks-an-ncaa-title----and-a-duel-with/article_eadf2c20-0328-11ee-a0a6-c763d78e6b7d.html|accessdate=9 November 2023|website=Roanoke.com|title= Virginia Tech's Cole Beck seeks an NCAA title -- and a duel with Tyreek Hill|first=Mark|last=Berman|date=June 5, 2023}} At the NCAA Championships held in Texas in June 2023, Beck ran a legal 9.97s in the 100m heats to break his own school record and officially break the 10-second barrier.{{cite web|url=https://hokiesports.com/news/2023/6/8/track-field-beck-advances-to-ncaa-finals.aspx|date=June 8, 2023|accessdate=June 9, 2023|title= Beck advances to NCAA finals|website=Hokiesports.com}}
In August 2023, Beck returned to the Virginia Tech Hokies football roster.{{cite web|url=https://www.gobblercountry.com/platform/amp/2023/8/4/23819645/virginia-tech-football-cole-beck-back-on-the-football-roster-hokies-track-and-field-ncaa|website=Gobblercountry.com|accessdate=6 December 2023|title= Virginia Tech football: Cole Beck back on the football roster|first=Bryan D.|last=Manning|date=4 August 2023}} In September 2023, he revealed he was offered a chance to compete in track and field at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. However, he declined the invitation as it clashed with two matches for Virginia Tech.{{cite web|url=https://roanoke.com/sports/college/va_tech/football/cole-beck-virginia-tech-football-track-pan-american-games/article_0694498a-5d94-11ee-a9f7-8bb5f43b9bc2.html|website=Raonoke.com|accessdate=6 December 2023|title= Cole Beck chooses Virginia Tech football over Pan Am Games|first=
Mark |last=Berman |date=September 27, 2023}}
In January 2024, he declared for the 2024 NFL draft.{{cite web|url= https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2024/01/02/cole-beck-2024-nfl-draft-virginia-tech/|website=Draft.Wire.usatoday|accessdate=1 April 2024|date=2 January 2024|title= Virginia Tech WR Cole Beck declares for 2024 NFL draft|first=Curt|last=Popejoy}} Undrafted, he was invited to rookie minicamps by the NFL teams Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets.{{cite web|website=Roanoke Times|url=https://roanoke.com/sports/college/va_tech/cole-beck-virginia-tech-football-nfl-new-york-jets-atlanta-falcons-blacksburg/article_0848b98c-058c-11ef-8a37-0b242e821abf.html|accessdate=3 May 2024|title= Blacksburg and Virginia Tech grad Cole Beck 'pumped' for Jets rookie minicamp|first=Mark|last=Berman|date=April 28, 2024}}{{cite web|website=Sporting News|accessdate=3 May 2024|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/atlanta-falcons/news/virginia-tech-cole-beck-atlanta-falcons-rookie-minicamp/419a951faceb97e4fefcf113|title= Virginia Tech track star/wide receiver Cole Beck to attend Atlanta Falcons rookie minicamp|first=Saivion |last=Mixson}}
Personal life
He graduated with a bachelor's degree at Virginia Tech in apparel, housing, and resource management in 2022. His masters degree course was in building construction science and management.{{cite web|url=https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/12/class-of-2023--two-sports--two-degrees--and-a-whole-lot-of-oppor.html|website=news.vt.edu|accessdate=1 April 2024|title= Two sports, two degrees, and a whole lot of opportunity|date=12 December 2023|first=Ashley|last=Williamson}}
References
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Category:American male sprinters
Category:People from Blacksburg, Virginia
Category:Virginia Tech Hokies football players
Category:Virginia Tech Hokies men's track and field athletes